As the weather gets progressively colder, baking becomes a popular hobby amongst families and friends. From the holidays to the new year to a cold winter day, bundling up with freshly baked cookies by the fire is a seasonal treat. This peanut butter cookie recipe will warm you from the inside; a salty-sweet combo and a chocolate kiss to top it off. These cookies are quick and easy to make and are sure to be the highlight of your winter season. 

Prep time: 30 mins      Bake time: 7-10 mins per batch      Oven temp: 350       Yields: 3 dozen

Utensils needed: 

• Whisk
• Spatula
• Large mixing bowl
• Oven 

Ingredients:

Dough–

• 1 cup (2 sticks) of salted butter, softened at room temperature
• 1 cup of smooth peanut butter
• 1 cup of packed brown sugar
• 1 cup of white sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• ¼ cup of milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3 ½ cup of all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons of baking soda

Cookie exterior-

• ½ cup of white sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 bag of chocolate kisses (I used Hershey brand)

Steps:

1. Set out your butter and eggs to allow them to come to room temperature. While they do so, mix the white sugar and salt from the cookie exterior portion of ingredients in a shallow bowl. This mix will be used to roll the cookie dough in before baking.
2. Once your butter has softened, add it into a large mixing bowl and use a whisk to whip the butter until lighter in color, then cream together both sugars. This should take roughly 3 minutes. After the sugars are fully creamed together with the butter, add in your peanut butter and whisk to combine.
3. To the peanut butter mixture, add in the eggs one at a time, whisking in between each egg until fully incorporated.
4. Add in your milk and vanilla after the eggs.
5. Switch from a whisk to a rubber spatula and fold in your flour and baking soda until smooth. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight.
6. Once the cookies are done cooling, preheat your oven to 350° F
7. Using a tablespoon measuring spoon, scoop out single-tablespoon balls of the cookie dough and roll them into a ball. Coat the exterior of the dough in the sugar/salt mixture from before and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. There should be 6-8 cookies per tray.
8. Bake for 7-10 minutes or until the top is a light golden brown and crackled on the sides. Once out of the oven, push a chocolate kiss into the center of the cookie and allow it to cool on a wire rack.