Peanut butter decadence with a hint of pumpkin spice! These cookies are a twist on the classic blossom. Pumpkin replaces the egg but doesn’t overwhelm the flavor. Perfect for Halloween potlucks or Christmas plates! Their wee size also makes it easy to throw down a dozen before you even know what’s happened…beware.
So let me tell you the way to go into labor, if going into labor is on your agenda right now. (I’m sure it is. Right?) All you have to do is have your parents who live nearby go on vacation to Japan (don’t be jealous. You can’t eat the sushi anyway).
THEN, at the same time, have your husband go on a business trip for work. With mom and husband out of town, the timing is perfect. Kind of like when you are waiting for a guest to arrive at your house but you really need to go to the bathroom, and you keep waiting so that you can answer the door, and then you finally just go and THAT’S when they knock. I’m basically like a magician.
No, I didn’t actually go into labor. This baby is still lodged in my frame somehow. But I DID have some painful contractions last night and totally freaked out. Lest you think this is charity for wanting Eric to be present for the birth of his child, let me reassure you that IT’S ALL ABOUT ME. I can’t imagine doing labor on my own. (Actually, I can imagine it. It’s all I was doing last night.)
Now that it’s daytime and the contractions have stopped things look a lot rosier. It helps that Eric is almost home. Even if I started labor right now he would make it. Now that we’re in the clear I’m back to praying to have the baby as soon as possible. I’m like a flip flopping politician. I’m sure God understands, right??
I mentioned last week that my friend Amy over at BellyFull and Trish from Mom on Timeout (who both live here in Sacramento) threw me a little baby shower for us food bloggers in town. They had some games planned but we were all having so much fun chatting that we forgot to even do them. (That’s when you know it’s a fun party :)
There was a bowl on the table piled high with chocolate kisses. We were supposed to guess how many there were and the closest one would win. But since we didn’t play, they sent them home with me. ALL of them. ALL 210 OF THEM. Now tell me, when you have 210 chocolate kisses forced on you, what do you do?
Well I make Peanut Butter Blossoms apparently. But these ones have PUMPKIN in them, because fall.
So I’m not going to lie to you guys, these don’t taste overwhelmingly pumpkin-y. I fed them to my neighbors who were outside while I was doing my photo shoot on the porch and they were surprised when I told them there was pumpkin in it.
Which just goes to show what a great substitute pumpkin is for eggs in cookies. (A tip I learned from Sally years ago.) Works like a charm (plus it makes them great cookies to have on hand for when you have egg-free guests). If you don’t feel like opening a whole can of pumpkin just to use 6 tablespoons of it, then just use 1 egg instead! The original recipe that I adapted these from calls for an egg, and the cookies will turn out just fine without the pumpkin. I would not, however, skip the pumpkin pie spice called for! It’s what makes these cookies taste more like fall.
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Peanut Butter Pumpkin Blossoms
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, 1 stick, softened
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons, peanut butter
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- 6 tablespoons pumpkin, canned, not pumpkin pie filling*
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 & 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 3/4 cup white sugar, for rolling dough balls, you may need more or less
- 55-60 chocolate kisses
Instructions
- In a stand mixer or large bowl, beat the butter until it is smooth.
- Add the peanut butter, 1/4 cup white sugar, and brown sugar. Beat well, scraping sides.
- Add the pumpkin and vanilla. Beat.
- Add the flour but don't mix it in. Use a small spoon to stir the baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice into the flour.
- Beat the flour into the dough until just combined, scraping sides and bottom of bowl.
- Cover the bowl and freeze for 15 minutes (or refrigerate for 30 minutes).
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silpats.
- Shape the dough into 1 inch balls. Remember, 1 inch is not very big! I actually measured my first one so that I could get a feel for it.
- Add 3/4 cup sugar to a bowl or plate. Roll the balls in the sugar.
- Place the shaped dough onto the prepared baking sheets, about 1 and 1/2 inches apart. If your oven is not ready, stick the pan in the fridge or freezer. (If there is any time lapse at all while you are shaping the dough, try to remember to chill the dough. It's delicate and needs to go into the oven cold.)
- Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes, or until the edge feels set when you touch it. Don't over bake! Unwrap kisses while the cookies bake.
- Take the cookies out and immediately push 1 kiss into each cookie. You have to do it right away so that the kiss melts a little bit, that way they will stick to the cookie as they cool. Leave the cookies on the hot pan for at least 5 minutes so they have time to set up.
- Let cool on a wire rack.
- This recipe makes about 55-60 cookies. Don't eat them all at once!
Notes
Nutrition
Try out these other cookies!
Texas Cowboy Cookies << these have been SO popular over the past few months. Try them out!
Brownie-Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies << I still have a few of these in my freezer. I eat one every time I think I’m in labor. Just kidding:
Reeses Stuffed Brown Butter Brownies << Bring on the Peanut butter! And the post Halloween treats…
Here’s a cookie version: Buried Reeses Cookies
More cookies from blogger friends!
Perfect Peanut Butter Cookies from Sprinkle Some Sugar
Cheesecake Stuffed Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies from Melanie Makes ^^ whoa!
Apple Peanut Butter Cookie from Julie’s Eats and Treats
I had to hit the sweet spot between Grandpa’s need to see fall colors in Japan, and baby girl’s arrival – and I nailed it, with 4 days to spare! Ok it was dumb luck, but I’m so glad I was home to help out – she’s just adorable :)
P.S. I have scoured the house for these cookies, no such luck…
This is a perfect use of chocolate kisses!
These look so delicious and perfect for fall! The tiny size though, that might not be so good – shall we say popping them in like candy? ;)
No family members are allowed to leave town. Or the house. Didn’t they get the memo? Good lord, girl. Ping me or Trish if you need ANYTHING. We’ll take some of these blossoms in trade.
I would be so stressed out knowing that they were ALL out of town!! Thankfully the little babers decided to wait a bit longer before making his/her debut…I can’t remember what you’re having – sorry :( But these little cookies! YUM! Cookies are my weakness. I can have a sliver of pie or cake or a brownie. But when it comes to cookies…I have zero self-control!
I am so excited to make these!! I subscribed to your blog the other day and when I told my boyfriend he said, “That’s the best idea you have ever had.”
We love your recipes so much around here!!
Hahaha!! That made me laugh out loud Brooke! Thanks so much for subscribing, so happy to have you here. You have to let me know which recipes you guys try out!
I love peanut butter blossoms and I’ve never had peanut butter and pumpkin together before, but it sounds INCREDIBLE. Plus, I’ve seen everyone raving about that Wild Friends pumpkin spice peanut butter, so this is really intriguing me :)
Pumpkin spice peanut butter!!!! What! That sounds amazing how have I not heard of this! I must find it!
So cute and a winner all around! My family would go crazy for these.
Thanks Karen! I bet they would :) Hard to beat pb and chocolate!