Description
These Gingerbread Kiss Cookies are a delightful holiday treat combining classic warm spices with a soft, chewy gingerbread base and a rich chocolate Hershey’s Kiss center. Perfect for festive occasions, these cookies offer a sweet balance of molasses and spices, coated with sparkling white sanding sugar for an extra touch of sweetness and crunch.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 3 cups flour
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
Wet Ingredients
- 3/4 cup unsalted sweet cream butter, softened
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Other
- 1 container white sanding sugar
- 1 bag chocolate striped Hershey’s Kisses
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Pans: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper to ensure easy removal and cleanup.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, thoroughly combine the flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, baking soda, and kosher salt. This mixture forms the flavorful spice base for the cookies.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a separate bowl or using a stand mixer, beat the softened brown sugar and butter together until the mixture is light and fluffy, which helps create a tender cookie texture.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Incorporate the molasses, egg, and vanilla extract into the creamed butter mixture, mixing well to combine all flavors evenly.
- Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture into the wet mixture, stirring or mixing until a cohesive dough forms, ensuring all flour is fully incorporated.
- Shape and Coat Cookies: Pour the white sanding sugar into a bowl. Form the dough into small balls, then roll each ball in the sanding sugar to coat the exterior, which adds sparkle and a slight crunch.
- Arrange and Bake: Place the coated dough balls onto the prepared baking sheets spaced apart. Bake in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes, watching carefully so they do not overbake.
- Add Hershey’s Kiss: Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool for 2 to 3 minutes. Then, gently press one chocolate striped Hershey’s Kiss into the center of each cookie, so it sticks as the cookie cools.
- Cool Completely: Allow the cookies to cool fully on the baking sheet before serving to ensure the chocolate sets and the cookies have the ideal texture.
Notes
- Make sure your butter is softened but not melted for proper creaming with the sugar.
- You can substitute regular molasses with robust or mild molasses depending on your taste preference.
- For a fun twist, you can try different Hershey’s Kiss flavors like peppermint during holidays.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days to maintain freshness.
- Consider chilling the dough for 30 minutes before rolling if it’s too sticky to handle.
