Christmas Cookies for Santa: Back to Chocolate

Even though I gave in and ate five of the thumbprint cookies, maybe Santa disliked the stick, sugary jam. Maybe he preferred a thicker filling, one that didn’t shake like his belly when he laughed. Maybe he wanted a decadent dessert after all.  

 

With the holiday Hershey’s commercials ringing in the background, I opened the cupboards once again to mix up another batch of treats. Unwrapping my own bag of kisses, I popped a few into my mouth while pressing the rest into the freshly baked peanut butter cookies. As I balled up the tin foil and let the cookies cool, I could almost see Santa’s smile as he sat on our fireplace and bit into one of these treats.

 

 

Hershey’s Kiss Cookies

makes 4-5 dozen

It’s important to cool the cookies for exactly 2 min before pressing in the kisses. Any shorter and the kisses melt and lose their shape; any longer and the cookies harden, making it difficult to press in the chocolate. Keep a glass of milk handy!

1¼ c. flour

¼ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

4 tbsp butter, melted and cooled

1 egg

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 c. packed dark brown sugar

2 tbsp peanut butter

1 (10 oz) bag of Hershey’s kisses

1. Preheat the oven to 350°, and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour through salt. In a large bowl, stir butter, egg, and vanilla. Add the brown sugar and peanut butter, smearing any clumps against the sides of the bowl. Mix in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Chill the dough if it’s too sticky.
3. Roll the dough into 1” balls and place on the prepared pans. Gently flatten each ball just slightly with the bottom of a glass. Bake at 350° for 11-13 min or until edges turn slightly golden and centers are set.
4. While the cookies bake, unwrap as many kisses as you need.
5. Cool the cookies for 2 min on the pans, then press a kiss into the center of each. Continue cooling on the pans for another 3-5 min, then move to a wire rack to cool completely.

 

 

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