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Candy Cane Kiss Cookies

Candy Cane Kiss Cookies

These candy cane kiss cookies combine flour, baking powder, salt, butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, peppermint extract, sprinkles, and candy cane flavor Hershey’s Kisses. You chill the dough balls for 20 minutes, bake them at 350°F for 12 minutes, press in a kiss, and freeze the cookies for 10 minutes. Make these candy cane kiss cookies for a Christmas cookie platter, holiday party, or neighbor gift when you need an easy holiday cookie recipe with Hershey Kisses.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 32 servings
Course: Christmas, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups + 1 Tablespoon (260g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 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*
  • 1/2 cup (about 90g) nonpareil sprinkles (I use these)
  • 32 –36 candy cane flavor Hershey’s Kisses unwrapped

Equipment

  • Cookie scoop
  • Stand mixer or hand mixer
  • Baking sheets
  • Thin spatula

Method
 

  1. Mix the Dry Ingredients
    In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt until evenly combined. Set aside.
  2. Cream the Butter and Sugar
    In a large mixing bowl, using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on high speed for about 3 minutes, until creamy and well combined.
    Add the egg, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract. Beat for about 1 minute, until everything is incorporated. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula, then mix again briefly if needed.
  3. Add the Dry Ingredients
    Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix on low speed until the dough comes together and no dry flour remains. The dough will be quite thick.
  4. Shape and Coat the Cookies
    Roll the dough into balls using a scant tablespoon of dough per cookie, approximately 20 grams each. The dough may feel a little dry at first, but the warmth of your hands should help it come together as you roll.
    Pour the sprinkles onto a plate and roll each dough ball generously until coated on all sides. If the sprinkles do not stick easily, gently press the dough balls into them. Continue rolling the dough between your palms to warm the surface and help the sprinkles adhere. If the dough is still too dry for the sprinkles to stick, beat 1 teaspoon of water into the dough to make it slightly more pliable, then try coating the balls again.
  5. Chill the Dough Balls
    Arrange the coated dough balls on a plate or baking sheet that fits in your refrigerator. Chill for 20 minutes, or up to 1 day. If chilling for longer than 1 hour, cover the dough balls to prevent them from drying out.
    While the dough chills, preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and line your baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
  6. Bake the Cookies
    Arrange the chilled dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart to allow for spreading. Bake for approximately 12 minutes, or until the edges look set. The centers may still appear slightly underbaked, which is fine. Avoid overbaking to keep the cookies soft. Remove the baking sheets from the oven and let the cookies rest for 5 minutes.
  7. Add the Hershey's Kisses
    Immediately press one Hershey's Kiss into the center of each cookie. The cookies will still be soft, so handle them gently. Using a thin spatula, carefully transfer the cookies to one large plate or several smaller plates. Place the plates in the freezer for 10 minutes to help the chocolate candies set quickly in the warm cookies.
  8. Cool and Serve
    Remove the cookies from the freezer and serve once the chocolate centers have set.
  9. Storage
    Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week to keep them fresh.

Recipe Notes

Make-Ahead and Freezing Instructions

Prepare the cookie dough, shape it into balls, and coat them in sprinkles before refrigerating for up to 1 day. Be sure to roll the dough balls in sprinkles immediately after preparing the dough, while the surface is still soft enough for the sprinkles to stick.
Unbaked, sprinkle-coated cookie dough balls freeze well for up to 3 months. Bake them directly from frozen, adding about 1 extra minute to the baking time. There is no need to thaw them first. Baked cookies can also be frozen for up to 3 months.

Special Tools

A few helpful tools for this recipe include a glass mixing bowl, whisk, handheld or stand mixer, holiday nonpareil sprinkles, baking sheets, silicone baking mats or parchment paper, a thin spatula or turner, and a cooling rack.

Peppermint Extract

Feel free to omit the peppermint extract or replace it with almond extract for a classic sugar cookie flavor.

Sprinkles

For coating these cookies, I recommend using nonpareils (the tiny round sprinkles), sparkling sanding sugar, or regular jimmies-style sprinkles.

Candy Cane Hershey’s Kisses

If you cannot find candy cane-flavored Hershey’s Kisses, substitute regular chocolate Hershey’s Kisses or another flavor of your choice.

Chocolate Version

For a chocolate variation, try chocolate peppermint thumbprint cookies or extra-fudgy chocolate crinkle cookies. Follow the instructions for your chosen recipe, but shape the dough into regular balls instead of making thumbprint indentations. Roll the dough balls in granulated sugar, confectioners’ sugar, or sprinkles, as desired. Bake according to the recipe instructions, let the cookies cool for 5 minutes, and then continue with Step 7 above.

More Cookie Baking Tips

Check out these helpful cookie baking tips for advice on getting great results, along with a list of favorite cookie baking tools to make baking easier.