Irresistible Almond Butter Blossom Cookies: Soft, Chewy & Peanut-Free Perfection
Peanut butter blossoms hold a special place in my heart, easily ranking among my top 5 favorite cookies. However, as much as I adore them, I understand that peanut butter isn’t everyone’s cup of tea! And that’s perfectly fine—this is a judgment-free zone. I mean, I’m not a fan of bacon, which I know is also a rather controversial opinion! So, if you’ve always wanted to experience the magic of blossom cookies but can’t quite get behind baking with peanut butter (or perhaps you’re simply eager to try something deliciously new!), these **Almond Butter Blossoms** are crafted just for you.
The almond butter in this recipe offers a wonderfully subtle flavor profile, making these cookies akin to a super soft, incredibly fluffy snickerdoodle, but with the delightful surprise of a melting Hershey’s Kiss nestled in the center. While peanut butter blossom cookies traditionally make their appearance during the Christmas season, this almond butter version is so delightful that it brings a festive “Christmas in July” vibe to any time of year!
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What You Need to Make This Recipe: Essential Ingredients & Equipment
Crafting these delectable almond butter blossoms is a straightforward process, requiring a few standard baking ingredients and a handful of helpful tools. Let’s delve into what makes these cookies so special.
Key Ingredients for Flavor & Texture:
- Almond Butter & Unsalted Butter: The dynamic duo! The almond butter provides its signature, mellow nutty flavor, while the unsalted butter ensures a rich base and contributes significantly to the cookie’s incredible softness and tender crumb. Using room temperature butter is crucial for proper creaming.
- Granulated & Light Brown Sugar: This combination isn’t just for sweetness; it’s key for texture. Granulated sugar adds a delicate crispness, while light brown sugar introduces a wonderful chewiness and a hint of caramel-like depth, enhancing the overall flavor profile.
- All-Purpose Flour, Baking Soda, Salt: These are the structural backbone of your cookies. All-purpose flour provides the necessary body, baking soda acts as a leavening agent, creating those lovely soft domes, and salt balances the sweetness, making all the flavors pop.
- Ground Cinnamon & Cardamom: These spices are the secret to the unique “snickerdoodle-like” warmth of these blossoms. Cinnamon offers a classic comforting note, while cardamom adds an exotic, slightly floral, and incredibly fragrant dimension that elevates the cookies beyond a simple nut butter cookie.
- Egg: A binding agent that helps hold the cookie dough together, provides moisture, and contributes to the chewy yet soft texture. Ensure your egg is also at room temperature for seamless incorporation into the batter.
- Vanilla Extract: A splash of good quality vanilla extract is a flavor enhancer that ties all the ingredients together, adding a layer of aromatic complexity that is essential in most sweet baked goods.
- Hershey’s Kisses: Not only do these iconic chocolate candies add a delightful, creamy chocolate center that pairs perfectly with the almond butter flavor, but they also give the blossoms their charming, classic look. Don’t skip these for the full blossom experience!
Recommended Equipment for Baking Success:
Having the right tools can make all the difference in your baking experience. While some items are essential, others simply make the process more enjoyable and yield better results.
- Half-Sheet Baking Pan: A sturdy baking pan is indispensable. I highly recommend this one, as it’s truly a game-changer! You might not even need to line it with parchment paper – cookies slide right off, and clean-up is a breeze. A good baking sheet ensures even heat distribution, leading to perfectly baked cookies every time.
- Stand or Hand Mixer: While you can certainly mix by hand, a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a reliable hand mixer makes creaming butter and sugar significantly easier and more efficient, ensuring a light and fluffy cookie dough. This step is crucial for the final texture.
- Small Cookie Scoop: For perfectly uniform cookies, a small cookie scoop is a fantastic investment. It ensures each cookie is the same size, promoting even baking and creating the ideal bed for your chocolate kisses to gently melt into. Consistency is key for beautiful blossoms!
- Cooling Rack: Although not strictly necessary, cooling your cookies on a wire rack allows for proper air circulation, preventing the bottoms from becoming soggy and helping them cool evenly. This maintains their perfect texture after baking.
- Mixing Bowls: You’ll need at least two bowls – one for your wet ingredients and another for dry, before combining them.
- Measuring Cups & Spoons / Food Scale: Accurate measurements are vital in baking. A food scale is highly recommended for dry ingredients (like flour) for precision, but standard measuring cups and spoons will also work.
- Whisk & Spatula: A whisk for combining dry ingredients and a sturdy spatula for scraping down the bowl and folding in flour are indispensable.
How to Make These Delightful Almond Butter Blossom Cookies
One of the best things about these almond butter cookies is how quickly they come together! You can literally whip up a batch within minutes. The process is incredibly simple, making them perfect for last-minute treats or when a cookie craving strikes. Let’s walk through the easy steps to achieve these soft, delicious blossoms.
First, begin by preparing your oven and baking sheet. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). While the original pan recommendation suggests no parchment, if you prefer, you can line a baking sheet with parchment paper for extra insurance against sticking and for even easier cleanup. This also helps in transferring the hot cookies later.
Next, you’ll tackle the wet and dry ingredients separately. In one large bowl, whisk together your dry ingredients: the flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground cardamom, and salt. Whisking ensures these leavening agents and spices are evenly distributed, so every bite of your cookie has that perfect flavor and rise. In a separate, larger bowl (preferably for your stand or hand mixer), cream together the softened unsalted butter, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, and almond butter. This step is vital – beat until the mixture is light and fluffy, usually about 3 minutes. This incorporates air, which contributes to the cookies’ soft, tender texture.
Once your butter-sugar-almond butter mixture is perfectly creamy, add the room temperature egg and vanilla extract. Mix well after each addition until everything is fully incorporated and smooth. Now, it’s time to bring the two mixtures together. Slowly add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed (if using a mixer) or stirring by hand until the flour streaks have just disappeared. Be careful not to overmix, as this can lead to tough cookies. Scrape down the sides of your bowl with a spatula as needed to ensure all ingredients are evenly combined.
The best part? There’s no need to chill the dough! This means you’re just minutes away from fresh-baked goodness. Before scooping, prepare your cinnamon sugar coating: in a small, shallow bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar and ground cinnamon specified for assembly. Then, using a small cookie scoop (which helps create uniform cookies), scoop out balls of dough, typically about 1-inch in size. Roll each ball generously in the cinnamon sugar mixture until fully coated, and then arrange them evenly spaced on your prepared baking sheet.
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Creaming the butter, sugars, and almond butter is key for texture. -
Adding the egg and vanilla for richness and binding. -
Carefully combining wet and dry ingredients without overmixing. -
The final touch: coating the dough balls in fragrant cinnamon sugar.
Now, it’s time for baking! Pop your prepared baking sheet into the preheated oven for 8 minutes. During this initial bake, the cookies will begin to set and puff up slightly. While they’re baking, use this time to unwrap your Hershey’s Kisses. I usually unwrap only as many as I expect to use (the dough should yield about 21 cookies), just in case I end up with fewer, to avoid unnecessary unwrapping.
After the initial 8 minutes, carefully remove the baking sheet from the oven. At this stage, your cookies should be beautifully domed and just beginning to show tiny cracks on their tops – a perfect sign they’re ready for their chocolate crown! Gently but firmly push a Hershey’s Kiss into the center of each cookie, pressing about halfway down. Don’t worry if they crack a little more; it adds to their rustic charm. Immediately return the baking sheet to the oven for an additional 2 minutes. This brief second bake allows the chocolate to soften and slightly melt, creating that iconic blossom texture. Once done, remove from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. This helps them firm up and prevents them from breaking.
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The perfect moment to add the Hershey’s Kiss. -
Warm, soft almond butter blossoms with melted chocolate.
Tips for Perfection & Storage Solutions
To ensure your almond butter blossoms turn out perfect every single time, and to answer some common questions, here are a few extra tips and storage recommendations:
Yes, absolutely! If you prefer to forgo the Hershey’s Kisses, these cookies are still incredibly delicious on their own. They will have a fantastic soft and chewy texture with that signature cinnamon-cardamom sugar coating. For an extra touch and to mimic a classic snickerdoodle appearance, I recommend gently pressing down on the balls of dough with a fork before baking them, creating a criss-cross pattern. They will be like delightful almond butter snickerdoodles!
Certainly! This recipe is incredibly versatile. If you’re a fan of the traditional flavor, peanut butter can be substituted in an equal amount (1:1 ratio) for the almond butter. Just make sure to use creamy peanut butter for the best texture in your cookies.
Natural creamy almond butter often separates, leaving a layer of oil on top. It’s perfectly normal! Before measuring, stir the almond butter thoroughly from the bottom up to reincorporate the oil as much as possible. Then, when scooping, try to get a measurement that is mostly butter, leaving any excess oil behind. This ensures the correct fat ratio for your cookie dough, contributing to its perfect consistency.
To maintain their wonderful softness and freshness, store these almond butter blossoms in an airtight container at room temperature. They will remain delightfully soft and delicious for up to 5 days. You can also layer them with parchment paper if you stack them to prevent the chocolate from sticking. For longer storage, they can be frozen for up to 3 months in an airtight container; thaw at room temperature before enjoying.
Yes, you can! Prepare the cookie dough as instructed, form the balls, and roll them in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place them on a baking sheet and chill for up to 2-3 days, covered. You can also freeze the dough balls for up to 3 months. When ready to bake from frozen, simply add a minute or two to the baking time. This makes them perfect for holiday prepping or having on hand for unexpected guests!
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📖 Recipe
Almond Butter Blossoms
Kayla Burton
Pin Recipe
Equipment
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Baking sheet
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Mixing bowls
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Measuring spoons
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Scale or measuring cups
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Whisk
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Spatula
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Stand mixer with paddle attachment or hand mixer recommended
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Cookie scoop (recommended)
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Cooling rack (recommended)
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- ½ cup (1 stick) (113.5 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar
- ½ cup (120 g) almond butter (try not to get too much oil when measuring this out)
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1 large egg room temperature
- 2 teaspoons (2 teaspoons) vanilla extract
- 1¾ cup (218 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) baking soda
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon (¼ teaspoon) ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon (¼ teaspoon) salt
Assembly
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon (½ teaspoon) ground cinnamon
- 21 (21) Hershey’s Kisses
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350℉ (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (optional, but recommended for easy cleanup).
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In a large bowl, using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer, cream together the softened unsalted butter, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, and almond butter until the mixture is light and fluffy. This usually takes about 3 minutes.
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Add the room temperature egg and vanilla extract to the creamed mixture, mixing well after each addition until fully incorporated.
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In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground cardamom, and salt until well combined. Gradually add this dry mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed or stirring by hand until the flour streaks just disappear. Be careful not to overmix. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary with a spatula to ensure everything is evenly combined.
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In a small, shallow bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar and ground cinnamon for the coating.
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Using a small cookie scoop (or your hands), form 1-inch balls of cookie dough. Roll each dough ball generously in the cinnamon sugar mixture until fully coated. Then, evenly space them out on the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie.
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Bake for 8 minutes. While the cookies are baking, unwrap your Hershey’s Kisses. After 8 minutes, take the baking sheet out of the oven. The cookies should be puffed and slightly cracked. Quickly and gently push one chocolate kiss into the center of each cookie, pressing about halfway down. Return the baking sheet to the oven for an additional 2 minutes to allow the chocolate to soften.
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Remove from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. This helps them set and prevents them from breaking. Then, carefully transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Enjoy your perfect almond butter blossoms!
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Notes
For a classic twist, replace the almond butter with an equal amount of creamy peanut butter to make traditional peanut butter blossoms.
The provided nutrition information is an estimate based on the ingredients listed and preparation. Calorie accuracy is not guaranteed and may vary depending on specific brands and exact measurements used.
The provided nutritional information is an estimate per serving. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
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