Description
Candy Cane Kiss Cookies are festive, peppermint-flavored sugar cookies rolled in colorful sprinkles and topped with iconic candy cane Hershey’s Kisses. These holiday treats feature a soft, creamy texture with a hint of peppermint, perfect for celebrating the season or gifting to friends and family.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups + 1 Tablespoon (260g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- 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
Coating and Topping
- 1/2 cup (about 90g) nonpareil sprinkles
- 32–36 candy cane flavor Hershey’s Kisses, unwrapped
Instructions
- Prepare Dry Ingredients: Whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl until fully combined. Set this mixture aside for later use.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl, use a hand-held or stand mixer with a paddle attachment to beat the softened butter and granulated sugar on high speed until the mixture is creamy and combined, about 3 minutes.
- Add Egg and Extracts: Add the large egg, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract to the creamed butter and sugar. Beat on medium speed until everything is incorporated, about 1 minute. Scrape down the bowl’s sides and bottom to ensure even mixing.
- Incorporate Dry Ingredients: Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until a thick dough forms and everything is fully combined. The dough will be very thick and slightly dry.
- Form Dough Balls and Roll in Sprinkles: Roll the dough into balls using about 1 scant Tablespoon each (roughly 20g). The warmth of your hands will help the dough come together. Roll each ball generously in the nonpareil sprinkles, ensuring they stick well. If sprinkles don’t adhere, press dough balls firmly into sprinkles on a plate or add 1 teaspoon of water to the dough to help with stickiness.
- Chill Dough Balls: Place the sprinkle-coated dough balls on a baking sheet or plate that fits in your refrigerator. Chill for 20 minutes up to 1 day. If chilling longer than 1 hour, cover them to prevent drying out.
- Preheat Oven: While chilling, preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Bake Cookies: Arrange the chilled dough balls about 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake in the preheated oven for 12 minutes or until the edges appear set. The centers may look slightly under-baked, which is ideal. Remove from the oven and let cookies cool on the sheet for 5 minutes.
- Press Hershey’s Kisses: Immediately press an unwrapped candy cane-flavored Hershey’s Kiss into the center of each cookie. Using a thin spatula, carefully transfer the cookies to a plate or multiple plates without breaking them, as they’re soft.
- Set Candies in Freezer: Place the plates of cookies in the freezer for 10 minutes to quickly set the candy into the cookies.
- Serve and Store: Remove cookies from the freezer and serve as desired. Keep cookies covered at room temperature to stay fresh for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing: Cookie dough balls can be prepared, coated in sprinkles, and chilled up to 1 day in advance. For longer storage, freeze unbaked dough balls for up to 3 months and bake from frozen, adding 1 minute to baking time. Baked cookies also freeze well for up to 3 months.
- Extract Alternatives: Peppermint extract can be omitted or substituted with almond extract for classic sugar cookie flavor.
- Sprinkle Options: Use nonpareils, sanding sugar, or jimmies-style sprinkles as desired for coating.
- Chocolate Variation: Try rolling dough balls in granulated sugar or confectioners’ sugar and bake them as usual for a chocolate peppermint thumbprint style cookie. Press candy kisses after baking and cooling as described.
- Prevent Sprinkles from Falling Off: If sprinkles don’t stick, roll dough balls repeatedly to warm them or add a teaspoon of water to the dough to increase stickiness.
- Soft Texture Reminder: Cookies are soft when removed from oven; do not overbake to maintain desired texture.
- Use Parchment or Silicone Mats: For easiest transfer and cleanup, line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 130 kcal
- Sugar: 14 g
- Sodium: 65 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg
