During my senior year of college, my family flew out to Arizona for the holidays. Although we always hosted Christmas at our house (throughout our childhood, my brother and I were terrified that Santa wouldn’t find us if spent it at a relative’s home!), we wanted to visit Grandpa in the hospital on Christmas Day.
We arrived a few days before, and while Mom and Grandma drove 1½ hours to the big city’s hospital on Christmas Eve, my brother and I stayed behind at our grandparents’ house to avoid overwhelming Grandpa in his teensy tiny room.
Instead of sitting around watching holiday movies, we decided to make a surprise for the hospital staff that had to work on Christmas. It’s never fun being away from family and taking care of sick people over the holidays!
We spent most of Christmas Eve in Grandma’s kitchen with her cookbooks and a plethora of ingredients scattered across the countertops. After whipping up a quick batch of peppermint bark (Mom’s favorite holiday candy!), we baked Grandpa’s famous Cowboy Coffee Cake (although we opted for more traditional raisins instead of Grandpa’s secret ingredient!).
We finished the day with multiple batches of peanut butter blossoms—or as we called them, “Kiss Cookies!” By the time we pulled the final tray from the oven, we had polished off an entire bag of Hershey kisses and nearly a full jar of peanut butter.
And when we brought all of the goodies into the nurses’ break room the following day, not a single crumb was left!
This year, my grandparents are coming out to visit us in California like usual, and even though we probably won’t visit a hospital on Christmas, I still wanted to bake a batch of these Ultimate Healthy Peanut Butter Blossoms for our family to enjoy during the holidays! They’re irresistibly chewy and have the perfect ratio of chocolate to peanut butter, and with absolutely no added butter, oil, refined flour or sugar, nearly everyone snuck a few extra from the cookie tray!
To make these fun cookies, you’ll start with white whole wheat flour. That sounds like an oxymoron, doesn’t it? Typically, white flour and whole wheat flour are two separate things! However, white whole wheat flour is made by finely grinding a special type of softer white wheat, whereas regular whole wheat flour comes from a heartier variety of red wheat. This gives white whole wheat flour a lighter taste and texture, similar to that of all-purpose flour, but it still has the same health benefits as regular whole wheat flour (like extra fiber!).
Rather than granulated sugar, you’ll sweeten these cookies with coconut sugar. Coconut sugar is exactly what it sounds like: an unrefined sweetener that comes from coconuts! However, it does not actually taste like coconuts. It has a rich caramel-like flavor, similar to brown sugar, but it pours like granulated sugar. Most grocery stores have started stocking it next to the traditional sugars on the baking aisle, and you can also buy it online here.
For these healthier cookies, I highly recommend using homemade creamy peanut butter! I always use my easy blender peanut butter. It just takes 5 minutes to make! Even better, it contains absolutely none of the crazy ingredients (like refined sugar or hydrogenated vegetable oil!) that many store-bought peanut butters have. If you end up using store-bought, make sure the only ingredients on the label are “peanuts” and “salt!”
After you’ve baked the peanut butter cookies and they feel ever so slightly underdone, pull the tray from the oven, and immediately press a chocolate kiss into the center of each. I prefer Hershey’s dark chocolate kisses because {a} I love their rich flavor and {b} I’m a huge dark-chocoholic. (It’s why I published my Healthier Chocolate Treats cookbook!) Be gentle when nestling the kiss into each cookie! You want to maintain the cookie’s chewy texture. The warmth from the cookies will melt the chocolate kisses so they fully stick to the cookies, and you’ll want to let the cookies (and chocolate kisses!) cool completely to room temperature to preserve the kisses’ shape.
Who’s ready for milk and cookies? ? And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! ?) I’d love to see your cookies and feature them in my Sunday Spotlight series!
| The Ultimate Healthy Peanut Butter Blossoms | | Print |
- 1 cup (120g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 1 large egg white, room temperature
- 1 tbsp (15mL) nonfat milk, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (64g) homemade creamy peanut butter
- ½ cup (96g) coconut sugar
- 20 Hershey’s special dark chocolate kisses
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg white, milk, and vanilla. Stir in the peanut butter until fully incorporated. Stir in the coconut sugar. Add in the flour mixture, and stir until incorporated.
- Roll the dough into 20 small spheres, and place onto the prepared baking sheet. Flatten until they’re slightly larger than the base of each chocolate kiss. Bake the cookies at 350°F for 8-10 minutes.
- While the cookies bake, unwrap the chocolate kisses. As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, gently press one kiss into the center of each cookie. Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely and allow the chocolate kiss to set.
For a gluten-free flour substitute, I recommend the following: ¼ cup (30g) millet flour, ¼ cup (30g) tapioca flour, 3 tablespoons (21g) coconut flour, and ½ teaspoon xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten-free flour blends will work as well, if measured like this.
Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
I highly recommend using my easy blender peanut butter to make these cookies! Otherwise, substitute a natural drippy-style peanut butter. The only ingredients on the label should be “peanuts” and “salt.” Do not substitute chunky peanut butter. The cookie dough will be too dry and won’t come together.
Light brown sugar may be substituted for the coconut sugar.
Some brands of flour are more absorbent than others. This is the brand that I use. If the cookie dough is too dry and won’t come together after a few minutes of mixing (it does take a bit of effort to get all of the flour worked in!), add additional milk ½ teaspoon at a time until all of the flour has been incorporated.
If you prefer, a small piece or two of dark chocolate may be substituted for the chocolate kiss for a slightly more “clean eating” version. Two small rectangles of this chocolate would be my top recommendation!
This recipe is easily doubled!
{gluten-free, low fat, low calorie, clean eating option}
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♥ Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
♥ Peanut Butter Cheesecake Thumbprint Cookies
♥ Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies
♥ Single-Serving Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Protein Cookie Dough
♥ Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Banana Cookies
♥ Peanut Butter & Jam Thumbprint Cookies
♥ Peanut Butter Banana Seven Layer Bars
♥ The Ultimate Healthy Soft & Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
Do you happen to have nutrition facts of the cookies? Like calories, carbs, protein, and fat facts?
Yes! All of that info is already included directly beneath the recipe. I know it can be easy to miss! 😉 I’d love to hear what you think of these cookies if you try them Kelly!
Mine turned out super ugly 🙁 and didn’t taste that well but that’s because I attempted to make some changes.
Like I only had regular whole wheat flour, and I wanted to make it more health friendly and use powdered peanut butter and just add water to make it the right consistency. I guess I should try the homemade PB and white whole wheat flour !
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Kelly! Unfortunately, the powdered peanut butter substitution is probably what caused your issues. If you use my homemade creamy peanut butter recipe (or store-bought PB that only contains peanuts and salt!), then you should have much better results! 🙂
Your page is a wonderful lifesaver for those who worry about holiday foods calorie content! I love all your recipes – keep up the good work and happy holidays!
You’re so sweet Alyssa — thank you! That means the world to me! 🙂 Happy holidays to you as well! And I can’t wait to hear what recipe you decide to try next!
i made these and they unfortunately did not taste good. they barely taste like peanut butter, so i suggest adding more. they also were tough and just not very flavorful. Butter or oil is a must in most cookie recipes if you want them to taste good
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Jason! That sounds disappointing and not at all how the cookies should turn out. I’d love to work with you to figure out what happened! 🙂 How did you measure the flour? Did you use a kitchen scale or measuring cups? If you used the latter, can you describe in detail how you measured? Also, did you use my homemade creamy peanut butter recipe or something else? If something else, what brand and product did you use? Lastly, did you use a stand or electric mixer to make the cookie dough? Once I know all of that information, then we should be able to solve the issues that you saw so your cookies turn out perfectly soft, chewy, and peanut buttery! 🙂
Will these cookies keep in the freeze until I need them?
Yes! Once baked and fully cooled to room temperature, these cookies freeze really well. 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you try making them, Nancy!
Just made a batch today and they were delicious. Love reading your stories and enjoying all the healthier versions of all my favorites.
I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies, Wendy! It means even more to me that you love reading the stories that I include with my recipes too. Many people have voiced the opposite opinion, so I’m truly grateful that you’d take the time to let me know. You’re so sweet and such a kind soul! ♡
Love it! We have tried the recipe as is and also have subbed 1/4 of the flour for vanilla protein powder. So good!
I’m so glad you love these cookies, Alaa! That really means a lot to me. Thank you for taking the time to let me know! 🙂 I also appreciate you sharing your vanilla protein powder modification. I always love hearing what recipe tweaks work!