• 1 ¾ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup salted butter, softened
  • ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tablespoon milk
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 package Hershey Kisses, unwrapped
  • Additional sugar for rolling

There are certain cookies reserved only for Christmastime. This makes them that much more special and this is one of them. While living in Poughkeepsie, New York, my good friend, Donna Blue, shared this recipe with me. I just can’t leave a recipe alone, and so I added additional vanilla extract, but other than that, this is the same recipe she uses. Making a recipe once eaten with a dear friend is special.

I wish I could sit down with each of you and enjoy one (or two or three…) of these with a nice cup o’ tea or like Donna and I would do, with a nice hot cup of Dunkin Donuts coffee with hazelnut creamer – always – that was our thing! Perhaps you can think of me when you sit down with your good friend and enjoy one (or two or three…) of these wonderful cookies together! The extra bonus is that they freeze really well, too! I even ship them out to our family and friends…see…

The boys and I enjoyed making four different kinds of cookies yesterday. We made our Fudgy Bonbons, Ginger Cookies, the Peanut Butter Blossoms, Peanut Butter Cup Cookies and then tried something new which became a fun debate throughout the day…and into the evening!

One of our boys (I’m not certainly sayin’ who suggested that we use some of the Reese’s PB Cups and may have mentioned using them in the Fudgy Bonbon dough. The debate was that he only mentioned using the cups and the other son suggested using the cups in the Fudgy Bonbon cookie dough.) This became a fun debate and one son even said, “Pattern Infringment!” It made for a fun afternoon and more memories in the kitchen!

Here is a picture of my guys making Christmas cookies ten years ago! This, a tradition I hope and pray my boys will carry on when they have their families, is very special to me.

Look at those faces. Nathaniel’s face says it all and Alexander is holding “Best Bear” given to him after our house fire that year. The boys were getting ready for our families to visit for the holidays. My parents, sister, brother, soon-to-be brother-in-law, mother-in-law, sister-in-law and nephews all spent Christmas with us that year in New York, so we made lots and lots of cookies for everyone! I remember Alexander counting down the days until everyone arrived by marking off each day on our calendar. One day it snowed and snowed and snowed…everyone including the grandparents went out sledding on the big hill behind the house. My boys still talk about that today!

Here’s how I make these!

In a medium size bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and salt.

In a mixer, cream together butter and peanut butter until light and fluffy.

Gradually add both sugars and mix well. Add egg, milk and vanilla extract.

Mix in dry ingredients.

Shape into balls and roll in sugar.

Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 8 minutes in a 375 degree oven.

Add a Hershey Kiss in the middle and bake an additional 2-5 minutes.

Open wide and enjoy! We love these with a glass of milk…so does Santa!