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
These are my favorite Christmas cookie, hands down!! 🙂 I think I’m going to make these and have a contest between my aunt’s and these to see if they can tell the difference! Usually when I bake something healthy they always disappear so quickly! 😉
Somehow, I didn’t realize these were your all-time favorite Christmas cookie!! But then again, with chocolate + PB… I should’ve guessed. 😉 That means a lot to me you’d put these up against your aunt’s cookies Marina! I can’t wait to hear the results! ♡
These are going to be made for my son’s girlfriend who is gluten free and she will eat the lot if I let her. But you know I’m going to keep some hidden just for me. Thank you and Happy Holidays xoxo
You’re so sweet to think of your son’s girlfriend Beverley! I really hope she enjoys the cookies, and I can’t wait to hear what you think of them too! ❤️
I added one ¾ teaspoon of baking soda, 20g of chocolate butter and five drops of huckleberry syrup to add its taste. I need to say that it’s one of the tastiest dishes which I have tried till now. I tried Oatmeal cookies for the first time, and my son loved it, we liked your carrot cake recipe too. I shared this website with my colleague Kately, who just enjoys trying out cookies. She suggested to me a website with varieties of recipes which look delicious and easy to make . I am sharing the link for those busy moms who love to make recipes made within short period of time.http://www.nestle-family.com/recipes/english/30-minutes-or-less-recipes.aspx
I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed the recipes Althea! That means a lot to me that you shared my blog with your colleague too — thank you for sharing that with me! 🙂 I’m so excited to hear what you and your son try next!
Have you ever tried using PB2 as a substitute in any of your recipes?
I’ve used peanut flour in some of my recipes before (like this fudge, this candy, and this egg-free cookie dough)! It’s slightly different than PB2 because it doesn’t contain sugar or any other ingredients, aside from peanuts and salt. PB2 doesn’t quite set up properly in those recipes, according to other readers, but I’d love to hear what you think if you try any of them Melissa!
I love the idea of bringing cookies to the hospital workers! And I love this healthy remake of this classic cookie.
Thanks so much Annie! 🙂
That’s so sweet that you made a Christmas surprise for the hospital staff – I’m sure they really appreciated that. These look so delicious!! My dad & I both love peanut butter (especially in cookies), so I’m adding these to my Christmas baking list – in fact, they might even make a great gift for my dad!
You’re such a sweetheart to add these to your baking list too Katie! That means a lot to me that you think your dad would enjoy them! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you try the recipe!
Mine did not turn out as nice as yours! They seemed very dry. Any tips?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Nina! Let’s get this sorted out. 🙂 What brand of creamy PB did you use, or was it homemade? How did you measure the flour — measuring cups or a kitchen scale? Did you make any substitutions or modifications to the recipe?
I am thinking it’s the peanut butter. I used Natural Jiffy (all i had) I am assuming it wasn’t creamy enough? Measuring cup for the flower and I made no other modifications. We still all loved the cookies, especially the kids! Can’t wait to make them again 🙂
Thanks for the info Nina! It could definitely be the Natural Jiffy PB. That isn’t nearly as runny as the homemade PB that I use (or the store-bought kind that only includes peanuts and salt!). 🙂
Also… If you don’t own a kitchen scale, here’s what I recommend doing for measuring flour (and cocoa powder, oats, etc!): use a fork to “scoop” up flour from the container, and lightly shake the fork back and forth over the top of your measuring cup to transfer the flour into it. Once there’s a small mound of flour extending past the rim of the measuring cup, then place the flat back of a knife against the top of the measuring cup, and gently scrape it across the top to get rid of the excess flour. Never “pat” the flour down with the knife or fork. This fork method acts like a sifter (without dirtying another dish!) and guarantees you’ll add less flour to the batter, so you’ll end up with chewy and tender cookies. Does that make sense? 🙂
this is great advice! Never have been much of a baker, but my daughter loves to cook! Trying to find healthy recipes we can actually enjoy. Trying these again today! I’ll share how it goes!
I’m truly honored by your interest in my recipes Nina! I can’t wait to hear what you and your daughter think of these cookies! 🙂
Have you tried these with any other flours? I was think thinking Of using oat flour?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe! I’ve already included the best flour alternatives in the Notes section underneath the Instructions. It can be easy to miss! 🙂 I typically recommend against using oat flour in this recipe because it tends to be more absorbent, so the cookies tend to turn out dry. I’d love to hear what you think if you try them!
Hi amy! I tried this recipie today. But my cookies turns out to be so hard. I did followed every measurement correctly. Is there any tips? 🙁
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Nadia! Let’s figure out what happened. 🙂 Did you measure with a kitchen scale or measuring cups? Did you make any substitutions or modifications, including those listed in the Notes section underneath the Instructions? How long did you bake your cookies?
Hi amy! I measured it using the kitchen scale. I did not made any modification on the ingredients. But i did bake it for about 15 mins as my oven was in degree celcius instead of F. Do you have any idea how many degree celcius (℃) should i use? Thank you in advanced for the reply amy!
Thanks for the information, Nadia! If using the correct temperature, 15 minutes is much too long — and that would explain why your cookies turned out so hard! 350°F is 176°C. Is that about the temperature you used? 🙂
Sorry but won’t be making these again. The cookies had no peanut butter flavor(we used the smooth unsalted trader joes which we always love). The were nothing like a cookie, more like a mealy kind of cake texture with an unpleasant cream texture. . They went straight to the rubbish:(
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Jen! That sounds really disappointing — and not like how the cookies should turn out. I’d love to work with you to solve that flavor and texture issue! Based on your description of the flavor and texture, I have a feeling about what happened. How did you measure the flour, with a kitchen scale or measuring cups? If the latter, can you describe in detail how you measured? Also, did you make any other substitutions, besides using TJ’s creamy peanut butter instead of homemade? We’ll sort out these issues so you don’t experience them again — with my recipe or any other cookie recipes you make! 🙂