Description
Classic Chocolate Blossom Cookies bring sweet nostalgia to holiday baking traditions. Chocolate kisses nestled atop tender chocolate cookies create an irresistible treat you cannot resist enjoying with family and friends.
Ingredients
Scale
- 24 Hershey’s kisses, unwrapped
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar (for topping)
- ½ cup (100 g) brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (115 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ½ cups (190 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup (25 g) cocoa powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- Creaming: Whip softened butter with granulated and brown sugars until light and fluffy, achieving a peak-like texture that promises a tender cookie.
- Liquid Integration: Blend egg and vanilla extract into the butter-sugar mixture, creating a smooth, homogeneous base that will ensure even moisture distribution.
- Dry Ingredient Preparation: Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together, eliminating potential lumps and guaranteeing a uniform dry mixture.
- Dough Formation: Merge dry ingredients into wet components, gently folding until a cohesive dough develops. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to enhance flavor complexity and structural integrity.
- Oven Preparation: Warm the oven to 375F (190C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper, establishing an ideal baking environment.
- Dough Shaping: Roll chilled dough into uniform spheres, generously coating each in granulated sugar to create a crystalline exterior that will caramelize during baking.
- Cookie Placement: Position sugar-coated dough balls on prepared sheets, maintaining sufficient spacing to prevent merging during the baking process.
- Baking and Finishing: Bake for 8-10 minutes until edges set but centers remain slightly soft. Immediately upon removal, press a chocolate kiss into each cookie’s center, allowing residual heat to create an artful cracking effect.
- Cooling: Allow cookies to rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack, permitting the chocolate kiss to solidify and the cookies to reach optimal texture.
Notes
- Optimize Butter Temperature: Let butter soften at room temperature for 30-45 minutes to ensure smooth, even mixing and prevent dense cookies.
- Control Sugar Coating: Roll dough balls lightly in sugar, using a gentle touch to create a delicate, sparkling exterior without excessive clumping.
- Master Chocolate Kiss Placement: Press kiss immediately after baking while cookies are warm, allowing gentle cracking and perfect chocolate integration.
- Customize Dietary Needs: Substitute gluten-free flour blend for traditional flour and use dairy-free butter alternative to accommodate different dietary restrictions.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 23
- Calories: 130
- Sugar: 11 g
- Sodium: 50 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 15 mg