Hershey’s Hugs and Kiss Cookies (2024)

A deliciously decadent half vanilla and half chocolate cookie, coated in sugar, and topped with a chocolate kiss, Hershey’s Hugs and Kisses Cookies are a perfect holiday treat that everyone will love! These are quick and easy – no need to chill the cookie dough before baking either! Don’t they look absolutely adorable!?

We have another thumbprint type of cookie again today. This is another recipe that freezes well and is fun to make with kids. They will love to roll the cookie dough in sugar and stick that chocolate right into the center. Hopefully, they don’t eat them all first! Who’s ready for these beautiful Hershey’s Hugs and Kisses Cookies?

You will need to get your hands on some of those cute little hugs and kisses chocolates to make these as pictured. However, if you can’t you can just use a regular Hershey’s Kiss. In fact, I know already that some of you will do just that because not everyone cares for white chocolate.

If you find a sale on Hershey’s Kisses and if you like them, buy a whole bunch though, because I have all of your baking covered with those things! To start, how about these deliciously simple Hershey’s Kiss Cookies? Or, if you’re feeling more like a shortbread base, I have these Blossom Cookies. They also use the hugs and kisses flavour.

In the instance that you’re looking for something really impressive, I can’t think of a better option than these adorably cute Hershey Acorn Cookies! They take a little bit of time, but those bite-sized cookies are 100% worth the effort. They’re just gorgeous! And, just in case you missed it, earlier in this series I shared this Hershey’s Peppermint Cookies recipe with you. I love all of them, so don’t ask me to choose just one!

VISITING HERSHEY PARK

A few years ago, John.e and I decided to take McKenna to Hershey Park in Pennsylvania for a mid-July road trip. We piled into the car, along with my ex-wife, and made the drive. The park was great! There were lots of rides, lots of activities, and lots and lots of chocolate.

Hershey’s chocolate was everywhere! And, much of it was free. Almost every shop at the park had an attendant handing out sample chocolate kisses. McKenna was so happy. And, so was John.e. But, I wasn’t. You see, Dear Reader, I don’t care much for Hershey’s chocolate. When it comes to mass-produced chocolate, I much prefer Cadbury.

To be perfectly honest, I grew rather tired of declining the free chocolate. The purpose of the visit was to take McKenna there. I wanted to go because I knew a part of the trip would find me in Amish country, and I was dying to get to their markets!

CHOCOLATE SUBSTITUTES

I went ahead and used the Hershey’s in this Hershey’s Hugs and Kisses Cookies recipe, despite them not being my favourite. They are extremely easy to find and very inexpensive. Also, they work very well in this cookie recipe and 99% of the population tends to like them. It was an easy decision.

A few years back, I posted a similar recipe –Christmas Peanut Butter Rosettes. In that recipe, I used chocolate with a rosette shape. If you prefer, you can use those instead of the kisses.

My favourite brand of rosettes was Neilson’s. Do you remember Neilson’s brand? They are extremely hard to find, in fact, I’m not sure they’re even made anymore. I have not seen them in years! They used to make really good rosettes. Neilson’s brand of rosettes was calledGolden Buds. I’ve seen other brands called Rose Buds as well.

TRIVIA

I learned this when we visited Hershey Park. Do you know why their most popular chocolate confection, the kiss, is called a kiss? Well, we know they are called Hershey’s because the founder was Milton S. Hershey. He introduced the kiss chocolate in 1907.

The name “kiss” was adopted and applied to the confection, because of the sound the melted chocolate made when it was dropped from the vats onto the conveyer belt. The name stuck and it’s hard to imagine those little chocolates being called anything else!

LORD BYRON’S 24 COOKIES OF CHRISTMAS – VOLUME 5

I’m so excited about this year’s cookie countdown! This is the fifth consecutive year; can you believe that? Each of the previous years has included 24 cookies and this year will not be any different. I’ll share a new Christmas cookie recipe each and every single day for the next 24 days – even on Saturday and Sunday!

You might be asking yourself, how many Christmas cookie recipes could one possibly have or need? Well, I say you can never have too much of a good thing. And, I love having lots of choices. Who wants to bake the same holiday cookies year after year?

So, welcome, Dear Reader, to Volume 5 of Lord Byron’s 24 Cookies of Christmas! Fresh off of my 12 Edible Wreaths of Christmas and my 12 Bars and Squares of Christmas series, I’m ready to plow through the next 24 days with you!

You really don’t want to miss one of these recipes, so if you have not yet subscribed to Lord Byron’s Kitchen, I encourage you to do so. That way, a new recipe will be emailed to you every day. You won’t have to bother to come looking for it! Like in previous holiday baking countdowns, I like to mix up the recipes in the series so that there is something for everyone. Are you ready!!??

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Butter– Make sure your butter is at room temperature! To be perfectly honest, I have made these with both salted and unsalted butter and there’s no difference in taste or appearance once all is said and done. Use what you have on hand.
• Sugar– Sugar will caramelize when baked, which will help to brown cookies and cakes. In cookies, the sugar will help the dough to spread, and will create a crispness to the bottom of the cookie.
• Eggs– Whenever you set out to bake, make sure your eggs are at room temperature too – just like your butter!
• Vanilla Extract– Probably the most common extract and the most common flavouring used in cakes and cookies.
• Flour– No need for anything special. Just use regular all-purpose flour. I have not tried this recipe with any other type of flour.
• Cocoa Powder– Cocoa powder is an unsweetened chocolate product which adds deep chocolate flavor to desserts and beverages. Use a good quality cocoa powder, not the kind we used to stir into milk as kids!
• Hershey’s Hugs and Kisses
• Sanding Sugar

COCOA POWDER

Cocoa powder is an unsweetened chocolate product which adds deep chocolate flavour to desserts and beverages. Use a good quality cocoa powder, not the kind we used to stir into milk as kids! I have two types of cocoa that I use when baking. In cookies like theseHot Chocolate Cookies, just a regular, inexpensive cocoa powder will do just fine. Even though I don’t care for Hershey’s chocolate, I do like to use Hershey’s cocoa powder for cookies.

If, however, I’m making a cake or a cookie recipe with very few ingredients, I want to use better-quality cocoa powder. For me,Fry’s Premium Quality Cocoahas all that I’m looking for. It has a stronger chocolatey scent than other cocoa powders. When it comes to flavour, Fry’s wins out again. The only thing that Fry’s doesn’t offer is a deeper, chocolatey colour like you see in the photos. I find that Hershey’s does a better job in terms of colour.

SANDING VS GRANULATED SUGAR

I use coarsesanding sugar quite often in my recipes, and I hope it hasn’t been too difficult for you to find. Sanding sugar is sometimes referred to as baking sugar, and there are some substitutes. You can use other sugars – which are basically the same, but named something differently – there’s pearl sugar and coarse sugar. You cannot, however, use granulated sugar. Let me explain why.

Whereas an individual granule of sanding sugar is large and hard, a single granule of granulated sugar is quite small. Sanding sugar will hold up to the heat in your oven without melting; granulated sugar will not. If you cannot find sanding sugar, then I’m afraid this recipe is not for you.

You canfind sanding sugar online, but it’s expensive in comparison to what you can find at a baking supply store. I buy most of my sanding sugar at Bulk Barn. They have just about every colour you will need!

HOW TO MAKE HERSHEY’S HUGS AND KISSES COOKIES

Preparing the Dough

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until well incorporated. Next, beat in the egg yolks and vanilla extract.

Lastly, mix in the flour. Once the flour is mixed through, the mixture will still be crumbly. At this point, before mixing too much, remove half of the dough to another bowl and set aside. Finish beating the one portion of dough until a proper cookie dough is formed. This is not an overly wet dough, so don’t be alarmed. Next, add the cocoa powder to the portion of dough you previously separated. Beat until a chocolate dough is formed.

Forming the Cookies

Divide the white dough in half and roll each half into a 12-inch log. Repeat this with the chocolate dough. Lay one white and one chocolate log beside each other. Lay the remaining two logs on top of those but alternate the colours. (Lay the white on the chocolate and the chocolate on the white.) Gently hold one end of the assembled log and twist the other end to form a brown and white spiralled log. Gently roll it with your hands to smooth it into a 20-inch log.

Cut the log into 1-inch sections. Roll each section into a ball and roll the ball into the sanding sugar. Place the ball onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving 2 inches of space between each one. Bake for 12 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately press an unwrapped Hershey’s Hugs and Kisses chocolate into the center of each cookie.Allow cookies to cool for 3-5 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling.

STORING, PACKAGING, & FREEZING

When it comes to most cookies, they taste best at room temperature, but they don’t hold up well to being left out on your countertop for long periods of time. Cookies will stay fresh in a cookie jar or food-safe container with a lid for 3-5 days if left to sit on your kitchen countertop. You can store them in a food-safe container in your fridge. When you want one, two, or half a dozen, take them out of the container and place them in a single layer on a plate. Let them sit at room temperature for 5 minutes and they’re ready!

If you plan to freeze your Hershey’s Hugs and Kisses Cookies, you certainly can! Once completely cooled, pile them into a clean, food-safe container. The container must be freezer friendly! You’ll want to ensure a very tight-fitting lid too. I usethesequite often when freezing baked goods. I like to place a sheet of plastic wrap over the top of the container before pushing the lid on. This helps to create a better seal. The goal is to keep all of that freshness locked in!

You can freeze these cookies for up to three months. If you plan to give previously frozen cookies as a gift, I would lay them out on a wire cooling rack to thaw completely. If packaging, wait until the condensation has evaporated. Once thawed, pile into cellophane bags and tie with a ribbon, or stack in a cookie tin/box.

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down to follow me and never miss another recipe!