Chocolate Candy Cane Kiss Cookies

Here's another spin on the Candy Cane Kiss cookies!  If you're like me, you've already bought several bags of the Hershey's Candy Cane Kisses, for fear that they'd be all gone when you really wanted them.  Now you have two new recipes for them!   That is, if you can keep from eating them straight from the bag....!

Chocolate Candy Cane Kisses

 

1 1/4  cups butter, softened

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 bags Hershey's Candy Cane Kisses

1/2 cup granulated sugar for rolling

 

 

Unwrap 75 kisses and set aside.  Unwrap remaining kisses and chop roughly.  Set aside.  In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add eggs, vanilla, and peppermint extract and beat well.  Scrape down sides of the bowl.  Add flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.  Beat until dough comes together.  Scrape down sides of bowl.  Add  chopped Kisses and beat on low until blended.

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Using a small (1 inch) cookie scoop, scoop 1 inch balls of dough.  Roll dough in your palms to form balls, then roll in granulated sugar.  Place 1 1/2 inches apart on cookie sheet.  Bake 8-10 minutes until tops of cookies begin to crack.  Cool on the pan for about 2 minutes, then top each cookie with a Hershey Kiss.  If possible, place the cookie sheet in the fridge to cool quickly.  (Otherwise you'll end up with a melted puddle instead of keeping the Kiss shape!)  Cool completely, then store in an airtight container.  Yield:   75 cookies.  Yum!