Preheat your oven to 375°F (≈190°C). Position two oven racks so that they divide the oven into upper, middle, and lower thirds. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour (1¼ cups) and the baking soda (½ tsp).

In the bowl of a stand mixer (or using a hand mixer), beat the room-temperature butter (1 stick), the peanut butter (¾ cup), the brown sugar (½ cup), ⅓ cup of the granulated sugar, and the kosher salt (¼ tsp) on medium speed until well combined and slightly lighter in color (about 2 minutes), scraping down the sides as needed.

Add the egg (1 large) and vanilla extract (1 tsp) and beat until just combined.

Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed just until combined—do not overmix.

Place the remaining ⅓ cup granulated sugar on a plate. Scoop the dough into 32 one-tablespoon portions. Roll each portion into a ball, then roll each ball in the sugar to coat. If the dough is too sticky to roll, refrigerate for about 15 minutes to firm it up.

Place the coated dough balls on the prepared baking sheets at least 1 inch apart (about 16 per sheet).

Bake for 5 minutes. Then rotate the baking sheets between rack positions and front-to-back. Continue baking until the cookies look puffy and cracked and the bottoms are just beginning to brown—about another 3–5 minutes.

Immediately after removing from the oven, press an unwrapped chocolate kiss candy into the center of each cookie.

Let the cookies cool for about 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.