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Gingerbread Kiss Cookies Recipe

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★★★★★

4.8 from 70 reviews

These Gingerbread Kiss Cookies are a festive treat combining classic spiced gingerbread flavors with soft, chewy texture. Topped with a sweet Hershey’s Hugs kiss and coated in sanding sugar, they’re perfect for holiday celebrations or any time you crave a delightful spiced cookie.

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 teaspoons vanilla extract

Toppings

  • 30 Hershey’s Hugs kisses (unwrapped)
  • Sanding sugar for coating the cookie dough balls

Instructions

  1. Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, baking soda, ground nutmeg, and ground allspice. Set aside.
  2. Cream Butter: Using a stand mixer or handheld mixer on medium-high speed, beat the softened butter for 30 seconds to 1 minute until smooth and creamy.
  3. Add Sugar: Add the packed light brown sugar to the butter and continue mixing on medium-high for 1 minute until the mixture is fluffy.
  4. Incorporate Wet Ingredients: Add molasses, egg, and vanilla extract to the butter and sugar mixture. Mix just until all ingredients are well combined.
  5. Add Dry Mixture: Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix just until combined to avoid overworking the dough.
  6. Chill Dough: Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm up, making it easier to handle.
  7. Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheet: A few minutes before taking out the dough, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  8. Scoop and Shape: Using a 1½ tablespoon cookie scoop, portion out the dough and roll each scoop into a ball.
  9. Coat and Place: Roll each dough ball in sanding sugar, then arrange them on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart to allow for spreading.
  10. Bake Cookies: Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes until the edges are set but the centers are still soft.
  11. Add Hershey’s Hugs: Remove cookies from the oven and let them rest on the baking sheet for about 2 minutes. Immediately press an unwrapped Hershey’s Hugs kiss into the center of each cookie to slightly melt into the warm cookie.
  12. Cool Completely: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for another 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely and set.

Notes

  • For a stronger ginger flavor, increase ground ginger to 3 teaspoons according to taste.
  • Make sure butter is properly softened for easier creaming and better cookie texture.
  • Refrigerating the dough is essential to prevent excessive spreading during baking.
  • Using a silicone baking mat instead of parchment paper works just as well.
  • Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
  • Allow cookies to cool completely before storing to keep the kisses from melting or becoming sticky.

Keywords: gingerbread cookies, holiday cookies, Hershey's hugs cookies, Christmas cookies, spiced cookies, ginger molasses cookies

Find it online: https://messykitchenmagic.com/gingerbread-kiss-cookies-recipe/