Ingredients:

  • 1 ¾ cups All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 tsp Baking Soda
  • ½ tsp Fine Sea Salt
  • ½ cup Unsalted Butter, softened (1 stick)
  • ½ cup Granulated Sugar
  • ½ cup Light Brown Sugar, packed
  • 1 cup Creamy Peanut Butter (Standard, shelf-stable)
  • 1 Large Egg, room temperature
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • ¼ cup Granulated Sugar (for rolling)
  • 36 pieces Milk Chocolate Kisses (or similar drop), chilled

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside (Dry Mix).
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Scrape down the bowl.
  4. Add the peanut butter and beat until fully combined and smooth.
  5. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until just incorporated. Do not overmix.
  6. Gradually add the flour mixture on low speed, mixing only until just combined. Stop immediately when no streaks of flour remain.
  7. Cover the dough and refrigerate for 30 minutes to prevent excessive spreading (Crucial step).
  8. Place the rolling sugar into a shallow bowl. Using a 1.5-inch scoop, portion the chilled dough into balls. Roll each ball completely in the sugar until lightly coated.
  9. Place the sugared dough balls onto the prepared baking sheets, ensuring they are about 2 inches apart.
  10. Bake one sheet at a time for 8–10 minutes. The cookies should look slightly puffed, the edges should be lightly set, but the centres should still look soft and slightly pale.
  11. Immediately remove the cookies from the oven. Gently press one chilled chocolate piece (point side up) into the centre of each warm cookie. The warmth will slightly melt the base of the chocolate, securing it.
  12. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. The chocolate must set fully before storing (approx. 30 minutes).