
Many of you know that I teach school full time – more specifically junior high. I teach in a separate facility that works with students that require a pretty structured environment due to behavior issues.
I found myself with an extra period each Friday and had to figure out something to do with the 50 minutes that would both keep the kids busy and force them to interact with each other in a positive manner. I remember sitting at the computer when it hit me – I could have them cook and bake together.
Within this flash of brilliance, there was one problem. Our school kitchen lacked pretty much every single piece of baking/cooking equipment aside from an oven, refrigerator and freezer. Our school breakfasts and lunches get delivered from an off-site company, so the drawers revealed a sorry assortment of slotted spoons and a search of the cupboards only turned up some sheet pans.
Refusing to let this minor detail defeat me, I decided to send a few emails to some incredibly generous companies. Within days, the amazing people at Chicago Metallic, KitchenAid, Le Creuset, and OXO were arranging to outfit my little makeshift home-ec kitchen with the tools necessary to bake and cook with my students.
I’ve pretty much relinquished all control over what we cook and bake to my students. I allow them to choose the recipes, create the shopping lists and make the dish from start to finish (minus any knife work). Although I was a little bit nervous with the whole process, the students have displayed an amazing amount of teamwork and enthusiasm – honestly, I couldn’t be more proud of them.
Last week, we decided to make Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies. I thought there’s no more perfect time of year to introduce them to this classic chocolate-peanut butter cookie. The kids were all about the OXO “mini ice cream scoop” and were pretty amazed that the Hershey Kisses didn’t completely melt into a puddle.
I originally thought that I would snag of few of the cookies we made at school to photograph, but the kids were so eager to share the cookies with their peers and families, I couldn’t bring myself to take any of them for photos. Instead, I baked up a batch this weekend and overnighted them to my dad along with another dozen holiday cookies – a recipe that will make its appearance later this month.
A huge thank you to Chicago Metallic, KitchenAid, Le Creuset, and OXO for allowing my students to channel their creativity and curiosity in a positive way. Your generous donations of safe, quality kitchen equipment are sure to bring big smiles for years to come.
Peanut Butter Blossoms
Yield: about 80 cookies
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Ingredients:
1 cup shortening
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white sugar for decoration
2 (9 ounce) bags milk chocolate candy kisses, unwrappedDirections:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, cream together shortening, peanut butter, brown sugar, and 1 cup white sugar until smooth. Add in the eggs one at a time, beating until fully incorporated. Mix in milk and vanilla.
3. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add to the peanut butter mixture until well blended.
4. Shape tablespoonfuls of dough into balls, and roll in remaining white sugar. Place cookies 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to12 minutes. Remove from oven, and immediately press a chocolate kiss into each cookie. Allow to cool completely; the kiss will harden as it cools.
Notes:
- This makes a lot of cookies, but it's perfect for cookie exchange prep or holiday parties.
- I have not attempted this recipe using butter instead of shortening.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.My Baking Addiction from allrecipes
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{ 61 comments… read them below or add one }
Oooh I just love these! I cant have chocolate, but when I want to cheat..this is what I want to make! I make a very similar cookie, but instead of kisses, I put peanut-butter cups in them! They are my hubbys fav…he begs for them haha
Ooo, my mom made these last year, and now you’ve reminded me that I have to make them too!
Wow, I think what you’re doing with these kids is great! They’re lucky to have a teacher like you who cares enough to go to such lengths to make learning fun. I love hearing stories like this, especially when companies happily donate to a worthy cause. And all you had to do was ask! The cookies look fantastic too!
Yum! The perfect combo of chocolate and peanut butter. I bet your students love cooking with you, what a great idea!
This is such a sweet story. As an aspiring teacher I’m really inspired by the way you worked with what you had and came up with an experience that would bring your students together and create a positive learning environment. It sounds like the students really appreciated what you did for them too. Can’t wait to see what else you guys bake up!
My favorite cookies!!!!!! Love the inspiration that a little time and work with some kids can get them to work together as a team. And they are learning in the process. I wish there were more teachers like you. Kudos to you.
How wonderful! I’m sure those kids are going to get some great use out of all that kitchen equipment for a long time to come.
PB Blossoms are my favorite holiday cookie! And how awesome that you reached out to those companies for help! And even more awesome that they helped out!
what a fabulous idea to get them involved and so good of some of the big brands to sponsor your little kitchen! I used to love home ec in high school – any excuse to bake really! These cookies look delightful too, so many cookies so little time….
Always one of my favorites! I swap out PB for Nutella sometimes. SO GOOD.
These are one of my all time favorite Christmas cookies! Yum!
This is what makes the holidays and life brighter! I am so happy for you and your students {{hugs}}
I make them with peanut butter cups too! I had a cooking club with my kids last year too, I LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT!!!!
That is an awesome idea to write those companies…. I hated trucking all those items back and forth every week. I think I need to make some of these cookies this weekend!
MERRY CHRISTMAS! This is the LONGEST WEEK EVERRRRR
These are one of my families favorite cookies. I just picked up peppermint chocolate kisses to make ours this year.
What a fabulous story – - this is what christmas is all about, bringing people together to enjoy each other’s company … and the fact that cookies are involved doesn’t hurt either
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Great recipe, I love blossom cookies
What a way to bring them together and kudos to the companies that pitched in!
It’s great to read about your students enjoying baking the cookies and working together. Just looking at those peanut butter blossom cookies makes me feel like a kid again. Love them!
That is so awesome, Jamie! Kudos to you for encouraging the kids in this way – it will change their life!
These are definitely one of my favorite cookies… An oldie but a goodie.
Love these cookies. My family uses Brach Stars (turns out prettier and easier to package up) I also use red, green and white sugar to roll them in…
That is SO sweet, I am so glad that you got to connect with these kids via baking. And your sponsors are awesome!!! Keep up the amazing work. I am sure you are making a huge difference to these kids.
Very cool! This is the kind of stuff that changes kids lives.
What a beautiful cookie! I just love Peanut Butter Blossoms, they remind me of childhood!
Ohh how yum! Peanut Butter + Chocolate in a cookie = amaazing! Love your gorgeous pictures, they look so sweet
I literally just got a recipe for these last night so I could make them! haha these were my favorite cookies as a kid probably because I got to have candy AND cookies at the same time!
Hm… sorry to admit that I’m not thrilled about the idea of using Hershey’s chocolate kisses. I honestly want my kids to be exposed to the good stuff.
So I’ll definitely follow your recipe for PB cookies but I’ll use real chocolate.
But what’s magic about cooking is how adaptable recipes are!
That is SO generous of those companies. Im so glad to see teachers like you being SO thoughtful and caring, it’s refreshing! THANK YOU! And thank you for the wonderful cookie recipe
This sounds like such a good initiative – the power of baking has no limits! I love the photos too – they look like the perfect mouthful of chocolaty goodness
These have always been my favorite Christmas cookie. Everyone should bake these at least once. The recipe I use calls for butter instead of shortening. Peanut butter blossoms always turn out so tasty and so pretty to look at that they are the ones that go on top of cookie gift boxes. I think the original recipe from Hersheys also called/calls for shortening & some years ago I also used shortening but I have since stopped. The recipe I use mirrors yours except for the shortening. Either way they are so very tasty.
Kitty-
I have tried other recipes that use butter as opposed to shortening; however, found that they require a bit of a chilling time which unfortunately we could not work into our 50 minute period. The King Arthur Flour version of these are very good as well and use butter. Happy holidays to you!
-Jamie
That’s really sweet. These cookies look great! Baking instills confidence in people, I think, so you made a great choice for your students!
Such cute cookies! Beautiful photos and great recipe.
I make these every year–they’re one of my husband’s favorites–but the cookies always flatten out. I’ve tried several different recipes & always chill the dough; how did you get yours to stay so thick?
how wonderful for you to bring your students a skill that can be a love and practical! pat your self on your back!!
these are so nice
if i dont have shortening, how should i replace it?
How generous of these companies! I love peanut butter blossoms, but for some reason have never made them myself. Thanks for the recipe!
This is so great! I love that you have incorporated baking into these kids’ lives. You have a very inspiring story, and I think the world needs more teachers and mentors such as you.
And how great of all those companies to help you out!
Awesome story!! Thank you for sharing that. And kudos to you…wish there were more teachers like you.
What generous sponsors!!! That’s so much fun!
These are the best!
YUM! I am making these tonight with candy cane kisses!
I am SO impressed with you and with these companies… I will for sure think of them first next time I have a baking/cooking need. (which is often!)
They are lovely and they look delicious too! Congratulations to your kids and the teacher of course! Can’t wait to try them myself, yuuuuummy……….!
What a great idea. I bet the students will remember this experience for a long time.
That is so fantastic of those companies to help out! I remember cooking in middle school and loved it.
I’ve actually never made these before. I’ve had them from friends and family though. I really need to get on this. I have a bag of kisses in the fridge too! 
Peanut Butter Blossoms are one of my favorite holiday cookies!
Peanut Butter Blossoms are one of my favorite holiday cookies!
What a fabulous idea! Good for you, great for them! This is what I call a Win, WIN!!
What a wonderful idea Jamie!! and how cool that those companies agreed to jump in and help- I’m sure the kids loved it!
Queenie, Your students are lucky to have you. I love you..
Good for you to get those donations for your classroom! I teach students with disabilities also and we are always in need of materials. I know how much it means when grants come through or companies donate. Great job! They must have loved to bake with it all!
BTW…is ‘momma’ your mom? Adorable.
This is such a wonderful post and you are a wonderful teacher. What a wonderful idea to use that period to help the students create in such a way that enables them to develop their skills in such a fun and cohesive learning environment! Corporations have been using cooking/baking to foster team-building and it is fabulous that you, as a teacher are enabling your students to do the same. My hat goes off to you, to your students and to the generous organizations that are helping you to run this class.
The peanut butter blossoms you made are lovely and I can only imagine how proud the students were of theirs.
I thank you for sharing your personal story. I too am a full time teacher and teach at middle school level. The students that I dedicate my teaching too are in a functional skills program. I too have a enormous love for baking and want to share this with each and every child that I work with. To be very honest this is why I have started putting in for every “giveaway” I can find. I am in the same situation with a very make-shift kitchen. I am just lucky enough to have a sink in my classroom. Can you please share with me how I too can contact these generous organiztions and be able to start putting something more functional together for these students. I just sincerely want to thank you for sharing because I have really been trying to brainstorm ideas on how I could provide a better cooking environment. Right now everything I do have, I bring from home.
Thank you again!
Specifically can you tell me what kind of shortening do you use? I usually use Crisco butter flavored but mine never turn out as tasty as others. Also they tend to dry out quickly.
Misi-
I used regular Crisco this time, but have used butter flavored Crisco in the past. I don’t find that they dry out too quickly, in fact I shipped these to my dad and he said they were perfect although a few were missing the kisses. Hope this helps.
-Jamie
Thanks for taking the time to reply. Also thanks for the inspiration you must be in and out of the classroom. Happy Baking!
I agree with each and every comment above! Wholeheartedly!
But, now, I simply MUST comment that I also LOVE those milk containers in the photo. Care to share where you found them. I’m the same person who asked you about the other vintage milk jars you used in another post some time back, But I think these are different. Lovely photos!
I think it’s great that those companies helped you and the kids out like that! Thumbs up!!!
Love these cookies, they are a classic and rightfully so. I have tried many variations on this but will use yours this year. Echoing all the praise for your work in the classroom ( from a fellow teacher), not sure why “they” ever thought getting rid of Home Ec. or Family and Consumer Science, as it was later called, was the right move. We need to be teaching these life skills to all our students. Keep up the good work and keep us posted on what the kids are making!
I use nonpareils instead of Hershey Kisses. At holiday time they are available w/green, red & white pellets. They are much easier to stack and store. Nothing to unwrap and they taste great too!
That is so amazing and inspiring! Teachers like you, who go above and beyond, are truly the backbone of a great start in life.
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