Posted Dec 08, 2021, Updated Feb 20, 2024 Hershey kiss cookies are some of my favorite holiday treats (especially these peanut butter blossoms), so I created these chocolate kiss cookies for my fellow chocolate lovers! In this recipe, a rich chocolatey cookie is rolled in sugar or sprinkles to make them festive (think red and green for Christmas, black and orange for halloween, red & pink for valentine’s day, etc.) and topped with a chocolate kiss. These Hersey kiss cookies are a delicious addition to your holiday cookie tray or to bake any time of the year.
Chocolate Kiss Cookies: Ingredients & Substitutions
Salted Butter. Unsalted butter, vegan butter and coconut oil are good substitutes. White Sugar. Any white, granulated sugar or organic cane sugar can be used in this recipe. Light brown sugar. Dark brown sugar can also be used it will just impart a stronger molasses taste. Flour. I recommend using an unbleached, all-purpose flour to make these chocolate kiss cookies! You can use a 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free baking flour for a gluten-free version. Sea Salt. If using salt other than fine sea salt (like iodized table salt) I recommend reducing the amount of salt by half. Unsweetened cocoa powder. For a darker variety use dark cocoa powder. Mini Chocolate Chips. I prefer mini chips because they don’t overpower the chocolate kiss in the middle, however you can use regular chocolate chips or chopped chocolate. Chocolate kisses. You can have some fun and substitute your favorite chocolate candy. I have used Dove chocolates (especially hearts around Valentine’s Day), pieces of my favorite chocolate bar, peanut butter cups, etc. Sugar/sprinkles. The fun thing about this recipe is that you can dress it up for any holiday. Either just roll the chocolate kiss cookies in sugar, or choose your favorite sprinkles. Think red & green for Christmas, orange and black for Halloween, red & pink for Valentine’s Day, etc.)
How to make Chocolate Kiss Cookies
This recipe is simple to make, but don’t forget to watch the video. Note: You do need to plan ahead and freeze the kisses and chill the dough for 30 minutes.
Freeze the Kisses
The very first thing you need to do to make these Hershey kiss cookies is unwrap 18 chocolate kisses and put them in a bowl in the freezer. Frozen kisses will hold their shape when pressed into the warm cookies after baking. Make sure they are completely frozen (let them sit in the freezer for 2 hours or overnight).
Make the Dough
Next, combine the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl stir together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and sea salt. Then, set the mixture aside. Next, cream the butter and sugars. Place the ingredients in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer. Then, cream together butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until combined. Next, beat in the egg and vanilla until fluffy. Next, add the dry ingredients and beat until combined. Lastly, add the mini chocolate chips and beat on low speed until they are evenly distributed throughout the batter.
Chill the Dough
Once the dough is finished, cover it with plastic wrap or transfer it to an airtight container and chill for at least 30 minutes.
Roll in Sugar (or Sprinkles)
When you’re ready to bake the Hershey kiss cookies, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper (or silicone baking mats) and set aside. Put ¼ cup sugar or sprinkles in a small bowl, set aside. Use a 1 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop to measure out the dough and then roll it into balls. Roll each ball of dough in the sugar or sprinkles until evenly coated, then place them on prepared cookie sheets evenly spaced, with at least 1 ½” between the cookies.
Bake
Next, bake the chocolate kiss cookies in the preheated oven for approximately 8 minutes. Take them out when they are just barely set. They will not spread very much. Gently press the frozen chocolate kisses into the cookies. Let them cool on the baking pan for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Of course, sneaking a cookie off of the cooling rack slightly warm is totally allowed (and encouraged).
Store Kiss Cookies
It’s important to make sure that the chocolate blossom cookies cool completely and the kisses harden before trying to store them. When I bake these in the winter I just set them outside in the cold to harden faster. Then store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Freeze
You can freeze baked chocolate kiss cookies. First, let them cool completely then store them in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. However, I always prefer to freeze cookie dough instead of baked cookies. To do this:
Portion out the dough and roll it into balls then roll it in sugar or sprinkles. Then place it on a baking sheet and flash-freeze the balls until hardened. Once hardened, transfer the dough balls to an airtight container until you’re ready to bake. To bake: remove the dough from the freezer and let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for 2 hours before baking according to the recipe instructions. This is my preferred method, because you can bake them fresh when you’re ready to enjoy them.
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