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I love the salty-sweet crunch of a good peanut butter cookie, and these sourdough discard peanut butter blossom cookies take them to the next level! The sourdough discard adds depth and a subtle tang and the kiss on top makes for the perfect chocolate and peanut butter combination. They’re a perfect addition to your festive cookie repertoire or a fantastic treat any time of year!
Why You’ll Love These Sourdough Cookies!
Super Easy – I’ve taken the simple shortcut of using a stand mixer, but you can do this whole recipe in one bowl with a fork! All you do is cream the butter and sugar together, then slowly add the rest of ingredients to make a simple cookie batter. It’s essentially the same recipe as my sourdough peanut butter discard cookie, but with a special chocolate twist.
Everyone Notices These Cookies – There’s something about a cookie with a little surprise on top that makes it hard to resist. That chocolate kiss on top has that fun, irresistible element, kind of like the jam on my sourdough thumbprint cookies, or the pecan on a sourdough pecan sandie.
Peanut Butter and Chocolate – One of the best dessert combinations out there! You press a chocolate kiss into the top of the peanut butter cookie a few minutes after it comes out of the oven and you’ve got an adorable cookie with a kiss on top. My whole family adores these cookies, especially dunked into a cold glass of milk!
Ingredients
- Brown Sugar and White Sugar – I like to use a bit of each in this recipe for a balanced flavor. You’ll also need a bit of extra white sugar to roll the cookies right before baking.
- Softened Butter – I always use salted butter but unsalted butter will work too.
- Peanut Butter – I’ve used smooth peanut butter in this version but I also love crunchy peanut butter to add texture. Use whatever you have on hand.
- Egg – One large egg helps bind the dough together.
- Sourdough Starter – You can use starter or sourdough discard. Either one will work in this recipe. Like always, just make sure your sourdough discard isn’t too sour or it will add an unpleasant flavor to your cookies.
- Vanilla Extract
- All-purpose Flour
- Baking Powder
- Chocolate Kisses – This is what makes it a peanut butter ‘blossom’ cookie!
How To Make Sourdough Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
I’ve used a stand mixer mixer for this recipe, as I do with most of my sourdough cookie recipes. I just find it much easier and faster, but you can make this in a mixing bowl with a fork if you want to.
To start, add 100 g of the white sugar, all of the brown sugar and the softened butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat until light and creamy, around 3 minutes. You can also use a hand mixer if you prefer.
Add the peanut butter and mix until smooth and fully incorporated. If your peanut butter is quite firm, you can soften it slightly in the microwave first. Add the sourdough starter or discard, egg and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
Add the flour and baking powder and mix until a stiff dough forms. Cover the bowl and place it into the fridge for at least an hour. You can leave the dough in the fridge for up to 2 days if needed.
When you’re ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two baking trays with parchment paper. Place the remaining 40 g of white sugar into a small bowl.
Scoop portions of dough using a tablespoon or small cookie scoop (around 20 g each). Roll into balls, then coat each one in the sugar before placing onto the prepared trays. Leave 2 to 3 inches between each cookie to allow for spreading.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. The cookies should be lightly golden around the edges and beginning to crack on top. Allow them to cool for 2 to 3 minutes, then gently press a chocolate kiss into the center of each cookie.
Kate’s Pro Tip
Chocolate Tips
I like to wait about 5 minutes after the cookies are out of the oven to press the chocolate kisses into the top. I find that’s the sweet spot so the cookies are still warm enough to press the kisses in, but not so hot they melt the chocolate!
If you do notice the chocolate is melting, you can transfer the finished cookies to a plate or tray and place in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes so the kisses keep their shape.
Leave the cookies on the baking tray to cool completely before transferring to an airtight container.
How To Store and Freeze
Store the cookies in an airtight container on the counter for up to 5 days or so.
I find these sourdough peanut butter blossom cookies are best stored in a glass jar or cookie tin. While plastic containers are airtight, they tend to make the crunchy edges of these cookies too soft (and I really don’t like that).
You can also freeze them by placing them on a baking tray or plate in the freezer, then transferring them to an airtight freezer bag. You can also freeze unbaked cookie dough by rolling into balls and snap-freezing on a cookie sheet before transferring to a resealable plastic bag.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can make this with sunflower butter if you can’t eat nuts. Just keep in mind the texture might be slightly different, and it’s possible you may see a perfectly safe and natural green hue to the cookies from a reaction with the baking powder.
Yes, you could use another nut butter such as almond butter in this recipe. However, be prepared that other nut butters besides peanut butters may result in a slightly different texture in the finished cookie.
Yes, this is a great way to prepare these peanut butter blossom cookies in advance! I like to make the recipe all the way through scooping the dough into balls and rolling them in sugar. Put all the sugared dough balls onto a baking tray or plate and freeze, then transfer the balls to an airtight freezer bag. When you’re ready to make the cookies, you just place the balls onto the prepared cookie sheets and bake. You don’t even need to thaw them, just bake an extra minute or two!
Sourdough Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
Equipment
- Stand Mixer or a hand mixer, optional
- Mixing Bowls
- Cookie Scoop
- Baking Sheets
- Parchment Paper
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- 100 g Brown Sugar
- 100 g Granulated Sugar
- 100 g Butter, salted, softened
- 250 g Peanut Butter, smooth or crunchy
- 100 g Sourdough Starter, or sourdough discard
- 1 Egg
- 5 g Vanilla Extract
- 180 g All Purpose Flour
- 5 g Baking Powder
Toppings
- 40 g Granulated Sugar, for rolling the dough balls
- 40 Chocolate Kisses
Instructions
- Add the brown sugar, white sugar, and butter to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat with the paddle attachment on medium speed until uniform, about 3 minutes. If you'd prefer, you can cream the butter and sugar using a hand mixer or a bowl with a fork.
- Add the peanut butter and mix until well combined (if the peanut butter is a little hard, you can soften it in the microwave).
- Add the sourdough starter, egg, and vanilla extract to the bowl and mix together until well combined.
- Now, add the all purpose flour and baking powder to the bowl and bring it together to a stiff dough.
- Transfer the bowl to the refrigerator and chill the dough for at least an hour, although you can chill the dough in the fridge for up to 2 days. The flavor when you do this, is out of this world!
- When you are ready to make the cookies, preheat your oven to 350℉/175℃ and prepare two baking sheets lined with parchment paper or silicone baking sheets.
- Use a tablespoon measure or a cookie scoop to scoop up about a tablespoon of dough (about 20 grams). Roll the dough into a small ball and roll the ball in the remaining 40 grams of sugar, then place on the cookie sheet with about 3 inches of space between the cookies so they have room to spread.
- Bake the sourdough peanut butter blossom cookies for 9 to 11 minutes at 350℉/175℃. You will see them spread as they cook and the tops will start to crack a bit. Pull them from the oven and let them cool for 5 minutes before pressing a chocolate kiss into the center of each cookie.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking tray before transferring them to an airtight container.
Notes
- I like to wait about 5 minutes after the cookies are out of the oven to press the chocolate kisses into the top. I find that’s the sweet spot so the cookies are still warm enough to press the kisses in, but not so hot they melt the chocolate!
- If you do notice the chocolate is melting, you can transfer the finished cookies to a plate or tray and place in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes so the kisses keep their shape.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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