Cookies & Bars
Marybeth's Peanut Butter Kisses

There are 2 things that make these difficult: 1) not eating the kisses as you
unwrap them; and 2) waiting until the cookies are cool until eating them. They
really are worth waiting for. - joe
Ingredients
- 18 ounces (1 jar) creamy peanut butter (regular, not "reduced fat")
- 1-1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 48 large kisses (a 9 ounce bag of Hershey's has 53 of them)
- flour for rolling
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a fork or spoon, stir peanut butter, sugar
and eggs until thoroughly blended. With floured hands, roll into 1-1/4 inch
balls.
Place cookies 1-1/2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 12 to 14
minutes on top 2 shelves of the oven (I switch shelves midway, but I'm not sure
that it's necessary). They might smell burnt while they cook, and their tops
will crack. While cooking, remove the wrappers from the kisses.
Remove the cookies from the oven and quickly press a kiss into the middle of
each cookie while still on the cookie sheet. Let them sit for five minutes.
Very gently move the cookies from the cookie sheet to a cooling rack.
Let cool for a couple of hours. Can be refrigerated.
Variations
I haven't tried this with chunky peanut butter -- yet! I have tried
them with EggBeaters instead of eggs, though. Not too bad, the texture is
mildly less coarse, and maybe very slightly more chewy. With the PB and the
chocolate, though, I doubt using EggBeaters saves much on the waistline, so I
probably won't do it again.
Tips & Notes
- You will need to re-flour your hands after every other cookie you roll.
This can be a real mess, so I usually lay down a tablecloth or some
newspaper.
- After you put the kiss onto the cookie, it will melt. Don't be fooled;
though they retain their shape, they will be liquefied and very fragile.
- If using air-bake pans, go for 16 minutes of bake time.
- Do NOT use "reduced fat" peanut butter! What an unmitigated disaster.....
Copyright © William T. Zander & Joseph L. Casadonte Jr. 1997-2000. All rights reserved.
Marybeth's Peanut Butter Kisses / 22 December 2004 / jcasadonte@northbound-train.com