There’s a certain magic to December. Lights twinkle, sweaters get fluffier, and somehow the kitchen becomes the beating heart of the season. But not everyone has the time or patience for complicated holiday baking that reads like a chemistry lab experiment. That’s where the delightful world of five-ingredient Christmas cookies steps in, quietly saving sanity while still delivering all the festive sparkle.
Let’s take a moment to appreciate the elegance of the five-ingredient recipe. It’s the culinary equivalent of a well-styled capsule wardrobe: minimal effort, maximum charm. These cookies skip the drama and jump straight to the good part. Even better, fewer ingredients mean you get to claim bragging rights without revealing how easy it really was. A tiny Christmas miracle.
© Getty ImagesClassic Peanut Butter Blossoms
These are the cookies that make people hover near the dessert table pretending they’re “just browsing.” Soft, chewy, and with only five ingredients, they’re a holiday power move. Peanut butter, sugar, an egg, vanilla, and a big shiny chocolate kiss in the middle.
You don’t even need a mixer; just stir, roll, bake, press, and watch them vanish faster than holiday PTO.
© Getty ImagesThe Easiest 5-Ingredient Peanut Butter Blossoms for a Christmas Crowd
Peanut Butter Blossoms are the golden child of holiday cookies. They’re nostalgic, they’re adorable, and the whole house smells like a hug while they bake. This is the recipe you keep in your back pocket for cookie swaps, surprise guests, or whenever your sweet tooth taps you on the shoulder.
Ingredients
- Peanut butter, 1 cup, the creamy kind that plays nice in cookie dough
- Granulated sugar 1 cup, plus a little extra for rolling
- Egg 1 large
- Vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon
- Chocolate kisses, 24 to 30 pieces, unwrapped and ready for their close-up
Instructions
Start by heating the oven to 350°F. This gives you time to admire how few ingredients you’re using and briefly pretend you’re filming a holiday baking show. Stir the peanut butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla together in a bowl. No mixer needed; just a spoon and a little enthusiasm. The dough will come together thick and glossy, like it’s auditioning for the role of Best Christmas Cookie Dough.
© hersheylandPinch off tablespoon-sized bits and roll them into small, neat balls. Toss each one in a little sugar for sparkle and crunch. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment, leaving a little space so they don’t bump into each other while puffing up.
Bake them for 8 to 10 minutes. The cookies should look set around the edges while still soft in the middle. Pull them out and immediately press a chocolate kiss into the center of each. The cookie gets cozy around the chocolate, the chocolate gets slightly melty, and the whole situation becomes very hard to resist.
© hersheylandLet the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a rack. That’s it. You just made holiday magic with five ingredients and zero stress.
© hersheylandOnce you’ve mastered these, you can get playful: add a pinch of cinnamon, swap the sugar for brown sugar, or roll them in crushed candy canes. But honestly, they’re already perfect.
