Cookies are popular in the South and probably most places. It’s nice to have a portable dessert that’s easy to pack and carry. And, cookies are just simply fun to make and eat.
One favorite cookie down South is Hershey’s Kiss Cookies. Kiss Cookies have a peanut butter cookie base with a Hershey Kiss candy added right after baking. You may have wondered how great bakers kept the Hershey Kiss from melting. It’s added after the cookies are baked. Otherwise, it would melt and make a mess.
If you’ve ever seen Hershey Chocolate Kiss Cookies, you’ll know them. The “Kiss” is in the center. The peanut butter cookie cups around the Hershey Kiss kind of like a doughnut, but the bottom is solid. They build on the thumbprint cookie idea.
Hershey Kiss Cookies are favorites for the holidays and work out really nice for Holiday Cookie Exchanges. They aren't just holiday cookies though. They are wonderful any time of the year.
Hershey Kiss Cookie Recipe
- ½ cup butter softened
- ½ cup peanut butter (usually smooth but crunchy is fine)
- ¾ cup brown sugar light or dark (packed)
- ¼ cup regular white sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or flavoring
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 ¾ cup plain flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- Extra sugar white sugar for rolling cookie dough (not a lot – a few TBS or so)
- Hershey Kisses candy (45 or so – depending on how large you make the cookie balls)
Directions:
- In a large mixing bowl, use a mixer and blend the softened butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, regular sugar, egg, vanilla, and salt until nice and creamy.
- Add the flour and baking soda and mix until even.
- Roll dough into balls. The size is around the size of ping-pong balls. Try to keep all the cookie balls close in size. You may have more or less than 45 especially the first time when you’re learning to make these cookies.
- Place a small amount of regular white table sugar in a bowl. Dip each cookie ball in the sugar and shake off excess. You don’t want a lot of sugar on the cookies, but the quick sugar dip adds to the flavor and gives the cookies an interesting texture at the end.
- Place cookie balls on baking sheet. Leave space – about two inches all around. They spread a bit.
- Bake 8 to 10 minutes at 375 degrees F in a preheated oven until the cookies are done. They should be a pretty golden brown color.
- As soon as you take the cookies out of the oven, press a Hershey Kiss in the center of each. Press firmly until the Hershey Kiss is nestled in the middle of the hot cookie. Do this before removing the cookies from the baking pan.
- Once you’ve put Hershey Kisses in the middle of all the cookies on the pan, remove cookies and let cool.
Other Family Favorite Cookie Recipes:Classic Peanut Butter Cookies - Not fancy. But, basic peanut butter cookies sure are good. Easy to make too.
Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies - These are great fun using cookie cutters and then decorating with sugar before baking or frosting after baking.
Snickerdoodles - A funny name but a fabulous cookie. It's just not the holiday season without a couple of batches of Snickerdoodles.
Chocolate No Bake Oatmeal Cookies - Many kids start off cooking with these easy no bake cookies. Chocolate No Bake Cookies have been popular for years, and each new generation enjoys discovering these simple stir and eat cookies.
Cyndi Allison - Southern born and fed, Cyndi Allison is a college lecturer and newspaper advisor as well as being a freelance writer. She writes on ...
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