As we embark on another holiday season, it can be tricky to come up with a dessert that combines all our favorite flavors with some added holiday cheer. I came across this recipe when I was thinking of a way to use my peppermint-flavored Hershey’s Kisses. Since childhood, they have always been one of my favorite parts of this time of the year.
These chocolate peppermint blossoms are a different take on my peanut butter blossoms that are sure to leave you just as satisfied.
For these cookies you’ll need:
- 1/3 cup softened butter
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup milk of choice
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cup flour
- 2/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For cookie toppings, you’ll need:
- Hershey’s peppermint flavored kisses
- Red sanding sugar or sprinkles
- White sanding sugar
As with any cookie, it’s important to cream your butter and sugar together to start your recipe off. While you let them beat at a medium speed, preheat your oven to 350 F.
When your butter and sugars are evenly creamed together and fluffy, add your egg, vanilla extract and milk, and let that beat until the egg has been evenly distributed throughout.
In a separate bowl, add your flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda and whisk them together. I whisked until the cocoa powder was evenly distributed. Now, it’s time to add your flour mixture into your wet ingredients.
At a low speed, add the flour spoonful by spoonful. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl when you’ve added about half of your flour. Continue spooning in your flour until you have none left.
The worst part about baking cookies is the fact that you should always chill the dough after you are done making it. The reason for this is so that you can allow your flour to properly absorb the moisture from all your wet ingredients. It makes the dough much easier to work with and less sticky. I left my dough in a plastic-covered bowl in the fridge for about two hours.
Place your cookies two inches apart on your cookie sheet.
Samantha Bailey | The Montclarion
After your dough has chilled, remove it from the fridge and get your cookie toppings ready.
Grab your cookie scoop, and scoop about 1 tablespoon-sized ball of dough to roll. I like to roll all my cookies out first and then roll them in the sugar. This way, I can portion out all my cookies to be the exact same size before I coat them.
Depending on the size of your cookies, this recipe should make 28 to 34 cookies.
Once you have your dough balls complete, roll your dough in your mixed-together red and white sugars. If you don’t have red sanding sugar, you can just use regular sugar. I chose red and white sugar because they matched the peppermint Hershey’s Kisses.
Place your sugar-coated dough balls about two inches apart on a parchment-lined cookie sheet to bake. They should bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
While they bake, unwrap your peppermint Hershey’s Kisses. To limit waste, count how many dough balls you have before placing them in the oven and only unwrap that amount. But, if you want to “waste” a few for a taste test, I won’t judge you.
These cookies bring out the holiday cheer in everyone.
Samantha Bailey | The Montclarion
Once your cookies are done baking, remove them from the oven and let them cool for one minute. After the minute passes, press your Hershey’s Kisses into the centers of the cookies. Let them stand for about five minutes on the cookie sheet before moving them to a wire rack to cool.
Peppermint and chocolate are one of the best flavor combinations for the holidays.
Samantha Bailey | The Montclarion
These cookies were a blast to make and a twist on one of my personal favorite recipes. The red and white sugar sprinkles bring the perfect holiday touch. There’s nothing I love more than chocolate and peppermint during the holidays and I hope you enjoy these just as much as I did. Until the next bite.
