Here’s another cookie that I made for Christmas goody bags this year, but once again these pictures were not taken this year. This recipe has been sitting, neglected and abused, in my drafts folder since last Christmas! I’m sorry Peanut Blossom Cookies, I had better intentions, I swear! You’ve probably seen this recipe under several different names, but my recipe card says Peanut Blossoms, and that’s what I’ve always called them, so that’s what you get!

Well, in any case, I’m posting them now, so that’s got to count for something! I love this cookie. Peanut butter + chocolate = love. Even though I do occasionally make them at other times of year, I tend to think of these as Christmas cookies. I make them almost every year at this time, and that’s when I remember making them with my mom when I was younger. (My job was to unwrap all the kisses before she got the hot cookies out of the oven. I probably ate as many as made it onto cookies.)

Super simple to make, and really good- I don’t know why I don’t make them more often!

You’ll need: Flour, baking soda, salt, sugar, brown sugar, shortening, peanut butter, egg, milk, vanilla, Hershey Kisses.

In a large bowl, add 1 3/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 egg

2 Tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine until dough forms. Not quite there yet…

There we go. Shape the dough into balls.

Then roll those dough balls in granulated sugar. I find it easiest to pour some sugar onto a small plate.

Place sugar coated dough balls onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes.

While the cookies are in the oven, unwrap your Hershey kisses. (Or you can unwrap them before you get started… but I tend to do them as I go as I don’t want to unwrap more kisses than I end up with cookies.)

When the cookies are done, take them out of the oven…

… and IMMEDIATELY press a Hershey Kiss into the center of each cookie. You’ll have to leave the cookies in a single layer wherever you put them when you take them off the pan until they are completely cool. Until they’re cool, the chocolate on the kisses stays melted (I wanted to say melty, but Firefox says that’s not a word) and you’ll just end up smearing the chocolate around everywhere.

Enjoy!

Peanut Blossom Cookies

1 3/4 cup flour
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. crisco shortening
1/2 c. peanut butter
1 egg
2 T. milk
1 t. vanilla

Combine until dough forms. Shape into balls and roll in sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes at 375. Top each cookie with a kiss. Press firmly.

And yet again, I let nearly two months go by without posting. I really have no excuse as I have at least 5 posts in draft. Suffice it to say, I’m probably never going to be one of those bloggers who has well-timed holiday recipes posted in the weeks preceding the Big Day. I’m a cook at the last minute, post it later type of girl!

Take this recipe here. It is in fact a Christmas cookie recipe, and I am posting it a week before Christmas! But don’t be fooled. I am not that prepared. I am still making my grocery lists for this year’s baking. I made THESE particular Christmas cookies LAST year. Probably on the 23rd because that’s the earliest baking I did last Christmas.

So just in case you’re like me and still planning your Christmas baking for this weekend or next week, I present you: Coconut Fudge Cups! These were really good, but they felt really labor intensive. Could be because I was trying to take pictures at the same time, triple checking the recipe, and anticipating many many more hours of baking ahead of me. The resulting cookies were worth it though as I will (hopefully) be making these again this year. I might even go crazy and make more than one batch!

Then again, I might be so tired from grocery store list making that I don’t make anything at all.

You’ll need: Butter or margarine, cream cheese, flour, powdered sugar, unsweetened baking cocoa, vanilla, sugar, coconut, egg, {chocolate chips, whipping cream, green/red food coloring}- optional for garnish

In a large bowl, place 1/4 cup butter or margarine

Add 3 ounces of cream cheese

Beat together with an electric mixer on medium speed.

Add 3/4 cup flour

1/4 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons cocoa

and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Stir to combine.

Roll the dough into 24 one inch balls and place into ungreased mini muffin cups.

Press the dough into bottom and up the sides of each cup and set aside.

For the filling, combine 2/3 cup of granulated sugar

2/3 cup of coconut

1/3 cup cocoa

2 Tablespoons of softened butter or margarine

and one egg.

Mix until the filling is spreadable.

Spoon about 2 teaspoons of filing into each cup.

Bake at 350 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes, or until almost no indentation remains when filling is touched lightly. Cool slightly.

Remove to wire cooling rack. If you’d like, you can be done at this point. Or you can continue on and add the garnish.

Put 1/4 cup of coconut into a small resealable bag, and add a few drops of red or green food coloring.

Shake the bag to distribute the color.

Meanwhile, put 1/4 cup chocolate chips into a small microwavable container.

Add 2 teaspoons of whipping cream. Microwave on high for 30 seconds, and stir until smooth.

Frost the top of the coconut cups with the chocolate, and sprinkle on the red or green coconut.

Enjoy!

Coconut Fudge Cups
Source: ? I made these a year ago and can’t find which holiday baking magazine I took them out of… I want to say Betty Crocker, but could be wrong.

Cookie Ingredients
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 (3 oz.) pkg cream cheese, softened.
3/4 c. all purpose flour
1/4 c. powdered sugar
2 T. unsweetened baking cocoa
1/2 t. vanilla

Coconut Fudge Filling
2/3 c. granulated sugar
2/3 c. flaked coconut
1/3 c. unsweetened baking cocoa
2 T. butter or margarine, softened
1 egg

Garnish, if desired
1/4 c. semisweet chocolate chips
2 t. whipping cream
1/2 c. flaked coconut
green and red food coloring

Heat oven to 350. In large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon. Stir in remaining cookie ingredients.
Shape dough into 24 1-inch balls. Press 1 ball into bottom and up side of each of 24 ungreased mini muffin cups. Mix filling ingredients until spreadable. Spoon about 2 teaspoons filling into each cup.
Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until almost no indentation remains when filling is touched lightly. Cool slightly; carefully remove muffin cups to cooling rack.
In 1 cup microwaveable cup, microwave chocolate chips and whipping cream on high 30 seconds, stir until smooth. Frost tops of fudge cups with chocolate.
In small resealable plastic bag, toss 1/4 cup coconut with red food color, or green food color. Garnish each fudge cup with red or green coconut.