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Candy Cane Kiss Cookies

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January 31, 2024

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These cookies are special. I mean, all cookies are special, but these are special (like Rory Gilmore). We originally posted these 4 years ago and it was kind of funny to read through what was going on in my life at the time–it was our first Christmas in our new house…I was turning 30. It’s now our 5th Christmas in this house and I am no longer about turn 30, but I still remember making these cookies for the first time, going back and forth between baking and texting my friend Laura about why I was skipping our church Christmas party (who needs Christmas potlucks when you have chocolate and peppermint cookies? That’s why.)

These have become a staple in our family, a favorite treat we deliver to teachers, friends, and neighbors, something my kids request for class treats. This is one of those recipes that has kind of become part of our family story, which makes me love them even more.

We’re participating in a cookie swap with some of our favorite blogger friends, so I thought I’d give one of my favorite recipes a makeover (as fun as it was to read through my memories, it was not fun to see my old pictures. I know, I know, we should appreciate the growth process, see all the things I’ve learned along the way. One of the things I’ve learned is that some pictures are best remained unseen, like the old pictures of this recipe and my 6th grade yearbook photo.)

I started with Sara’s Cadbury Egg Cookie Dough, which is really just a great recipe for chocolate cookies.

Ingredient Notes

Butter and Shortening: This recipe calls for a mix of butter and shortening. I sometimes like that combo because you get flavor and tenderness from the butter, and some structure and softness from the shortening. If you’d rather not use shortening, or don’t have it on hand, you can definitely make this recipe will all butter. They might spread just a bit more.
Chocolate Chips – This recipe calls for dark chocolate chips, but you can use whatever you have on hand!
Hershey’s Candy Cane Kisses – These are kind of the star of the show here! But if you’d like to experiment, go ahead and try these cookies with other flavors of kisses, just leave out the peppermint extract or replace it with another extract or flavoring oil of your choice.

Instructions

Start by place some brown and white sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl. Add some softened butter and butter-flavored shortening and cream together for a few minutes until light and fluffy. Add some vanilla, peppermint extract, and eggs and mix until thoroughly combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the baking powder, baking soda, salt, flour, and cocoa powder. Add to the butter/sugar mixture and mix until combined. Mix in the chocolate chips.

To prevent cookies from flattening out, refrigerate dough for 30-60 minutes. Drop the dough by the tablespoonful onto an ungreased baking sheet (or parchment paper-lined baking sheets). Bake until just set, but centers are still soft, about 8 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 1-2 minutes. Use a metal spatula to transfer cookies to cooling rack. Top each cookie with an unwrapped Candy Cane Kiss.

Allow to cool completely, long enough for the Kiss to harden. If necessary, after the cookies have cooled, they can be placed in the refrigerator or freezer to re-solidify the Kiss. Allow them to stand for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire cooling rack. These puppies need a few hours for the kiss to become solid again, but if you need to hurry things along, wait until the cookies themselves have cooled and then transfer them to your refrigerator or freezer and they’ll be set up in no time.

These are perfect for holiday gift-giving because they’re easy, festive, a little different, and hold up well to packaging:

(Click here for these ADORABLE and customizable gift tags.)

Need a unique gift? Make your friends do the baking! Details here.

Can’t get enough of that chocolate peppermint combo? Check out these other chocolate peppermint combos from Our Best Bites!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make these ahead of time? Make these cookies a day ahead of time if needed. Store on the counter in an airtight container until ready to serve. While I have not personally tried freezing these, most cookies freeze pretty well as long as they are sealed well.

Did You Make This?

I’d love to hear from you! Snap a picture and tag me on Instagram, then come back and give this recipe a rating!