Description
Candy Cane Kiss Cookies are festive sugar cookies featuring a peppermint twist, coated in colorful sprinkles and topped with candy cane flavored Hershey’s Kisses. These soft, chewy cookies are perfect for holiday celebrations and are simple to make with a short chilling time and quick bake.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups + 1 Tablespoon (260g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- 10 Tablespoons (142g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
Coating and Topping
- 1/2 cup (about 90g) nonpareil sprinkles
- 32–36 candy cane flavor Hershey’s Kisses, unwrapped
Instructions
- Prepare Dry Ingredients: Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl until fully combined. Set aside for later.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl using a hand-held or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together on high speed for about 3 minutes until the mixture is creamy and well combined.
- Add Egg and Extracts: Add the egg, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract to the butter and sugar mixture. Beat on medium speed for about 1 minute until everything is incorporated. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed to ensure even mixing.
- Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until the dough is fully combined. The dough will be thick and dense.
- Form Dough Balls and Coat with Sprinkles: Roll the dough into balls about 1 scant tablespoon each, approximately 20 grams per ball. If the dough feels dry, use the warmth of your hands to help form balls. Roll each dough ball generously in nonpareil sprinkles. If sprinkles don’t stick well, press dough balls into sprinkles on a plate, or add 1 teaspoon of water to the dough and try again.
- Chill the Dough Balls: Place the sprinkle-coated dough balls on a baking sheet or plate. Chill them in the refrigerator for 20 minutes up to 1 day. Cover if chilling for longer than 1 hour.
- Preheat Oven: While chilling, preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Bake the Cookies: Place the chilled dough balls about 2 inches apart on a lined baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes or until the edges appear set. The centers may look slightly underbaked, which is normal. Avoid overbaking.
- Cool Slightly and Press Kisses: Remove cookies from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Immediately press a candy cane Hershey’s Kiss into the center of each cookie.
- Set the Candy: Using a thin spatula, gently transfer the cookies to a large plate or smaller plates. Place the plates in the freezer for 10 minutes to quickly set the candy.
- Serve: Remove from the freezer and serve. Store cookies covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- You can prepare the dough balls coated in sprinkles and chill them in the refrigerator up to 1 day ahead. Cover if chilling longer than 1 hour.
- Unbaked, sprinkle-coated dough balls freeze well for up to 3 months. Bake frozen dough balls for an extra minute without thawing.
- Baked cookies freeze well up to 3 months; thaw before serving.
- Substitute peppermint extract with almond extract for a classic sugar cookie flavor.
- Use nonpareils, sanding sugar, or jimmies-style sprinkles for coating.
- If candy cane-flavored Hershey’s Kisses are unavailable, use regular or flavored Hershey’s Kisses.
- For a chocolate variation, try chocolate peppermint thumbprint dough or chocolate crinkle dough, baking as described and topping with kisses after cooling 5 minutes.
- Use parchment paper or silicone baking mats to prevent sticking and for easy cleanup.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 110 kcal
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 45 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 13 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg
