These decadent peanut butter blossoms are every bit as wonderful as the peanut butter kiss cookies we grew up making for Christmas, but they're gluten-free and made with ethically-traded chocolate.
"Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies" is what we called them growing up, and I looked forward to them as one of my top 5 favorite Christmas cookies. That meant, it really wasn't Christmas without them!
They're still one of my favorite cookies (and not just of the Christmas season), and it gives me so much joy to be carrying on the tradition of making them with my own kids.
I make these without flour, both because they're naturally gluten free that way, and also because they're just fantastically squishy, decadent, and wonderfully flavorful when made flourless. These are honestly much tastier, softer cookies than the ones I grew up with!
Another benefit of being flourless is that they stay soft and squishy even when stored for several days. That makes these a great choice for holiday cookie baskets and cookie swaps!
Another reason I've made a shift from the "peanut butter kiss" cookie recipe I grew up with, is that I no longer buy or use chocolate kisses. I learned a few years ago that the classic chocolate kisses we all know and love are made with slavery and indentured child labor. There's simply no way around that ugly truth, and in spite of big promises from the major chocolate companies, this is absolutely still the case in 2019.
Knowing this, I can't in good conscience incorporate most of the widely-available holiday chocolates our Christmas celebrations, knowing that children like my own are suffering for it. It's worth changing some traditions in the name of doing the right thing.
Peace on earth, am I right?
The good news is that while there might not currently be a kiss-shaped chocolate that's commercially available for replacing what I grew up with, there are a lot of heavenly dark chocolate choices out there, that are ethically traded and humanely grown. (Check this list for some wonderful slavery-free chocolate options!)
Read Next: Paleo Caramel Chocolate Turtles
Chopping a chocolate bar and slightly re-shaping my Christmas cookie tradition is a small price to play for a clean conscience. To be totally honest, I really have talked a lot more than I meant to in this post about ethical chocolate choices. But y'all - it's an issue that's really important to me, and close to my heart. For a good perspective from another blogger, do check out this post from Tsh Oxenreider. It's one of the best.
Back to the cookies? Yup, me too.
The bottom line is - they're great. And with only 5 ingredients and a 7-minute bake time, they might be the fastest Christmas cookies you ever make.
I hope you make them and love them just as much as my family does! And I wish you all the peace and joy of this marvelous, magical season.
With love, A
📖 Recipe
Gluten Free {Fair Trade} Peanut Butter Blossoms
Ingredients
Cookie Ingredients
- 1 cup peanut butter
- ¾ cup organic granulated sugar (or ⅔ c. honey)
- 1 large egg
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- 1.5 ounces fairly-traded dark chocolate
For the Chocolate Centers
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°
- Chop chocolate into small pieces, about ½" square.
- Mix all cookie ingredients thoroughly.
- Roll tablespoonfuls of dough into balls and place on ungreased (or parchment-lined) cookie sheet. Do not flatten.
- Bake for 7 minutes, or until just barely turning golden brown.
- Remove from oven, then gently press a piece of chocolate into the center of each cookie - just enough to flatten slightly and make those lovely cracks around the sides.
- Let cool, and enjoy! Store any cookies not eaten right away in an airtight container, to preserve softness.
Nutrition
Anna Chesley
Anna Chesley is a freelance writer living a homestead lifestyle, with a special love for family travel, old books, vintage skills, and seaside living. In addition to founding Salt In My Coffee, she runs the website, New England Family Life, as well as The 1800's Housewife, a website devoted to re-creating authentic 1800's recipes.
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