Peanut Butter Blossoms

Twelve Days of Cookie Baking — Day 7

Create memories your families and friends will savor for years to come

“Christmas candy making and cookie baking were kind of sacred in our house when I was growing up,” Trina Dietz recalls. “Peanut Butter Blossoms are one of the first Christmas cookies that my mom let me make on my own because it’s an uncomplicated recipe. I was probably in junior high at the time. Before that I was allowed to make homemade peanut butter cups — one of my family’s Christmas favorites — and the cookies that I would roll with Mom’s cut-glass glasses.”

Trina’s recipe for peanut butter blossoms comes from her mother, Denise Dorner of Luxemburg, Wis. The first Christmas that Trina and her husband Eric baked these cookies together there was a bit of controversy. Trina grew up with Hershey’s Kisses on the top and his family always used chocolate stars. They’ve resolved that issue now after 11 years of marriage and compromise using those little chocolate “enhancements” interchangeably. CJK

Peanut Butter Blossoms

(Trina Dietz)

Dough

1 3/4 cups flour

1/2 cup shortening, butter or margarine

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 egg

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

2 tbsp. milk

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. salt

Extra white sugar, to roll balls of dough in

Embellishment

48 Hershey’s Kisses (unwrapped), chocolate stars or Reese’s mini peanut butter cups

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Blending at low speed with a mixer, combine all dough ingredients. Shape dough into balls (using about a rounded teaspoon amount of dough for each). Roll balls in sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheets and bake at 375°F for 10 minutes.

Remove cookies from oven and immediately top with chocolate kisses (or other chocolate pieces of your choice). Press the chocolate into the cookies until the cookies crack. Remove to cooling rack.

Yield: 4 dozen

A note from Trina: If you are using Hershey’s Kisses, unwrap them before the cookies come out of the oven.

When I say put the chocolate on the cookie immediately when it comes from the oven, I do mean “immediately.” They have to be added while the cookie is very hot so they will adhere to the top.

 A note from Carol: Perhaps you remember “meeting” Trina, a few weeks ago when she shared a few of her Thanksgiving tips with FFF readers. The communications specialist for Catholic Charities in the St. Cloud Diocese, Trina, also writes a food blog — Trina’s Recipes — to share her family’s favorites.

Trina, Eric and their children, Matthew (7), Hattie (4) and Alex (23 mos.) are members of St. Francis Xavier Parish in Sartell.