CANDY CANE KISS COOKIES

I love making cookies, especially at Christmas time. I even have some cookies that I only make at Christmas. This is one of them – and that is mainly because it’s the only time of year you can actually buy the Hershey’s Candy Cane Kisses. The combination of the rich, dark chocolate and the peppermint kisses is pure perfection!

These cookies never last long at our house, and I can’t blame the kids this time; I eat my fair share too! The bigger problem is keeping the kids from eating all the candy cane Kisses before I can get the cookies made!

This year, I struggled even to find Hershey’s Candy Cane Kisses. They are popular, and because they only release them at Christmas time, people buy them up quickly. But I was on a mission. It took running around to 4 different stores, but I found them! I grabbed four bags and danced out of the store! Don’t worry – I left a few bags for the next shopper.

One word of warning: these cookies are addicting! And I am not responsible for any overindulging!

Tips and tricks for these cookies:

• I highly recommend using dark powdered cocoa. It gives these cookies a chocolate richness that is amazing. Regular chocolate cocoa is good but won’t give you the same depth of rich chocolate flavor.
• One of the challenges with any “Kiss” cookies is the candy melting when you put them on hot cookies. I solve this by refrigerating the Kisses before I make the cookies. Having the Kisses chilled first makes a big difference in how they hold up once you put them on the cookie. So, before I even begin making the cookies, I unwrap the Kisses and place them in the refrigerator. Doing this a few hours ahead of time is even better. And remember to put the Kisses back in the refrigerator in-between batches.
• Another trick to help your Kisses hold up with the heat is not adding them to your cookies as soon as they come out of the oven. Instead, when you take your cookies out of the oven, allow them to rest for 3-4 minutes on the cookie sheets before adding the Kisses. Then gently press the Kisses into the cookie. If a big crack forms in the cookie, gently press it back together.

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Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

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