this chocolate and peppermint Kisses cookies recipe is a favorite at our house

Is anyone starting to panic right about now? Christmas is in just a few days and my son keeps eating (testing) my cookie recipes.

My goal for this year’s holiday baking was to make the classics, with mostly stock ingredients, and I wanted them neat and pretty for a cookie tray. And, yes, it’s not like these cookies were going to any parties this season.

But I did want to give some cookies to some neighbors! This time of year I pretty much double the recipe. I just double it. If it’s got a base of butter, eggs, powdered sugar and chocolate I am going to eat it. So I just commit to a double batch of butter and sugar oh and Peppermint Kisses.

And, they look so pretty friends and family will think you spent a lot of time in the kitchen.

This recipe calls for almost a cup of unsweetened cocoa. The Hershey White Chocolate Peppermint Kisses offer the perfect contrast to the dense, chocolate base.

CHOCOLATE AND PEPPERMINT KISSES COOKIES

The recipe is below, but I would point out the one and only change I made to the instructions. Okay, maybe two changes but both were related to timing; baking and cooling.

And, it might be my new oven that appears to trend hotter than the dial states.

The recipe suggests the Hershey kiss be added immediately after removing from the oven. However, my sister pointed out the Kisses were melting and sliding off the edge of the cookie.

So on the second batch, I let the cookies set on the cooling rack for a minute. I played with the timing of the Hershey kiss. I either let the cookie set for a minute before adding the kisses or removed the cookies from the baking sheet onto a cooling rack and then added the Hershey kiss.

It is all about the Kiss.

CHOCOLATE AND PEPPERMINT KISSES COOKIES

Print Recipe

Ingredients

2 1/2 CUPS FLOUR
3/4 CUP UNSWEETENED COCOA
1 TSP. BAKING SODA
1/2 TSP. SALT
1 CUP WHITE SUGAR
1 CUP BROWN SUGAR
1 CUP BUTTER
2 EGGS, ROOM TEMP
2 TSP. VANILLA
1 PACKAGE HERSEY'S WHITE CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT KISSES
1/4 CUP ADDITIONAL WHITE SUGAR TO ROLL DOUGH BALLS

Instructions

1. PREHEAT OVEN TO 350
2. IN MEDIUM BOWL MIX DRY INGREDIENTS, SET ASIDE
3. IN LARGE MIXER BEAT THE SUGARS & BUTTER UNTIL LIGHT & FLUFFY
4. ADD EGGS. MIX WELL. ADD VANILLA
5. SLOWLY ADD FLOUR MIXTURE & BLEND
6. ROLL THE COOKIE DOUGH INTO 1" BALLS
7. ROLL EACH COOKIE DOUGH BALL IN THE SUGAR.
8. PLACE ON PARCHMENT PAPER.
9. BAKE 8-10 MINUTES ** I REMOVED MINE AT 8 MINUTES
10. LET COOL FOR A MINUTE ( I PLAYED WITH THIS BECAUSE RIGHT OUT OF THE OVEN MY KISSES MELTED ONTO THE COOKIE). I REMOVED THE COOKIES FROM BAKING SHEET TO COOLING RACK AND THEN ADDED THE HERSHEY'S KISS.
11. THESE PACK AND FREEZE WELL. PERFECT FOR GIFT GIVING YEAR ROUND!