Description
Candy Cane Kiss Cookies are festive, peppermint-flavored sugar cookies with a crunchy candy cane surprise inside and topped with a classic Hershey’s Candy Cane Kiss. Perfect for holiday celebrations, these cookies combine the sweet, buttery dough with crisp peppermint candy for a delightful treat.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1¼ cup white sugar divided
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp peppermint extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tsp milk
- ½ cup crushed candy canes
Topping
- 28 Hershey’s Candy Cane Kisses
Instructions
- Prepare Baking Sheets: Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside for later use.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: Using a handheld mixer on medium-low speed, cream together the softened butter and 1 cup of sugar until the mixture is fluffy, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add Egg and Extracts: Mix in the egg, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract for another minute until fully incorporated.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, stir together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt until well combined.
- Mix Dry and Wet Ingredients: Add the flour mixture, milk, and crushed candy canes to the wet ingredients and beat just until mixed, approximately 30 seconds, to avoid overmixing.
- Form Cookie Dough Balls: Scoop the dough into tablespoon-sized portions. Use your hands to roll each portion into a smooth ball.
- Coat Dough Balls: Roll each dough ball in the remaining ¼ cup sugar to coat the outside evenly.
- Chill the Dough: Arrange the sugar-coated dough balls on the parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Place the baking sheets in the refrigerator and chill the dough balls for 2 hours to firm up.
- Preheat Oven: While chilling the dough, preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Bake Cookies: Bake the chilled cookie dough balls for 10 minutes or until the centers are set and the edges look slightly firm.
- Add Candy Cane Kisses: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then gently press one unwrapped Hershey’s Candy Cane Kiss into the center of each cookie.
Notes
- Store leftover cookies at room temperature in a sealed container for 5 to 7 days to maintain freshness.
- Chilling the dough helps prevent spreading and maintains a thicker cookie texture.
- Use parchment paper for easy cookie removal and cleanup.
- Crush candy canes finely for an even texture and peppermint flavor throughout the cookies.
- If you do not have peppermint extract, you can substitute with an equal amount of vanilla extract, but peppermint gives a more festive flavor.
- Ensure the Candy Cane Kisses are unwrapped before pressing them onto warm cookies to avoid melting wrappers into the cookies.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150 kcal
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 70 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 15 mg
