Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Blossoms (2024)

These gluten-free peanut butter blossoms are soft and chewy and have a beautiful crackly and sparkly outer crust. They’re the perfect cookie to enjoy over the holiday season to show off your gluten-free baking skills. This recipe was updated in December 2022 to add better texture and taste. This post contains affiliate links. See my disclosures.

Peanut butter blossoms are traditional holiday cookies that make an appearance every Christmas. These cookies are soft-baked and bursting with peanut butter flavor, and they’re known for their signature center studded with a beautiful Hershey Kiss.

For years, I adjusted the recipe published by Hershey’s Kisses to be gluten free. But I realized, over time, that the recipe was missing something. It lacked that buttery taste that I love when I eat a cookie. Hershey’s peanut butter blossom recipe calls for shortening vs. butter, which I suspect helps the cookies hold their signature shape.

However, after experimenting with butter and sampling a few other popular peanut butter blossom recipes, I updated my recipe to make it more buttery and delicious. I noticed the cookies spread more with butter, but the delightful buttery taste trumped that tiny additional spreading.

Below you’ll find my new and improved gluten-free peanut butter blossom recipe, which has been well-tested and well-loved by my family for several years now. I hope you enjoy these delicious and festive cookies too!

Ingredients for Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies

Making gluten-free peanut butter blossom is simple, especially when using the right ingredients. You’ll need the following:

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed (100 grams)
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (see notes)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Flour Blend (222 grams)
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Sparkling sugar or granulated sugar (for coating the cookies)
• 38 Hershey’s Kisses, unwrapped

A few notes about specific ingredients:

The Flour: One and a half cups of Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Flour Blendweighs 222 grams. It’s important to measure ingredients by weight when possible. If your cookies are dry, you likely used too much flour and didn’t measure the flour with a kitchen scale.

If you’re using a different gluten-free flour blend, make sure you use 222 grams and that it includes xanthan gum. If it doesn’t include xanthan gum, add 1/2 tsp to the flour mixture. Without xanthan gum, these cookies will literally crumble.

Peanut Butter: I highly recommend using creamy and smooth peanut butter, like Jif or Skippy. Avoid using peanut butter where the oil separates from the butter.

Sparkling Sugar: I rolled the cookie dough balls in Bob’s Red Mill Sparkling Sugar (before cooking) to give the cookies a special holiday shimmer. If you can’t find sparkling sugar, use granulated sugar or omit sugar altogether.

Butter vs. Shortening: As mentioned, I updated my original recipe because it used shortening and was missing that buttery flavor I love in a cookie. Adding butter vs. shortening makes for a much better-tasting cookie. The only downside is that the cookies spread ever-so-slightly. It’s not noticeable enough to go back to shortening.

Editor’s Note: I also tested this recipe with one tablespoon of milk because gluten-free flour is dry and can benefit from bonus liquid. I noticed the cookies were chewier with the milk, and while I liked them a lot, they spread too much to be worth the hassle. Add one tablespoon of milk to the batter if you want a chewier cookie. Be sure to allow the dough to rest before baking (30-60 minutes), so the flour can fully absorb the wet ingredients.

How to Make Peanut Butter Blossoms

In the bowl attached to your standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the granulated sugar, brown sugar, peanut butter, butter, egg, and vanilla for one minute at medium-high speed.

Add the flour, baking soda, and salt and mix on low speed until the flour is incorporated, then mix at medium-high speed for another full minute.

Make sure to take the extra time to mix the dough. The extra mixing time will add structure to the cookies and give them a better rise and a nicer chew. In contrast, when baking with wheat flour, overmixing can cause the gluten to overdevelop and become rubbery.

Add the dough to a small bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Place the dough in your fridge to rest and chill for 30 minutes. Remember, resting gluten-free batter gives the flour and starches more time to absorb the liquid and will reduce grit and soften the dough.

Preheat the oven to 375º F and line three baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

Using your hands (or wearing disposable gloves), grab a small 1″ piece of dough and roll it into a ball. Repeat until you have 36-38 evenly-sized balls. Roll each piece of dough in sparkling or granulated sugar.

Place each coated cookie on your baking sheet about 2″ apart.

Bake the cookies for 9-10 minutes until the bottoms are lightly browned and the cookies are soft-baked. Work in batches. Immediately press an unwrapped Hershey’s Kiss into the center of each hot cookie.

Allow the cookies to cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Store leftover cookies in a sealed container at room temperature for 3-4 days.

Suggestions and Substitutions

Alternative to Hershey’s Kisses: Instead of using Hershey’s Kisses, use mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups or any chocolate candy. See dairy-free options for other suggestions.

Alternative to BRM Flour: I used Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Flour Blend for this recipe. If using another flour blend, make sure it contains xanthan gum. If not, add 1/2 tsp of it.

Alternative to Peanut Butter: Make sure to use smooth peanut butter for the best results, avoiding any peanut butter brands where the oil separates from the butter. You could use another nut butter – like almond butter – but the texture of the cookies may vary. Sunbutter is smooth and a good nut-free alternative.

For a Chewier Cookie: Add one tablespoon of milk to the batter. The cookies will be chewier. They may also spread more, so chill the dough well before baking.

Dairy-Free Options: Use dairy-free butter and omit Hershey’s Kisses. Instead, use the backside of a tablespoon to create a small indent in the hot cookies, then fill the center with dairy-free Enjoy Life chocolate chips.

Egg-Free Option: I have not tested this recipe without the egg, but if you do, I recommend using a flax egg. Combine one tablespoon of flaxseed meal with three tablespoons of warm water. Allow the mixture to sit for five minutes until it gels.

More Holiday Cookie Recipes

Do you love holiday baking? So do I! Try one of these 12 favorite gluten-free holiday cookies on for size!