Healthy Peanut Butter Blossoms
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These healthy peanut butter blossoms are soft chewy and loaded with rich chocolate chunks. They are flourless, gluten free and so simple to bake for any holiday cookie tray.
These cookies are my take on peanut butter blossoms (you know, the ones with the Hershey’s Kisses). PB blossoms are one of Isaac’s favorite cookies so I had to take a stab at making a healthy version and I have to say, this version is just as good…maybe even better than classic peanut butter blossoms!
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“First batch disappeared before I could freeze some for our Christmas dessert tray! Second batch in the oven. These cookies are the perfect sweetness, crisp with a chew too, and the dark chocolate makes them extraordinary. Another family favorite we’ll be making again and again. Can’t wait to try another one of your recipes! Thank you!!!”
Why I Love These Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Holiday classic: These blossoms have that perfect mix of soft peanut butter cookie and melty chocolate, which makes them a must bake treat every single December.
- Crowd favorite: These disappear fast at cookie swaps and holiday parties, and they are always one of the first treats everyone reaches for.
- Naturally gluten free: The dough comes together with just a few simple ingredients and works well for anyone who needs a gluten free treat during the holidays.
Ingredients Needed
Guess what? You only need six simple ingredients for these healthy pb blossoms and it’s likely that you have all six sitting your pantry at this very moment.
- natural peanut butter – the base of these cookies and what gives them that classic peanut butter blossom flavor. I like using a drippy natural peanut butter so the dough mixes easily.
- sugar – sweetens the cookies and helps create that classic blossom-style texture. It gives the edges a little crisp while keeping the center soft. I used cane sugar but coconut sugar is another great option!
- egg – helps bind the dough and gives the cookies structure as they bake.
- vanilla extract – adds warmth and rounds out the peanut butter flavor.
- baking soda – gives the cookies a little lift while they bake.
- chocolate chunks – I used Enjoy Life Mega Chunks, but any dark chocolate chunks/squares will do. I bet Hu Kitchen chocolate gems would work great!
Substitutions
- Nut butter: The traditional recipe uses peanut butter, but I’m assuming you can swap for any other nut or seed butter. I haven’t tested this so if you try a different nut butter, let me know in the comments.
- Vegan cookies: If you want to make these blossoms vegan, swap the egg for a flax egg. I’ve tested it and the cookies still bake up soft and chewy. Also, be sure to use a vegan chocolate option like the Enjoy Life mega chunks so the whole recipe stays dairy free.
How to Make Healthy Peanut Butter Blossoms
Step 1: In a medium bowl, mix the peanut butter, sugar, egg, vanilla and baking soda until well combined.
Step 2: Spoon 1 Tablespoon of the mixture and roll into a ball. Arrange each cookie about 1 inch apart onto a baking sheet.
Step 3: Bake at 350ºF for 9-10 minutes.
Step 4: Remove from the oven and immediately press a chocolate chunk into each cookie. Allow to cool completely and then enjoy!
Tips for Success
- Use natural peanut butter for the right texture: A natural peanut butter (the kind with just peanuts and salt) gives you a soft dough that mixes easily and bakes up chewy. Conventional peanut butter is thicker and can make the dough dry and crumbly.
How to Store Homemade Cookies
After letting your cookies cool completely, I recommend storing in an airtight container. They’ll last a few days on the countertop, a week in the fridge and up to 1 month in the freezer. I love making these in advance, freezing and then serving during the holidays!
Frequently Asked Questions
You can. A flax egg works well in place of the regular egg and still gives the cookies enough structure to hold the chocolate chunk. The texture stays soft and chewy.
I recommend it. Natural peanut butter mixes into the dough easily and keeps the cookies tender. Thicker processed peanut butters can make the dough dry or crumbly.
Traditional peanut butter blossoms are usually made with white flour, butter and a Hershey’s Kiss. This version skips the flour entirely which keeps them naturally gluten free, uses natural peanut butter for healthy fats and relies on simple ingredients you probably already have at home. They still bake up soft and chewy with that perfect chocolate bite on top but feel a little lighter than the classic cookie.
More Cookie Recipes to Try
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Healthy Peanut Butter Blossoms
Ingredients
- 1 cup natural peanut butter, (regular peanut butter works too)
- 1 cup cane sugar or coconut sugar
- 1 large egg, (or a flax egg)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- Chocolate chunks, I used Enjoy Life Mega Chunks
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a medium bowl, mix the peanut butter, sugar, egg, vanilla and baking soda until well combined.
- Scoop 1 Tablespoon of the cookie dough, roll into a ball and set about 1 inch apart onto ungreased baking sheets.
- Bake for 9-10 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately press a chocolate chunk into each cookie. Allow to cool completely. The chocolate will harden as it cools.
Video
Notes
- If you need the cookies to be vegan, you can use a flaxseed egg instead of a regular egg!
- Make a Hanukkah version by using chocolate gelt instead of chocolate chunk.
- Store in an airtight container on the counter for 3-4 days or in the fridge or freezer for longer storage.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like This Recipe? Rate & Comment Below!
These are delicious, soft cookies. I ran out of peanut butter, so I used half peanut nutter and half cashew butter. My friends loved them too.
OMG – I made these and because I’m gluten and dairy-free I was looking for a healthy replacement for my Mom’s cookies that are like these. These turned out soo yummy. Great recipe and love this site.
These are the best pb cookies I’ve ever made. I’ve made pb cookies using JIF natural pb and white sugar and they were excellent albeit a little fragile. This time I used Skippy natural pb because my boyfriend bought the wrong stuff – and used light brown cane sugar because he also bought the wrong sugar. I also did 1.5 times the recipe with 2 full flax eggs and maybe a bit extra vanilla. I rolled them in small balls and then in white sugar and pressed them with a fork on parchment paper – baked at 325 for about 8 to 10 minutes (my oven burns cookies at 350 it seems….) until puffed up and a shade darker – when I pulled them they were still very very soft. I let them cool on the cookie sheet. The cookies were about the size of a fifty-cent piece – maybe a little bigger. The end result was a SOFT CHEWY cookie. I skipped the chocolate. But OMG they were amazing and not fragile. I have no idea why they turned out so much better – I’m not a baker/cook but maybe the light brown sugar made the difference – with a little extra flax egg? I don’t know. The lower temp and letting them cool on the cookie sheet maybe too? I can’t imagine using a slimy egg though – highly recommend the flax egg.
These are so good! I halved the recipe and only used 6 tbsp sugar, 3 brown and 3 white. I also added a sprinkle of salt. They taste great with coffee and ginger tea. Thank you!!!
Considering the minimal amount of ingredients called for, these came out alright. 🙂 They have the texture of a no-bake cookie and though most of them unfortunately fell apart when picked up, there weren’t any leftovers after the potluck I took them to tonight. I probably wouldn’t make ’em again but I loved how simple they were to whip up!
Love that you flipped the classic peanut butter blossoms! And congrats on finishing your 10-day sugar cleanse. Sugar is so hard to stay away from. I once eliminated all types of sugar (sucrose and fructose) for 14 days and felt like a serious addict until after a week.
Oh man! That would have been really hard without fruit or anything! Did you go right back to eating sugar after cutting it out for the 14 days or have you been eating less since the detox?
I’ve never been able to resist the old standard chocolate and PB combination, especially in cookie form, and even more so when they’re this easy! They look amazing, Brittany!
Yummmm these look fantastic 🙂
So I just read more carefully and I see your note about the egg. Sorry! 🙂
These look fantastic! Do you think it would work with a regular egg instead of flax egg? Thanks!