Gingerbread kiss cookies are everything people love about December baking: warm spices, soft cookie centers, crackly edges and Hershey’s Hugs melting slowly into the top.
They’re a Christmas cookie that looks impressive but is extremely forgiving to bake—perfect for cookie exchanges, holiday cookie trays, or when you want something festive without committing to more complicated cut-outs or icing sessions.
Ingredients Needed For Gingerbread Kiss Cookies
Tips We’ve Learned Making These Gingerbread Cookies
- Don’t over-mix after adding the flour. Stop as soon as the streaks disappear to keep the centers tender.
- A 1½-tablespoon scoop gives you a thick, soft center; if you only have a 1-tablespoon scoop, the cookies will bake slightly quicker but stay just as chewy.
- A loosely rolled ball bakes into a more even dome than a tightly packed one.
- Sanding sugar helps them bake round. Beyond the sparkle, the sugar creates a micro-crust that slows spreading. If you don’t have sanding sugar, regular granulated works.
- Hot cookie + kiss = perfect ripple. Pressing the kiss in two minutes after baking gives you the signature soft-set shape without it melting.
Storage Instructions
Room temperature: Store in an airtight container for up to three days.
Refrigerator: Up to six days—the spices deepen slightly with time.
Freezer (baked): Freeze up to two months, thaw at room temperature.
Freezer (dough): Scoop, roll, and freeze on a sheet until solid. Thaw just until tacky, roll in sugar, and bake.
More Hershey Kiss Cookie Recipes
- Chocolate Kiss Cookies
- Candy Cane Kiss Cookies
- Cherry Kiss Cookies
- Snowball Kisses
- Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Coconut Blossoms
Gingerbread Kiss Cookies
Soft, spiced gingerbread cookies rolled in sparkling sugar and topped with Hershey’s Hugs make this easy holiday treat a festive favorite for any cookie tray.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 30 cookies
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
- ¾ cup salted sweet cream butter, softened
- ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup molasses
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 1 large egg
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 30 Hershey’s Hugs kisses, unwrapped
- sanding sugar, for coating the cookie dough balls
Instructions
- Using a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, baking soda, ground nutmeg, and ground allspice. Set it aside.
- Using a stand mixer, or a large mixing bowl and a handheld mixer, on medium-high speed, cream the softened butter for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Add brown sugar and continue mixing on medium-high for 1 minute.
- Add the molasses, egg, and vanilla. Mix just until well incorporated.
- Add flour mixture and mix just until combined.
- Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Just before removing the dough from the refrigerator, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
- Using a 1½-tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop out the cookie dough. Roll the dough into a ball.
- Coat the dough ball in the sanding sugar and place the coated dough ball on the cookie sheet. Place the dough balls 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and allow the cookies to rest on the cookie sheet for about 2 minutes.
- Press the unwrapped kiss in the center of the cookie. Allow the cookies to cool for another 5 minutes.
- Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack to continue to cool completely.
Notes
- The baking soda is what helps make this recipe so soft and chewy! If you omit the baking soda, you will end up with a crunchy and crisp gingerbread cookie.
- You can use a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop if you do not have a 1½-tablespoon cookie scoop.
Nutrition
Calories: 197kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 90mg | Potassium: 129mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 151IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 1mg
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Comments
Gloria says
These are so yummy!
Lisa Marie Tarbox says
Cookies are delicious! Used a 1 tbsp scoop and got about 55 cookies per batch. Cooked for 8 minutes, as anymore made them too hard to put the hugs/kisses on at 2 minutes.