8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup creamy (no-stir) peanut butter
1/2 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
2/3 cup granulated sugar, divided
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
32 chocolate kiss candies, unwrapped
Instructions
Arrange 2 racks to divide the oven into thirds and heat the oven to 375ºF. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda together in a medium bowl.
Beat 1 stick room-temperature unsalted butter, 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter, 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, 1/3 cup of the granulated sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt together with the paddle attachment in a stand mixer on medium speed until well-combined and slightly lighter in color, scraping down the sides as needed, about 2 minutes.
Beat in 1 room-temperature large egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until just combined. Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed just until combined.
Place the remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar on a plate. Scoop and roll the dough into 32 (1-tablespoon) portions. Roll each portion into a ball. Roll each ball in the sugar to coat. Place on the baking sheets at least 1 inch apart, 16 per sheet. (If the dough is too sticky to roll, refrigerate for 15 minutes to firm up.)
Bake for 5 minutes. Rotate the baking sheets between racks and from front to back. Bake until the cookies look puffy and cracked, and the bottoms are just starting to brown, 3 to 5 minutes more. Immediately press an unwrapped chocolate kiss into the center of each cookie. Let cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
