Hershey Kiss Cookies

Oh, the magic...

This, right here – the cute little cookie on the right – was a mystery to me for, like, the first 15 years of my life.  I just couldn’t understand how the makers of these cookies put the kisses in them.  (Apparently pressing them in just after baking never occurred to me.)  I was always terrifically impressed with anyone who brought these to parties, school bake sales, etc.  So, in honor of my very first grown-up payday, I decided I was grown up enough to try them out!  Btw - a rack of freshly baked cookies is the best apartment decoration ever…

See?  They kind of match my table.

Here’s the recipe (originally taken from this site)

Hershey Kiss Cookies

• ½ cup butter softened
• ½ cup peanut butter (usually smooth but crunchy is fine)
• ¾ cup brown sugar light or dark (packed)
• ¼ cup regular white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract or flavoring
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 ¾ cup plain flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• Extra sugar white sugar for rolling cookie dough (not a lot – a few TBS or so)
• Hershey Kisses candy (45 or so – depending on how large you make the cookie balls)

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, use a mixer and blend the softened butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, regular sugar, egg, vanilla, and salt until nice and creamy.
2. Add the flour and baking soda and mix until even.
3. Roll dough into balls. The size is around the size of ping-pong balls. Try to keep all the cookie balls close in size. You may have more or less than 45 especially the first time when you’re learning to make these cookies.
4. Place a small amount of regular white table sugar in a bowl. Dip each cookie ball in the sugar and shake off excess. You don’t want a lot of sugar on the cookies, but the quick sugar dip adds to the flavor and gives the cookies an interesting texture at the end.
5. Place cookie balls on baking sheet. Leave space – about two inches all around. They spread a bit.
6. Bake 8 to 10 minutes at 375 degrees F in a preheated oven until the cookies are done. They should be a pretty golden brown color.
7. As soon as you take the cookies out of the oven, press a Hershey Kiss in the center of each. Press firmly until the Hershey Kiss is nestled in the middle of the hot cookie. Do this before removing the cookies from the baking pan.
8. Once you’ve put Hershey Kisses in the middle of all the cookies on the pan, remove cookies and let cool.