Peanut Butter Kiss Thumbprints

🍪💋 Peanut Butter Kiss Thumbprints — Classic, Cute, and Crowd‑Pleasing

Soft, chewy peanut butter cookies topped with a sweet chocolate kiss — these Peanut Butter Kiss Thumbprints are basically love at first bite!

Cookies are the universal language of happiness. They’re the treat that shows up at bake sales, holiday trays, after‑school snacks, and midnight cravings. And while there are a million cookie recipes out there, some just never go out of style. Enter the Peanut Butter Kiss Thumbprint — the cookie that’s equal parts nostalgic and irresistible.

Why do we love them so much? It’s the perfect balance: salty‑sweet peanut butter cookie + melty chocolate kiss = cookie perfection. They’re soft, chewy, and just the right size for “I’ll just have one more” (spoiler: you’ll have three).

This recipe is:

Classic and timeless — the cookie everyone recognizes and loves.
Easy to make — no fancy equipment or complicated steps.
Kid‑friendly — little hands love unwrapping kisses and rolling dough.
Perfect for sharing — bake sales, holidays, or just because.
Customizable — swap the chocolate, change the nut butter, make them your own.

💬 Reader prompt: Are you team “peanut butter + chocolate forever” or do you like to mix up your cookie flavors?

These have basically been my favorite cookies for a very long time! I never make them because I know I will eat them all in one sitting. We were recently gifted a large bag of Hershey Kisses and it an effort to not eat all of them in one sitting we decided to make cookies for all our new neighbors!

These are great because they make a lot and are fairly easy to execute! Honestly, you can not go wrong with any chocolate and peanut butter combination. We love thumbprint cookies for the win!

Ingredients

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 stick butter, at room temperature
½ cup smooth peanut butter
½ cup granulated sugar, plus more for rolling
½ cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tablespoon milk, half-and-half, oat milk or nut milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 dozen Hershey’s Kisses, foil removed

Directions

Sift together flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
Using an electric mixer, cream together butter, peanut butter, 1/2 cup granulated sugar and light brown sugar. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat until well blended.
Gradually add flour mixture, mixing thoroughly. If the dough is very soft, refrigerate for about 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with nonstick liner and set aside. Roll dough into 1-inch balls. (For a precise number of cookies, divide the dough into 3 pieces, and shape each piece into 12 balls.)
Roll cookies in sugar and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake until very light brown and puffed, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove sheet from oven and lightly press a Hershey kiss into center of each cookie, allowing it to crack slightly.
Return to oven until light golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from oven, cool completely and store in an airtight container.

🔢 Calorie Count (Per Cookie, Makes 36)

Calories: ~120
Protein: 2g
Carbs: 15g
Fat: 6g
Fiber: 1g
Sugar: 9g

💡 Note: Basically cookie math that says, “Yes, two is a serving.

🥕 Nutritional Facts & Fun

Peanut Butter: Protein + healthy fats.
Chocolate: Antioxidants + happiness.
Egg: Structure + richness.
Flour: The backbone of cookie magic.
Sugar: Sweetness + caramelization.

💬 Reader prompt: Do you prefer your cookies chewy, crispy, or somewhere in between?

👩‍🍳 Cooking Tips

Chill Dough: If dough feels sticky, chill 30 minutes before rolling.
Sugar Roll: Rolling in sugar gives that classic sparkle and crunch.
Timing Trick: Add kisses right after baking so they melt just enough to stick.
Storage: Keep in airtight container up to 5 days, or freeze for 2 months.
Holiday Hack: Use red and green foil kisses for festive trays.

🔄 Recipe Variations

Almond Butter Kiss Cookies: Swap peanut butter for almond butter.
Dark Chocolate Twist: Use dark chocolate kisses.
Stuffed Surprise: Hide a mini peanut butter cup instead of a kiss.
Gluten‑Free: Use a 1:1 gluten‑free flour blend.
Double Chocolate: Add cocoa powder to dough for chocolate‑on‑chocolate bliss.

💬 Reader prompt: Which version would you try first — almond butter, dark chocolate, or stuffed surprise?

🧒 Kid Tips

Let kids unwrap the kisses (bonus: keeps them busy).
Turn it into a math game — count how many kisses you need.
Make mini cookies with mini kisses for tiny hands.
Call them “chocolate hug cookies” to make them sound extra fun.

🛒 Grocery Hacks

Peanut Butter: Store brand works just as well as name brand.
Chocolate Kisses: Stock up after holidays when they’re on sale.
Brown Sugar: Store with a marshmallow to keep soft.
Flour: Buy in bulk and store in airtight containers.
Butter: Freeze sticks to always have some on hand.

💬 Reader prompt: Do you keep chocolate kisses in your pantry year‑round, or only buy them for baking?

🎯 Reader Challenge

This week, I challenge you to bake a batch of Peanut Butter Kiss Thumbprints and share them with someone outside your household — a neighbor, a teacher, a friend. Post your creation with #LouLouGirlsCookieLove so we can all spread the sweetness together.

🥪 Leftover Remix

Cookie Crumble Sundae: Crumble cookies over ice cream.
Cookie Milkshake: Blend with milk and ice cream.
Cookie Trifle: Layer with pudding and whipped cream.
Cookie Pops: Stick on lollipop sticks and dip in chocolate.
Cookie Pie Crust: Crush and press into a pie pan for a fun crust.

💬 Reader prompt: Would you rather turn leftovers into a sundae or a milkshake?

💭 Final Thoughts

These Peanut Butter Kiss Thumbprints are proof that the simplest recipes can bring the most joy. They’re classic, nostalgic, and versatile enough to be a holiday staple or an everyday treat. Plus, they’re the kind of recipe that makes everyone smile — and isn’t that the best kind of baking?

Here’s the thing about cookies — they’re never just cookies. They’re the smell of butter and sugar filling your kitchen, the joy of pressing chocolate kisses into warm dough, the comfort of knowing dessert is going to be a hit.

And these Peanut Butter Kiss Thumbprints? They’re a keeper. They’re chewy, they’re chocolatey, they’re the perfect balance of salty and sweet. They’re the kind of recipe that makes you feel like you’re winning at life, even if the laundry is still in the dryer.

But what I love most is how recipes like this bring us together. Food has that magic — it’s not just about eating, it’s about sharing. It’s about swapping tips, laughing over chocolate‑smudged fingers, and building little traditions that make life sweeter.

So here’s my challenge to you: bake these cookies, share them with your people, and then tell me your twist. Did you add dark chocolate? Did you sneak in almond butter? Did you double the kisses just because you could? (No judgment — I’d be first in line for that version.)

💬 Reader prompt: Should we do a “Cookie Series” next? I’m dreaming up snickerdoodles, chocolate crinkle cookies, and maybe even monster cookies.

Until then, may your cookies be chewy, your chocolate melty, your peanut butter plentiful, and your kitchen filled with laughter, love, and second helpings. Because at the end of the day, recipes like this aren’t just about baking — they’re about celebrating the little joys that make life delicious.

Did you try this Peanut Butter Kiss Thumbprints recipe? Did you love it? We would love to hear from you! Please a comment below!

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