Peanut Butter Blossoms are a holiday classic - soft, chewy peanut butter cookies topped with a melty chocolate kiss. This version adds a twist: sourdough discard. The discard gives the cookies a subtle tang and richer depth of flavor, while keeping them irresistibly tender for days.
Whether you're baking for a holiday cookie exchange, gifting to friends, or just indulging in some midweek sweetness, these sourdough peanut butter blossoms are an easy way to use up extra sourdough starter while making something delicious.
Looking for more sourdough discard cookie recipes? Try one of these: Sourdough Oatmeal Cookies, Sourdough Discard Gingerbread Cookies, Sourdough Discard Shortbread, Sourdough Discard Pumpkin Cookies, Sourdough Molasses Cookies, Sourdough Nutella Cookies, or Sourdough Sugar Cookies.
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Nostalgic flavor with a new twist! All the chocolate-peanut butter goodness you remember with an added sourdough tang.
- Perfectly soft and chewy! The sourdough discard adds moisture for cookies that stay fresh longer.
- Reduce food waste. Instead of tossing your sourdough discard, put it to good use.
- Holiday-ready! Freeze these cookies to get a jump on your holiday cookie trays.
Recipe Ingredients
All you need are a couple of simple ingredients for these Sourdough Discard Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies.
Unsalted Butter: Room temperature butter is easier to cream together with the sugar. I use unsalted butter. If you only have salted butter, do not add additional salt to the recipe. There is about ¼ teaspoon of salt per stick of salted butter.
Peanut Butter: I suggest using processed peanut butter like Jif or Skippy. You can use creamy or crunchy peanut butter. Crunchy peanut butter adds a bit of crunch and bursts of peanut flavor to these cookies.
Love peanut butter cookies? Try these Sourdough Peanut Butter Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies or these Sourdough Discard Peanut Butter Cookies.
Brown Sugar and Granulated White Sugar: This recipe uses both types of sugar. The brown sugar adds moisture while the white sugar helps the cookie dough spread while it is baking.
Sourdough Discard: Don't worry your cookies won't be sour. There is plenty of sugar to eliminate the sourdough flavor. Bring your sourdough discard to room temperature before adding it to the recipe. It will be easier to incorporate. Active starter or sourdough discard can be used.
Pro Sourdough Tip: Keep a glass jar in your refrigerator to store your sourdough discard. Continue adding to it until you have enough to make your chosen sourdough discard recipe.
Bread Flour: I typically use bread flour rather than all-purpose flour in my cookie recipes. Bread flour helps to create a chewier cookie. For accuracy, the best way to measure the flour is by using a digital kitchen scale.
Tip: If you don't have a digital scale, spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it with the back of a butter knife. Try not to compress the flour into the measuring cup.
Salt: I add at least a pinch of salt to all of my recipes. Salt complements and intensifies the other flavors. For all of my recipes, I use Morton Kosher Salt which packs more densely than Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt. If you are using Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt you will want to double the amount of salt you add.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- Dark chocolate squares instead of chocolate kisses for a more grown-up cookie.
- Mini peanut butter cups for a double peanut butter hit.
- Rolo candies for a hint of caramel.
- Roll the dough balls in sprinkles instead of sugar for a festive flair.
Step by Step Directions
Step 1: Slice the butter into pieces and melt it in a light-colored skillet over medium heat stirring or whisking constantly. (Image 1) Once melted, the butter will begin to foam. (Image 2)
Tip: Using a light-colored pan makes it easier to monitor the color of the butter as it browns.
Continue stirring/whisking for about 5-7 minutes, the foam will begin to subside and the melted butter will darken to a deep amber color. (Images 3 & 4) Remove the browned butter from the heat, and pour it into a bowl. Allow the butter to cool for 30 minutes.
If you still have questions about how to brown butter, check out this video on how to brown butter from America's Test Kitchen.
Step 2: In a large bowl, add the browned butter, creamy peanut butter, brown sugar, and granulated white sugar. Whisk until there are no lumps of brown sugar.
Step 3: Add the sourdough discard, egg yolks, and 2 vanilla extract. Whisk together until smooth.
Step 4: Stir in the bread flour, baking soda, and kosher salt.
Wrap the dough in wax paper and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours.
Step 5: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll it into balls, about 2 tablespoons of dough each.
Place the granulated white sugar
into a bowl. Roll each ball in the sugar and arrange on baking sheets about 2 inches apart.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned but the center remains soft.
Step 6: While the cookies are baking, unwrap the 30 - 40 Hershey Kisses. Press a Hershey Kiss into the center of each cookie.
Step 7: Immediately transfer the cookies to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Make-Ahead, Storage, and Freezing Instructions
Make-Ahead: You can mix up the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Chilling cookie dough keeps it from spreading too much as it bakes by hydrating the flour and solidifying the butter.
Storing: Baked cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Freezing Cookie Dough: Roll the dough into balls, but do not roll them in the sugar. Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze until solid. Once frozen, remove from the baking sheet and place in a zip-top bag.
Label with the date and contents. Unbaked cookie dough balls can be frozen for up to 3 months. I always have a batch of Condensed Milk Chocolate Chip Cookie dough in my freezer for when a cookie craving strikes.
When you are ready to bake cookies, remove the cookie balls from the freezer, let them sit at room temperature while the oven preheats, roll the dough balls in the granulated white sugar, and then bake. You may need to add a minute or two to the baking time.
Freezing Baked Cookies: Baked cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Once the cookies have cooled completely, place them on a sheet pan and freeze until solid. Transfer the frozen cookies to an airtight container or zip-top bag. Label with the date and contents.
Thaw frozen cookies overnight on the counter.
Recipe FAQs
Not at all. There is plenty of sugar in this recipe to keep the cookies from tasting sour.
You can use natural peanut butter to make these cookies. Make sure to stir the peanut butter really well so that there isn't any oily or dry bits.
I have made these peanut butter cookies both ways and didn't notice a difference in texture. The only adjustment you may need to make is to double the salt. The natural peanut butter I used didn't have any salt added and therefore the cookies were a bit bland.
Either type of peanut butter will work. Crunchy peanut butter adds a bit of crunch and bursts of peanut flavor to these cookies.
Expert Tips
- Use a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients rather than the cup measurements. In baking accuracy matters. If you don't have one this is my favorite kitchen scale, because the display pulls out making it easy to see even if you are using a large bowl.
- Use room temperature butter, eggs and sourdough discard. Chilled eggs or sourdough discard may cause some of the butter to re-solidify prematurely. To quickly bring the eggs to room temperature, place them in a bowl of warm water for 10-15 minutes.
- Don't over-mix the dough once the sourdough discard and flour have been added. Over-mixing will create too much gluten and cause the cookies to be tough.
- Chill the dough for at least 2-3 hours before baking. Chilling allows the butter to firm up and the flour to absorb more liquid further solidifying the dough. If the dough is baked without chilling it first, the cookies will spread while baking and become thin, hard, and crispy.
- Use a cookie scoop for evenly portioned cookies. Take the guesswork out of portioning cookies by using a cookie scoop to make sure each cookie is the same size. Alternatively, you could cut the block of cookie dough into even pieces with a knife. I find that this method saves me time.
- Baking times for all recipes are only suggestions. The actual baking time will vary depending on your oven. It is helpful to know your oven and worth purchasing an inexpensive oven thermometer. Oven temperatures can vary as much as 50 degrees plus or minus.
Sourdough Cookies
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📖 Recipe
Sourdough Peanut Butter Blossoms
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated white sugar
- ½ cup sourdough discard room-temperature
- 2 egg yolks room-temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups bread flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Sugar Coating
- ¼ cup granulated white sugar
- 30 - 40 Hershey Kisses
Instructions
- Slice the ½ cup unsalted butter into pieces and melt it in a light-colored skillet over medium heat, stirring or whisking constantly. Once melted, the butter will begin to foam. Continue mixing/whisking for about 5-7 minutes; the butter will become a deep amber color. Remove the browned butter from the heat and pour it into a bowl. Allow the butter to cool for 30 minutes.
- In a large bowl, add the browned butter, ¾ cup creamy peanut butter, ¾ cup brown sugar, and ¼ cup granulated white sugar. Whisk until there are no lumps of brown sugar.
- Add the ½ cup sourdough discard, 2 egg yolks, and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. Whisk together until smooth.
- Stir in the 2 cups bread flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and ½ teaspoon kosher salt.
- Wrap the dough in wax paper and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll it into balls, about 2 tablespoons of dough each.
- Place the ¼ cup granulated white sugar into a bowl. Roll each ball in the sugar and arrange on baking sheets about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned but the center remains soft.
- While the cookies are baking, unwrap the 30 - 40 Hershey Kisses.
- Press a Hershey Kiss into the center of each cookie, then, using a thin spatula, immediately transfer the cookies to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
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