These Peanut Butter Heart Cookies are a Valentine’s Day twist on my classic peanut butter blossoms. Soft, chewy peanut butter cookies rolled in sparkly red sanding sugar and finished with a Reese’s peanut butter heart pressed right into the center. They’re easy to make, perfect for gifting, and guaranteed to be a hit with anyone who loves peanut butter and chocolate.
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Step aside, red velvet cookies. There’s a new Valentine’s Day dessert stealing the spotlight. Meet Peanut Butter Heart Cookies, a romantic twist on my all-time favorite peanut butter blossoms.
My kids can’t get enough of these soft, chewy peanut butter cookies, and honestly? Neither can I. A simple swap of red sanding sugar and heart-shaped chocolates turns a familiar favorite into a show-stopping treat.
I’ve made three batches in less than two weeks, which should tell you everything you need to know.
Here’s Why You’ll Love These Cookies, Too
- Soft, chewy, and packed with peanut butter flavor.
- No dough chilling required. From mixing bowl to oven in minutes.
- Rolling the dough in red (or pink!) sanding sugar gives these cookies an instant Valentine’s Day glow-up with almost no extra effort.
- Use any chocolate hearts you love. Peanut butter, milk, dark or even filled.
- Perfect for tucking into a Valentine’s Day dessert box.
These Valentine’s cookies use the same dough as my original peanut butter blossoms, but with a couple of simple twists.
Here are a few key notes to guarantee success:
- Peanut butter: When it comes to baking cookies, I always use a processed peanut butter like Jif or Skippy. The oils in natural peanut butter can cause the dough to spread too much and throw off the texture, so save those for your next air fryer peanut butter and jelly sandwich instead.
- Sugar blend: A mix of granulated sugar and brown sugar keeps these cookies chewy with lightly crisp edges.
- Milk in the dough: This is my secret for extra-soft peanut butter cookies. Because peanut butter is so dense, the dough can easily become crumbly and dry. Adding a splash of milk hydrates the dough just enough to give you a soft bite and help the cookie hold its shape when you press the chocolate heart into the center. Don’t skip it!
What’s different for the Valentine’s version:
- Red sanding sugar replaces regular ol’ granulated sugar for a festive sparkle. I’ve also made these using pink sanding sugar.
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Hearts take the place of classic Hershey’s Kisses for extra peanut buttery flavor. You can also use Dove or Hershey’s chocolate hearts, just keep in mind they’re firmer once set, especially dark chocolate varieties.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Start by preheating your oven to 350°F and lining two baking sheets with parchment paper. This dough doesn’t require chilling, so once it’s mixed, you’re ready to bake right away—one of the reasons I love this recipe so much.
Whisk together the dry ingredients first and set them aside. This ensures everything is evenly distributed before it hits the dough, which helps the cookies bake up evenly.
Next, cream together the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy. This step is key for soft, chewy cookies because it incorporates air into the dough, so give it a good minute or two. Once the mixture looks pale and airy, beat in the egg, peanut butter, milk and vanilla.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until combined. Overmixing here can lead to dense cookies, so stop as soon as you no longer see streaks of flour.
Now for the Valentine’s Day glow-up: Scoop the dough into 2-tablespoon portions (a cookie scoop is your best friend here) and roll them into balls. Roll each one in red sanding sugar until fully coated.
Arrange the sugar-coated dough balls on your prepared baking sheets, leaving a little space between each for spreading. Bake until the cookies are set around the edges but still soft in the centers, about 8 to 10 minutes. They should look slightly underdone in the middle when you pull them from the oven.
Don’t overbake! Peanut butter blossoms are known for their signature crinkled edges, but because the dough is rich in peanut butter, overbaking can dry them out. When that happens, those delicate crinkles turn into deep cracks—and the cookies can become crumbly instead of soft and chewy.
My #1 Tip for Success
Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes before pressing in the chocolate peanut butter hearts. Pressing them in too soon is the fastest way to end up with melted chocolate that won’t hold its heart shape. Wait too long, and the hearts won’t stick.
Once the chocolates are pressed into the center of each cookie, transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. This stops the residual heat from the baking sheet from melting the chocolate and helps the hearts keep their shape.
If your kitchen runs warm, you can pop the tray in the fridge for 10 minutes to help the chocolate set cleanly.
FAQs
This usually means the cookies cooled too much before the hearts were pressed in. The chocolate needs a little warmth to help it stick. Easy fix: If a heart pops off, don’t panic. Melt a few extra chocolate chips and use a tiny dab on the bottom of the heart before pressing it back into the cookie. It sets up quickly and works like edible glue.
I don’t recommend it for this recipe. Natural peanut butter can cause the cookies to spread or crumble. For best results, stick with a creamy, no-stir peanut butter like Jif or Skippy. Crunchy peanut butter works great, too!
I haven’t tested this recipe with other nut butters, so I can’t guarantee the results. Peanut butter blossoms rely on a stabilized, no-stir peanut butter to hold their shape and create that classic soft-but-sturdy texture. Almond butter, cashew butter, or sunflower seed butter all behave differently in the oven and may cause the cookies to spread or crumble. If you’re baking for someone with a peanut allergy or a peanut-free school, I recommend choosing a different Valentine’s Day treat instead, like my chocolate sugar cookies or these easy chocolate-covered pretzels.
Storage and Freezing
Store fully cooled Valentine’s peanut butter cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3–4 days. I like to place a sheet of parchment or wax paper between layers to protect the chocolate hearts.
Freezing the dough is my go-to option. Roll the dough balls, coat them in red sanding sugar, then freeze in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 2 months. Bake straight from frozen (no thawing needed), adding 1–2 extra minutes to the bake time.
You can freeze the baked cookies, too, but because Reese’s hearts are larger and flatter than Hershey’s Kisses, they’re more prone to blooming (those white streaks or dull spots) after freezing and thawing. They’re still perfectly safe to eat—just not quite as shiny or gift-box perfect.
That’s why I recommend freezing the dough instead whenever possible.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temp
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 creamy peanut butter
- 2 Tablespoons whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 24 Reese's Peanut Butter Hearts, unwrapped
For the Coating:
- 1/2 cup red sanding sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Set it aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg then beat in the peanut butter, milk and vanilla extract.
- Add the flour mixture to the stand mixer, beating just until combined.
- Scoop out 2-tablespoon portions of the dough and roll it into balls.
- Add the ½ cup red sanding sugar to a small bowl then roll the cookie balls in the sugar and arrange them on the baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart.
- Bake the cookies until they are set, 8 to 10 minutes, then remove them from the oven and let them cool for 5 minutes.
- Press a Reese's Peanut Butter Heart into the center of each cookie. Let the cookies finish cooling then serve.
Kelly’s Notes
- For best results, use a no-stir peanut butter like Jif or Skippy. Natural peanut butter can cause the cookies to spread.
- Store fully cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3–4 days. I like to place a sheet of parchment or wax paper between layers to protect the chocolate hearts.
- ★ Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
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