Does anyone else remember eating these cookies with Brach’s chocolate stars on them instead of candy kisses? Even though I am not a big fan of chocolate all by itself, I have always loved chocolate that is wrapped around peanut butter, and I have fond memories of eating the chocolate stars topping these peanut butter cookies. I remember eating my mom’s peanut blossoms as a kid; I would eat the soft cookie edge all around the chocolate star first and then pop the star off the last cookie piece, finish the cookie, and then let the star melt in my mouth. Mmmm.
I have not seen chocolate stars in stores for ages. I wondered if maybe they were discontinued, so I did a quick Google search and found that the stores nearest to me that sell them are in Nebraska or in Rapid City, South Dakota. Rapid City had multiple stores listed, so I guess they are still big fans of chocolate stars. Perhaps I will have to look the next time I go to visit my aunt there. In addition to the option of traveling to another state (since I live in Colorado), chocolate stars can be ordered online. It looks like I could order a whole case from Amazon for $65.84. A case does seem like a bit much…
Instead of traveling great distances or purchasing a whole case, how about taking advantage of all the chocolate heart candies that are available this time of the year? It’s a super easy way to get festive for Valentine’s Day without having to work too hard. There are hearts available in pretty much any variety your heart or sweetheart desires–milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, peanut butter. There are many options. I used peanut butter hearts and some kisses I had leftover from Christmas when the hearts were running short. 
I think most people make these cookies for Christmas, but I didn’t get any made this year with all of the other treats on my “To-Bake” list. I think Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to treat your sweetheart to these delicious cookies.
Peanut Blossoms {Valentine Edition}
Note: Yield will vary depending on the size of your cookies, but I typically get around 5-6 dozen. Be sure to buy enough chocolate pieces to top all of your cookies.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup butter or margarine
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 3 1/2 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2-3 tablespoons sugar for rolling dough balls in before baking
- chocolate hearts, kisses, or stars for topping cookies
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 365 degrees. (My mom’s recipe says 375, but I go a little lower because I am afraid of hard cookies.)
- Cream sugars, butter, and peanut butter together in a large bowl. Beat in eggs, milk, and vanilla.
- In a separate small bowl, sift together flour, soda, and salt.
- Add flour mixture to sugar mixture and combine completely. Place 2-3 tablespoons of sugar in a separate small bowl.
- Shape dough into small balls and then roll in the small bowl of sugar until coated. [Note: I ended up using two different sized cookie scoops. I started with my smallest scoop (1 tablespoon capacity), and the chocolate heart seemed a little too big for the cookie; the smallest scoop worked out well for the candy kisses since they are smaller. My bigger scoop (1 and 1/2 tablespoon capacity) was a better choice for the hearts.]
Two scoops. 1 and 1/2 T. on left and 1 T. on right. 
The center cookie seems too small for the heart. The two end cookies have a great cookie-chocolate proportion. - Place dough balls on an ungreased cookie sheet. The cookies will not spread much, so you can space them appropriately.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes. Immediately press chocolate candy into each.
- Be sure to let cookies cool and set completely before trying to stack them. The chocolate will stay soft for quite some time. You’ll have to be patient unless you want squashed or smeared chocolate.
Source: My mom
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