Peanut Butter Blossoms

Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the peanut butter, vanilla, and mix on medium-high speed until incorporated, about 1 minute.

Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the flour, baking soda, salt, and mix on low speed until just incorporated, about 1 minute; don’t overmix.

Using a two-tablespoon cookie scoop form approximately 22 equal-sized mounds of dough.

Place mounds on a large plate or tray, cover with plasticwrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, up to 5 days. Do not bake with unchilled dough because cookies will bake thinner, flatter, and be more prone to spreading.

Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat or spray with cooking spray.

Optionally (but recommended) add 1/3 cup sugar to shallow bowl and roll dough mounds through sugar.

Place dough mounds on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart (I bake 8 cookies per sheet) and bake for about 8 to 11 minutes, or until edges have set and tops are just set, even if slightly undercooked, pale, and glossy in the center; don’t overbake. Cookies firm up as they cool. I let them cool on the baking sheet and don’t use a rack.

Immediately place one Kiss in the center of each cookie, pressing down slightly so the edges crack a bit if desired.

Allow cookies to cool for at least 15 minutes before serving, or until chocolate has had time to set up and has ‘glued’ onto the cookie.