Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Blossoms Recipe

This post featuring my gluten-free peanut butter blossoms recipe contains affiliate links.

The start of cookie season is on, and I’d like to kick-off the Christmas cookie extravaganza this year with a new recipe for gluten-free peanut butter blossoms.

Well, the recipe isn’t exactly new. It’s the recipe published by Hershey’s Kisses(TM) and one that I know many families make time and time again.

As a little experiment, I decided to follow the exact Hershey’s Kisses recipe… except for my little secret flour swap.

Instead of using all-purpose wheat flour, as the recipe calls for, I instead used my trusty Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Flour Blend. Would it work? Let’s find out together!

What is a Peanut Butter Blossom?

A peanut butter blossom is a soft cookie made from peanut butter and contains a chocolate Hershey’s Kiss pressed into its center. I’m not sure you can go wrong when you combine peanut butter and chocolate inside a cookie.

A peanut butter blossom is a classic cookie, one that I see made often during the Christmas cookie season. I’ve also seen people use a mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup in the center in lieu of a Hershey’s Kiss. Both options are gluten-free – so enjoy!

How to Make a Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Blossom

Making your own gluten-free peanut butter blossom is quite simple. You’ll need between 30-48 Hershey’s Kisses (depending on how big you make your blossoms – I may have made mine too big), along with a few other ingredients you likely have at home.

You’ll also want to have two important Bob’s Red Mill products on hand:

(1) Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Flour Blend – works as a one-to-one substitute for wheat flour in this recipe. This is an essential ingredient.

(2) Bob’s Red Mill Sparkling Sugar – this gives the peanut butter blossoms a little more shimmer. If you don’t have sparkling sugar, you can use regular granulated sugar instead. Either will work.

I’m not used to cooking with shortening, but this recipe calls for shortening. I used Spectrum brand palm oil because it is responsibly sourced and Rainforest Alliance certified. A lot of conventional palm oils have contributed to deforestation among other issues, so it’s essential to use palm oil that is responsibly sourced.

You’ll want to combine your wet ingredients, then add your dry ingredients and mix well.

You’ll then shape the dough into 1″ balls (like I said before, I think I made my dough balls too big, but they still turned out just fine). The smaller the balls the higher the chocolate-to-cookie-ratio. So try to resist the urge to make the cookies too big. They need to be big enough to fit the Kiss on top.

You’ll then bake the dough balls for 8-10 minutes. Immediately upon removing the cookies from the oven, you’ll press a Hershey’s Kiss into the center.

The cookie will crack a little – and I think the cracks are a little more prevalent in a gluten-free peanut butter blossom vs. a peanut butter blossom with gluten (as the gluten holds the structure of the cookie together better). However, once the cookies cool, they hold their shape well and the cracks simply add character but do not change the structure or taste of the cookies.

Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Blossoms Recipe

This recipe has been adapted to be gluten-free and was originally published (non-GF) by Hershey’s Kisses. Thank goodness for Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Flour Blend, as this recipe easily came together with a single simple swap!

Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Blossoms

You can still enjoy peanut butter blossoms even if you're gluten-free thanks to my clever swap. This recipe has been adapted to be gluten-free and is from the original Hershey's Kisses peanut butter blossom recipe.

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chocolate, cookie, cookies, dessert, gluten-free cookies

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Servings: 48

Calories: 98kcal

Author: Jenny Finke

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup shortening
• 3/4 cup smooth peanut butter, unsweetened
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 Tbsp whole milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1.5 cups Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Flour Blend (240 grams of Bob's flour)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
• 1/2 cup sparkling sugar or granulated sugar
• 48 Hershey's Kisses(TM)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
• Beat shortening and peanut butter in your standing mixer until well combined, about 1 minute. Add sugar and brown sugar and beat until batter is fluffy, about 1 minute.
• Add egg, milk and vanilla and beat mixture well, for another 1-2 minutes.
• Add flour, baking soda and salt to peanut butter mixture until well combined.
• Shape dough into small 1" balls. Resist the urge to make the cookies too big (my downfall!). Roll dough ball in sparkling sugar then place on cookie sheet.
• Bake for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and then immediately press an unwrapped Hershey's Kiss into the center of each hot cookie, slowing adding pressure without allowing the cookie to crumble. The cookie will crack but still hold its shape. Allow cookies to cool for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. 
• This recipe makes about 30-48 cookies depending on the size of the cookie. The original Hershey's Kiss recipe says it makes 48 small cookies. I made about 30 larger cookies with this same recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 98kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 74mg | Potassium: 30mg | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 5IU | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 0.3mg

Tried this recipe?Mention @GoodForYouGlutenFree or tag #goodforyouglutenfree!

Want another fun gluten-free Christmas cookie?  Try my cut-out gluten-free sugar cookies recipe. They hold their shape and don’t spread. Enjoy!