My Sourdough Peanut Butter Blossom cookies are a soft, nostalgic classic with a subtle tang from sourdough discard and a rich peanut butter base. Each one is topped with a melty Hershey's Kiss, making them the ultimate bite-sized treat for peanut butter lovers.
If you love them, try my chocolate-stuffed sourdough peanut butter cookies or go classic with my sourdough peanut butter cookies — two more crowd-pleasing cookie recipes that never last long!
Quick Look: Sourdough Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
⏱️ Ready In: About 32 minutes
🔥 Bake Time: 8–10 minutes
🍽️ Serves: 24 cookies
✨ Calories: Approximately 239 per cookie
🥄 Main Ingredients: Sourdough discard, peanut butter, brown sugar, Hershey's Kisses
🌿 Dietary Info: Vegetarian
💛 Why You'll Love It: A soft, chewy peanut butter blossom with a tangy sourdough twist.
SUMMARIZE & SAVE THIS CONTENT ON
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- A nostalgic classic, upgraded: All the charm of the blossoms you grew up with, with a subtle sourdough tang.
- Soft and chewy: A peanut butter base plus an extra egg yolk keeps them irresistibly tender.
- A great way to use discard: A perfect home for that jar of starter, like my sourdough malted chai chocolate chip cookies and my sourdough pumpkin snickerdoodles.
- That melty chocolate center: A warm Hershey's Kiss pressed in right out of the oven, just like my chocolate peppermint kiss cookies.
- Perfect for the holidays: Ideal for Christmas cookie trays, bake sales, and cookie swaps. Pair it with my festively green matcha white chocolate cookies!
Jump to:
- Quick Look: Sourdough Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
- Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Ingredients
- Easy Substitutions & Variations
- How to Make Sourdough Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
- Expert Tips
- What Makes This Recipe Special?
- Sourdough Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies FAQs
- Sourdough Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies Troubleshooting Guide
- Storage
- Other Sourdough Discard Recipes to Consider
- Sourdough Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
Ingredients
- unsalted butter, softened: The base of that soft, chewy texture.
- brown sugar + white sugar: Brown sugar brings chew and depth; white keeps them balanced.
- egg + egg yolk: The extra yolk adds richness and chew — don't skip it.
- vanilla extract: Rounds out the flavor.
- sourdough discard: The star — straight from the fridge, no feeding required. Adds a subtle tang.
- creamy peanut butter: For that rich, classic peanut butter flavor.
- all-purpose flour + baking soda + fine sea salt: The structure, rise, and balance.
- granulated sugar (for rolling): Gives the cookies their signature sparkly, crackly coating.
- Hershey's Kisses: The melty chocolate center.
See recipe card for quantities.
Easy Substitutions & Variations
- Peanut butter: Creamy is best, but crunchy works for a little texture.
- Egg yolk: Don't skip it — it adds richness. If needed, replace it with a tablespoon of milk.
- Different kisses: Swap in dark chocolate, caramel-filled, or Hugs for a twist on the classic.
- Coat in sprinkles: Roll the dough in colorful sprinkles instead of sugar for holidays or birthdays, like the festive coating on my brown butter sugar cookies.
- Mini blossoms: Use a small cookie scoop and mini kisses for bite-sized, party-perfect versions.
- More peanut butter treats: Try the swirl in my sourdough chocolate peanut butter swirl cookies, or the bar format of my snickerdoodle cookie bars.
How to Make Sourdough Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
Note: I bake by weight for accuracy. Cup measurements are approximate and may vary depending on how you scoop.
Step 1: Make the Dough: Cream butter, and sugars; mix in vanilla, egg, yolk, sourdough discard, and peanut butter. Stir in dry ingredients until combined.
Step 2: Chill & Scoop: Chill dough for 1 hour, then scoop into balls and roll in sugar.
Step 3: Bake: Bake at 350°F for 8–10 minutes, until edges are set and centers look slightly soft.
Step 4: Add Kisses: Immediately press a Hershey’s Kiss into each warm cookie and cool completely.
Weigh your ingredients! Using a kitchen scale ensures your measurements are accurate, which is key for getting consistent results in baking. It takes the guesswork out of measuring and helps your recipes turn out exactly as intended every time.
Expert Tips
- Press the kiss in while warm. The residual heat softens the chocolate just enough for that perfect melty center.
- Don't overmix the dough. Mix just until combined to keep the cookies soft and tender.
- Roll generously in sugar. A good sugar coat gives the signature sparkly, crackly top.
- Pull them looking underdone. Take them out when the edges are set but the centers still look soft — they finish setting as they cool.
- Cool completely before stacking. Let the chocolate set fully so the kisses don't smudge.
What Makes This Recipe Special?
The sourdough discard is the secret twist here. It adds a subtle tang and extra depth that balances the sweet peanut butter dough, so these taste a little more grown-up than the classic — while still hitting all the nostalgic notes. Paired with a melty chocolate kiss and a sparkly sugar coating, they're the cookie everyone reaches for on a holiday tray.
They're also quick and forgiving — no chilling required, and the dough comes together in one bowl. I love making a batch for cookie swaps alongside my brown butter coconut pecan cookies, pumpkin cream cheese cookies, and sourdough chocolate crinkle cookies for a variety plate.
Sourdough Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies FAQs
No, this dough bakes up great without chilling, so you can go straight from mixing to scooping.
Yes, though the discard adds moisture and a subtle tang. Without it, add a tablespoon or two of milk to bring the dough together if it's dry.
Right after baking, while the cookies are still warm. The residual heat softens the chocolate for that classic melty center.
Yes! Freeze the unbaked dough balls (without the kiss), then bake from frozen, adding a few extra minutes to the time.
Sourdough Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies Troubleshooting Guide
| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Cookies spread too thin | Butter too warm or dough overmixed. | Use softened (not melted) butter and mix just until combined. |
| Kiss slides off | Pressed in too late or cookie too cool. | Add the kiss immediately after baking while warm. |
| Kiss melted completely | Cookies too hot when stacked. | Let them cool fully so the chocolate sets. |
| Dry, crumbly cookies | Too much flour or overbaked. | Weigh the flour and pull them looking slightly underdone. |
| No sparkly top | Not enough sugar coating. | Roll the dough balls generously in sugar. |
Storage
- Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 4–5 days.
- Freeze baked cookies in a single layer, then transfer to a zip-top bag.
- For make-ahead, freeze the unbaked dough balls (without the kiss) and bake from frozen, adding a few extra minutes.
Other Sourdough Discard Recipes to Consider
Did you make this recipe?
If you try this recipe, I’d love if you left a quick rating and review below! It really helps support my blog and lets others know how the recipe turned out for you. Also, don't forget to tag me @kneadedthat on Instagram and use the hashtag #kneadedthat so I can see what you made and share it!
Sourdough Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale
- Stand Mixer
- Parchment Paper
- Baking sheet
- Cooling rack
- Cookie scoop (2 tablespoon)
Ingredients
- 170 g unsalted butter ¾ cup, softened
- 150 g brown sugar ¾ cup
- 100 g white sugar ½ cup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 100 g sourdough discard ⅓ cup
- 250 g creamy peanut butter 1 cup
- 270 g all-purpose flour 2 ¼ cups
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 67 g sugar ⅓ cup, for rolling the dough balls
- 24 Hershey kisses
Instructions
Make the Dough
- Cream butter and sugars: In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter, brown sugar, and white sugar together until light and fluffy (about 2–3 minutes).
- Add wet ingredients: Mix in the vanilla extract, egg, and egg yolk until smooth. Stir in the sourdough discard and peanut butter until fully combined.
- Add dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing until just combined—don’t overmix. No need to chill.
Bake the Cookies
- Preheat oven: When ready to bake, preheat to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Scoop and roll: Scoop about 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie and roll into smooth balls. Roll each ball in granulated sugar if desired, then place on the baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
- Bake: Bake for 8–10 minutes, or until the edges are set and the centers look slightly underbaked. Use a large cookie scoop to "scoot" the hot cookies into perfect circles if desired.
Add the Kisses
- Press in chocolate: Immediately after baking, gently press a Hershey’s Kiss into the center of each cookie. The cookie will crack slightly around the edges—this is perfect!
- Cool: Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely and allow the chocolate to set.
Leave a Reply