Soft & chewy Hershey's kiss sugar cookies are a holiday favorite. This kisses cookie recipe has no peanut butter for a fun variety that is simple to make & crazy delicious.
They are so good any time of year but they are perfect for holidays. Perfect for your cookie exchange or platter along with Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies or M&M Christmas Cookie Bars. Bake batches for Christmas, Easter, or birthday parties.
These are also known as sugar cookie blossoms. Instead of peanut butter, the soft chewy sugar cookie dough is topped with a chocolate kiss. And to keep the yumminess going, you may also like my Gingerbread Blossoms topped with Hershey's Hugs for another Christmas treat.
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Ingredients for Hershey's Kiss Sugar Cookies
This recipe calls for classic sugar cookie ingredients. The dough bakes up soft, chewy, & into thick round balls without any chilling.
These Hershey kiss cookies are made without peanut butter. Great for anyone with a nut allergy.
Here are the ingredients needed to make ....
- All-Purpose Flour - no fancy flours here, just simple ingredients every pantry has.
- Baking Powder - helps give the cookie a puffy texture as they bake.
- Baking Soda - a bit for a chewy edge.
- Salt - balances the sugar and chocolate.
- Eggs - room temperature is best so they combine easily.
- Salted Butter - bring to room temperature to soften.
- Vanilla - plenty of vanilla for the best tasting sugar cookie.
- Sugar - granulated sugar is the star.
- Hershey's Kisses - unwrap the original milk chocolate bite-sized candies for the best cookie topper.
See the recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Hershey's Kiss Sugar Cookies
Roll them in sugar, bake, and press a chocolate on top for the best Hershey's kisses cookie.
Here are the easy steps for making sugar cookies with chocolate kisses.
- Make the Sugar Cookie Dough
- Chill & Roll the Dough
- Bake & Add the Hershey's Kisses
1 - Make the Sugar Cookie Dough
The traditional cookie dough comes together in just 5 minutes. Be sure both the eggs and salted butter are at room temperature.
In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer on medium speed to cream together the butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla.
Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the creamed butter mixer. Use the hand mixer on medium speed to combine the wet and dry ingredients. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides as needed.
2 - Chill & Roll the Dough
This dough works best with a short time chilling in the refrigerator. 30 minutes is enough to help the dough set so it is easier to roll into balls.
While the dough is in the refrigerator, time to prep the Hershey's kisses. Unwrap each one and set aside. You want these ready to go because you will need to work fast to press them into the cookies while they are hot.
Once the dough is cold but not hard, preheat the oven to 350°. Also prepare a baking sheet with nonstick spray or parchment paper.
Drop 1 Tablespoon-sized ball of dough into the bowl with the sugar. Roll it around to coat all sides.
Place it on the cookie sheet. Repeat until you have a dozen on the cookie sheet - about 2” apart on the prepared baking sheet.
TIP: after each batch, place the bowl of dough back in the refrigerator to stay cold. Dough that is at room temperature is too stick to roll plus they will bake up too flat.
3 - Bake & Add the Hershey's Kisses
Bake for 8-10 minutes. They will still be soft in the center but set on the edges. They should still be white - do NOT overbake until golden or they will be dry.
Remove the cookie tray from the oven and immediately press a kiss in the center of each cookie.
Let cool for 3-4 minutes before removing them with a spatula to a cooling rack.
Once cookies are cool and the kiss is set on the top, enjoy!
Substitutions & Variations
Try a recipe option with these variations and ingredient swaps.
Substitutions
- Flour - use gluten free flour such as Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-free as a substitute.
- Chocolate Kisses - instead of milk chocolate, top with your favorite Hershey's Kisses; dark chocolate, Hugs, cookies n creme, or birthday cake.
** filled kisses like cherry cordial or hot cocoa do not work well. The heat from the hot cookie when you add the kiss tends to melt them a bit and the filling can ooze out.
Variations
- Christmas - use candy candy mint-flavored Kisses.
- Colored - roll the sugar cookies is colored sugar.
Equipment Needed
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Storing & Freezing Sugar Cookies
Store the baked cooked in an air-tight container for up to 3 days. Place in a cool dry place out of the sunligh so the chocolate's don't melt.
The sugar cookie dough can also be prepped and frozen for up to 3 months. Baked cookies can also be frozen for up to 30 days but I admit they are not ideal for freezing - the chocolate kisses will turn a bit white & they are not easy to stack.
Top Tips
All of these great tips are shared in the post. But these are so good and important they are worth mentioning again so you don't miss them.
- Bring eggs & butter to room temperature.
- Chill the dough for 30 minutes so they are easy to roll & the cookies stay thick when baking.
- Remove the wrapping on the kisses before you start baking.
- Do not overbake, remove before browning.
- Work fast to press in the kisses before the cookies set and cool.
- Almost any kind of Hershey's kiss chocolate will do; except those that are filled which will melt & make a leaky mess.
FAQ
The key to moist cookies is baking them at a low temperature and removing them early. Cookies should be soft in the center otherwise they are overbaked. Every oven is different so watch them carefully.
Hershey's states they are not 100% sure how they got their name. They may be called kisses becuase of the sound the machine makes when each drop is placed on the conveyor belt in production. The droplet shape is a tiny whisper in a bite-sized which may be an old-fashioned term for confectioners. Either way, the Hershey's site has some fun history.
For the chocolate to set and stick in the cookies, they need to melt a bit and then harden again. By placing them in while the cookies are hot, the bottom of each kiss will melt and then adhere to the top of the cookie as the chocolate sets. This is what holds the Hershey's kiss in place.
More Cookie Recipes
Looking for other ideas like this? Try these other fresh-baked cookie recipes:
Hershey Kiss Sugar Cookies
Equipment
- hand mixer
- Baking Sheets
Ingredients
- 1 cup softened salted butter (2 sticks at room temperature)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 48 Hershey's Kisses unwrapped
- ¾ cup additional sugar for rolling dough balls
Instructions
- Bring butter & eggs to room temperature.
- In a large mixing bowl add the soft butter, eggs, 1 cup of sugar, and the vanilla. Using a hand mixer on medium speed, combine until creamy.1 cup softened salted butter, 1 cup granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla, 2 eggs
- To the wet ingredients add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, & salt. Mix on medium - stopping 1-2x between to scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula.2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Place teh dough in teh refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes. While it is chilling prep the oven, sheets, and kisses.
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or nonstick spray.
- Remove the foil wrapping on all the kisses. Set them aside to use quickly once the hot cookies come out of the oven.48 Hershey's Kisses
- Once the dough is ready - drop 1 Tablespoon-sized ball of dough into the bowl with the sugar. Roll it around to coat all sides. Place it on the cookie sheet. Repeat until you have a dozen on the cookie sheet - about 2” apart on the prepared baking sheet.¾ cup additional sugar
- Bake for 8-10 minutes in the preheated oven. They will still be soft in the center but set on the edges. Remove the cookie tray from the oven and IMMEDIATELY press a kiss in the center of each cookie. Let cool for 3-4 minutes before removing them with a spatula to a cooling rack.
- Once cookies are cool and the kiss is set on the top, enjoy!
Notes
- Store in a container with a tight-fitting lid for up to 3 days in a cool and dry place.
- Freezing the dough also works for up to 30 days. I do not recommend freezing them after baked with the kiss on top.
barb says
recipe states 1 cup of salted butter which
means 2 sticks of butter, but in parentheses
you note 1 STICK of butter. (which is 1/2 cup of
butter). which amount is correct?
1 cup? equals 2 sticks
or 1/2 cup? equals 1 stick?
Angela says
Thank you for the note. I have updated the recipe card so it is clear & states it is 2 sticks & 1 cup.