Whenever I’m invited to a cookie exchange, these little beauties are always at the top of my list when I’m considering what to make. They are super simple, which means I don’t have to spend hours messing around with decorating or sprinkles. But they still look beautiful and festive with the red and white stripes! Plus, the peppermint & chocolate combinations is classic for Christmas but often underrepresented at cookie exchanges! If peppermint and chocolate is your ultimate holiday flavor combo, then we should definitely be friends. Some of our other favorite peppermint recipes are Peppermint Bark Caramel Corn, Peppermint Macarons, and Peppermint Marshmallows on a brownie with hot fudge on top! The chocolate peppermint blossoms are one of my kids’ favorite Christmas cookies to make because there are so many jobs for them. They enjoy unwrapping the peppermint Hershey’s kisses, rolling the balls of chocolate cookie dough into spheres, then in the sugar, and most important of all, pressing the kisses into the warm cookies. The way the peppermint Hershey’s kiss starts to melt slightly on top is my favorite part! It’s a little trickier to achieve than standard peanut butter blossoms, which use milk chocolate kisses that hold their shape better as they melt. If you press the peppermint kiss into the hot cookies immediately after removing them from the oven, chances are that your kisses won’t hold their shapes at all and will turn to puddles in the center of your cookies. Delicious, mint-flavored puddles, mind you, but they won’t look quite as nice. If that happens, just call them chocolate thumbprint cookies and no one will be the wiser. But if you want the cute little kiss shape to remain, you need to wait at least 4 minutes before pressing the kisses into the tops of each cookie. At that point, they still have plenty of residual heat to barely melt the kiss on the bottom, but it won’t compromise the integrity of the kiss shape.
Ingredients
Butter: I use salted butter in almost all of my baking because it’s what I always keep on hand. Sugar: A combination of granulated sugar and brown sugar is classic in cookies. You will also need a little extra granulated sugar for rolling balls of cookie dough in for that sparkly exterior with a slight crunch. All-purpose flour: I recipe tested the amount of flour to get it just right so the cookies wouldn’t flatten right out and maintain a little puffiness while staying soft. Cocoa powder: I used regular unsweetened cocoa powder in this recipe, but you could use Hershey’s Special Dark or other similar cocoa powder for a darker base if you wanted. Egg: Just one for binding. Baking soda: This ingredient gives a little lift to the cookies so they puff slightly and stay soft. Vanilla extract: A little vanilla extract really adds to the flavor of cookies. Have you ever tried making a batch of cookies without it? The flavor just feels flat and boring. Vanilla adds depth. Salt: Just a bit for these! Unwrapped Candy Cane Kisses: If Hershey’s ever discontinues these I would be so sad! I always stock up on at least 2-3 bags as soon as they come out in the stores every season!
Let’s make chocolate peppermint blossom cookies!
Storage and freezing
Chocolate peppermint blossoms are best eaten within 2-3 days but will still be good for up to about 5 days if kept in an airtight container on the counter. They freeze well too! Just transfer them to a freezer-safe container for freeze for 2-3 months. Let thaw on the counter before enjoying.
Tips & variations
Let them firm up: We prefer these still warm when the kiss is almost molten, but if you are taking these to a cookie exchange, let them sit for at least a couple of hours after baking to give the candy cane kisses time to firm up again before plating. If the kisses are still warm, they will squish easily and mar their picture perfect points and stripes. More mint!: The mint-iness is subtle and comes only from the kisses themselves. If you want to boost the mint flavor, I recommend adding ½ teaspoon of mint extract to the cookie dough along with the vanilla extract. Chocolate on chocolate: If you would rather do a chocolate, on chocolate version, just use regular Hershey’s Kisses. You don’t need to wait 5 minutes to press them into the cookies when they come out of the oven in this case. Rolo cookies: Turn these into Rolo cookies by using them same chocolate dough and wrapping it around a Rolo, then baking. The Rolo will melt in the oven for a caramel center that’s delicious!
More Favorite Christmas Cookies
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies Mexican Wedding Cookies Jam Thumbprint Cookies Fresh Cranberry Shortbread Bars
Easy Peanut Butter Blossoms
Chocolate Thumbprint Turtle Cookies
Toffee Pecan Shortbread Cookies
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