Christmas Cookie Classic: Peanut Butter Blossoms

This is one of those quintessential cookie recipes that holds special childhood memories. No frills ingredients, simple presentation and well worth every effort. Every year Brad asks for peanut butter cookies, and every year I make these because I don't like peanut butter cookies. I am such a great wife.

These cookies freeze really well, so they are great for your growing stash of Christmas cookies!

Ingredients: 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 cup packed brown sugar, 1 cup butter flavored shortening, 1 cup peanut butter, 2 eggs, 1/4 cup milk, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 3-1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 package (11 oz) of Hershey's Kisses + additional sugar.

First, let's cream together the 1 cup of butter flavored shortening, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup granulated sugar and 1 cup of peanut butter. If you are going to bake these today, you will need to preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Then add the 2 eggs, 1/4 cup of milk and 2 teaspoons of vanilla. Beat well until all ingredients are incorporated.

Pretty, isn't it? Now for the most dreaded of tasks...

... the sifting of the dry ingredients. Sift together the 3-1/2 cups of all-purpose flour, 2 tsp. baking soda and 1 tsp. flour. I know, I know. It takes time and is really boring. However, your cookies will thank you. Trust me.

Add the dry ingredients to the peanut butter mixture.

Mix until the ingredients are well incorporated. Don't over mix the dough. You can always pull it together with a few swipes of your spoon.

There is no need to chill the dough, you can continue on from here. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls. Once you have rolled out all of the dough, then you will need to roll the balls in granulated sugar.

If you are freezing the dough for later use, roll the dough into 1 inch balls. Freeze them individually on a plate or cookie sheet.

Once they are individually frozen you can transfer them to a Ziploc bag for storage in your freezer. The dough will last up to 3 months! When you are ready to bake them, pull the cookies out of the freezer and set on the counter for an hour. Then you can continue on as if you had just made the dough.

If you are lucky enough to have a helper with these cookies, there are a few choice jobs that are perfect for little fingers. They can unwrap the Hershey's Kisses. Watch out, though, these little helpers are particularly nefarious and will try to eat your chocolate.

Little fingers love shaking things, especially when there is sugar involved. If you are daring and decide that a 3-year-old makes an excellent sous chef, make sure that the lid is secured before the shaking commences. Sugar is not so easy to clean out of the grooves of a hard wood floor. I'm just saying.

Ah, sugar.

Once the balls have been covered in granulated sugar, place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven. Place a Hershey's Kiss in the center of each cookie. Press the Kiss firmly into the center. Return the cookies to the oven and bake for 3 minutes longer.

Voila! Peanut Butter Blossoms.

Need more recipes for freeze-ahead baking? How about some Candy Cane Blossoms? Or maybe some Rolo Cookies. Or you could check back later for more recipes! Happy Baking!