Candy Cane Kiss Cookies

Name: Candy Cane Kiss Cookies
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: ½ cup unsalted butter, (softened); 1¼ cups white sugar, (divided into 1 cup and ¼ cup); 1 large egg; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; ½ teaspoon peppermint extract; 2 cups all-purpose flour; ¼ teaspoon baking soda; ¼ teaspoon salt; 2 teaspoons milk; ½ cup crushed candy canes; 28 Hershey's candy cane kisses

Candy cane kiss cookies look so pretty you almost won’t want to eat them.

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Table of Contents

Candy Cane Kiss Cookies Ingredients
Substitutions & Additions For Sugar Cookies With Kisses
How To Make This Candy Cane Kiss Cookies Recipe
How To Serve
Storing Sugar Cookies With Kisses
More Recipes You’ll Love
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Candy cane kiss cookies are a sweet, minty, and festive treat. The crispy texture of crushed candy canes provides the perfect balance with the chewy cookie dough and the creaminess of Hershey’s candy cane kisses.

close up shot of candy cane kiss cookies on a cooling rack

Candy Cane Kiss Cookies Ingredients

candy cane kiss cookies raw ingredients that are labeled

You’ll need:

½ cup of unsalted butter, softened
1¼ cup of white sugar, divided into 1 cup and ¼ cup
1 large egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
½ teaspoon of peppermint extract
2 cups of all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon of baking soda
¼ teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons of milk
½ cup of crushed candy canes
28 Hershey’s candy cane kisses

Substitutions & Additions For Sugar Cookies With Kisses

VANILLA EXTRACT: Don’t worry if you don’t have vanilla extract. Just leave it out, or use a teaspoon of maple syrup as a substitute.

CANDY CANES: As an alternative to crushing candy canes, you could chop up a few more Hershey’s candy cane kisses for these Christmas cookies.

COCOA POWDER: To make a chocolate version of these candy cane kisses cookies, simply add ¾ cup of cocoa powder.

SPRINKLES: If you want your cookies to look really festive, consider adding red and green sprinkles or rolling the dough balls in red or green sugar.

KISSES: If you are having a hard time finding peppermint kisses, you can substitute Hershey’s hugs or milk chocolate kisses instead.

How To Make This Candy Cane Kiss Cookies Recipe

STEP ONE: Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

STEP TWO: In a medium bowl, cream together, with a hand mixer on medium-low speed, the butter and 1 cup of sugar until fluffy (1 to 2 minutes).

STEP THREE: Then add the egg, vanilla, and peppermint extract and mix for another 1 minute.

egg and vanilla added to the sugar mixture in a bowl

STEP FOUR: In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and salt until combined.

ingredients being whisked together in a bowl

STEP FIVE: Add the flour mixture, milk, and candy canes to the wet ingredients and beat just until mixed (about 30 seconds).

PRO TIP:

Don’t over-mix the dough or your cookies will turn out flat.

flour mixture, milk, and candy canes added to the wet ingredients in a bowl

STEP SIX: Scoop dough into 1 tablespoon size cookies. Use your hands to shape the dough into a ball to smooth the edges.

Roll the dough ball in the remaining ¼ cup sugar to coat the outside and place them onto the baking sheet about 2 inches apart.

Place the cookie sheets into the refrigerator, laying flat, for 2 hours to chill the cookie dough balls prior to baking.

PRO TIP:

Don’t skip the chilling step as it will help avoid ending up with flat cookies.

balls of dough rolled in sugar and placed on a baking sheet

STEP SEVEN: While your dough balls are chilling, preheat your oven to 375°F.

STEP EIGHT: Bake cookies for 10 minutes or until the center is set.

PRO TIP:

Oven temperatures vary and may need to be recalibrated periodically to ensure they are accurate. Make sure to keep a close eye on your cookies as the suggested baking time approaches.

STEP NINE: Cool for 5 minutes, then press an unwrapped candy kiss in the center of each cookie.

hershey kiss added to the center of each cookie

How To Serve

These festive cookies would be an ideal option to take to cookie exchanges or add to your holiday cookie tray.

Whip up our peppermint meltaways and Christmas pinwheels for two more fun holiday treats to share.

For more candy cane recipes to make at home this holiday season, take a look at our candy cane pie and this easy candy cane fudge.

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Storing Sugar Cookies With Kisses

AT ROOM TEMPERATURE: Candy cane peppermint cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week.

IN THE FREEZER: You can freeze peppermint Hershey kiss cookies for up to a month. Store them in an airtight container and thaw overnight at room temperature.

close up shot of candy cane kiss cookies being held with a bite taken out of it

These candy cane kiss cookies are so cute, and they taste just as good as they look! The cookies are soft and chewy, with a peppermint flavor and all the melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness of candy cane Hershey kisses.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Can I freeze these cookies?

This easy recipe can be frozen in an airtight container for up to a month.

Can I make these into chocolate cookies?

These candy cane peppermint kiss cookies could be turned into chocolate cookies by adding ¾ cup of cocoa powder to the batter.

What can I use if I can’t find candy cane kisses?

If you can’t find candy cane kisses, you could use the white and chocolate striped Hershey’s hugs or plain milk chocolate kisses.

More Recipes You’ll Love

Candy Cane Kiss Cookies

5 from 2 votes

Candy cane kiss cookies look so pretty you almost won’t want to eat them.

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 15

Total Time 25

Servings cookies

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Review Recipe

Ingredients

½ cup unsalted butter, softened
1¼ cups white sugar, divided into 1 cup and ¼ cup
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon peppermint extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons milk
½ cup crushed candy canes
28 Hershey's candy cane kisses

Instructions

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, cream together, with a hand mixer on medium-low speed, the butter and 1 cup sugar until fluffy (1 to 2 minutes).
Add the egg, vanilla and peppermint extract and mix for another 1 minute.
In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and salt until combined.
Add flour mixture, milk and candy canes to the wet ingredients and beat just until mixed (about 30 seconds).
Scoop dough into 1 tablespoon-size cookies and use your hands to shape the dough into a ball to smooth the edges. Roll the dough ball in the remaining ¼ cup sugar to coat the outside. Place the dough balls onto the baking sheet about 2 inches apart and then place the cookie sheets into the refrigerator, laying flat, for 2 hours to chill the cookie dough balls prior to baking.
While your dough balls are chilling, preheat your oven to 375°F.
Bake cookies for 10 minutes or until the center is set.
Cool for 5 minutes then press an unwrapped candy kiss in the center of each cookie.

Notes

Don’t over-mix the dough, or your cookies will turn out flat.
Don’t skip the chilling step, as it will help avoid ending up with flat cookies.
Oven temperatures vary and may need to be recalibrated periodically to ensure they are accurate. Make sure to keep a close eye on your cookies as the suggested baking time approaches.

Nutrition

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Proudly Prepared by the Spaceships Kitchen

This recipe was developed, tested, cooked and photographed by the Spaceships Kitchen. From our dinner table to yours, we hope you think it's out of this world!