Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ cups All-Purpose Flour (180 g)
  • 1 teaspoon Baking Soda (5 g)
  • ½ teaspoon Fine Sea Salt (3 g)
  • ½ cup (1 stick) Unsalted Butter, softened (115 g)
  • ½ cup Granulated Sugar (100 g)
  • ½ cup Light Brown Sugar, packed (100 g)
  • 1 cup Creamy Peanut Butter (250 g)
  • 1 large Large Egg, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract (5 ml)
  • ¼ cup Granulated Sugar (50 g, for rolling)
  • 36 pieces Hershey's Kisses, unwrapped

Instructions:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Crucially, unwrap all 36 chocolate kisses and set them aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the softened butter, granulated sugar, and packed brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes). Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
  4. Beat in the creamy peanut butter until fully incorporated. Then, beat in the egg and vanilla extract until just combined. Do not over-mix this stage.
  5. Reduce the mixer speed to low. Gradually add the dry ingredients mixture, mixing only until just combined and no streaks of flour remain. The dough will be soft.
  6. Cover the bowl with cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes. (This helps prevent excessive spreading.)
  7. Place the remaining ¼ cup of granulated sugar into a small, shallow bowl. Using a small scoop (or rolling 1 tablespoon of dough), form the dough into neat, uniform balls.
  8. Roll each dough ball thoroughly in the granulated sugar until completely coated.
  9. Place the sugar-coated balls on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches (5 cm) between them.
  10. Bake for 8–10 minutes. The cookies are done when the edges look set and lightly golden, but the centres still look slightly soft. The key here is under-baking slightly for chewiness.
  11. Immediately upon removing the baking sheet from the oven, press one unwrapped chocolate kiss firmly into the centre of each cookie. This will cause the edges to crinkle and blossom around the chocolate.
  12. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them carefully to a wire rack to cool completely.