Description
These Gingerbread Kiss Cookies are a festive, soft, and chewy treat perfect for the holiday season. Infused with warm spices like ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice, these cookies have a rich molasses flavor and are topped with a classic Hershey’s Hug chocolate kiss. Coated in sparkling sanding sugar before baking, they deliver a delightful crunch and a beautiful presentation.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2¼ teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
Wet Ingredients
- ¾ cup salted sweet cream butter, softened
- ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons molasses
- 1 large egg
- 1½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping
- 30 Hershey’s Hugs kisses, unwrapped
- Sanding sugar for coating the cookie dough balls
Instructions
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, baking soda, ground nutmeg, and ground allspice until evenly combined. Set aside.
- Cream Butter: Using a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl with a handheld mixer, beat the softened butter on medium-high speed for 30 seconds to 1 minute until smooth and creamy.
- Add Brown Sugar: Add the packed light brown sugar to the butter and continue mixing on medium-high speed for 1 minute until the mixture is fluffy.
- Add Molasses, Egg, and Vanilla: Pour in the molasses, add the egg, and vanilla extract. Mix just until all ingredients are well incorporated but do not overmix.
- Combine Flour Mixture: Add the dry flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix on low speed just until combined and a dough forms.
- Chill Dough: Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a lid and refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm up the dough for easier handling.
- Prepare Baking Sheet: While the dough chills, preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Form Dough Balls: Using a 1½ tablespoon cookie scoop, portion out the dough and roll each portion into a smooth ball with your hands.
- Coat with Sugar: Roll each dough ball in sanding sugar until fully coated and place them spaced about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake: Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the edges are set but the centers are still soft.
- Add Chocolate Kiss: Remove cookies from the oven and let them cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes. Immediately press an unwrapped Hershey’s Hugs kiss into the center of each cookie.
- Cool Completely: Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for an additional 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- For best results, do not overmix the cookie dough once the flour is added to keep cookies tender.
- Chilling the dough helps prevent excessive spreading during baking.
- If you prefer a stronger molasses flavor, you can increase molasses by 1 tablespoon.
- Sanding sugar adds decorative sparkle and a slight crunch; you can substitute with granulated sugar if unavailable but the appearance will differ.
- The cookies should be soft when you remove them from the oven as they will firm up during cooling.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: gingerbread cookies, holiday cookies, christmas cookies, Hershey's hugs, spiced cookies, molasses cookies, gingerbread kiss cookies
