These Candy Cane Kiss Cookies pack all the fun of the holidays into one bite! Soft, chocolatey, and topped with a peppermint candy that melts just slightly into the warm cookie. Bright, festive, soft, and chewy, they add a perfect pop of color and flavor. They’re simple to make, great for gifting, and disappear fast from any cookie plate.
I started with Sara’s Cadbury Egg Cookie Dough, which is really just a great recipe for chocolate cookies. A little peppermint extract, a sprinkle of chocolate chips, and a peppermint kiss finish these off and make them irresistible!
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
- Butter flavored shortening – I sometimes like the combo of shortening and butter because you get flavor and tenderness from the butter, and some structure and softness from the shortening. If you’d rather not use shortening, or don’t have it on hand, you can definitely make this recipe will all butter as well.
- Butter
- Brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Peppermint extract
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Flour
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Chocolate chips – This recipe calls for dark chocolate chips, but you can use whatever you have on hand!
- Hershey’s Candy Cane Kisses – These are kind of the star of the show here! But if you’d like to experiment, go ahead and try these cookies with other flavors of kisses, just leave out the peppermint extract or replace it with another extract or flavoring oil of your choice.
Instructions
- Start by placing some brown and white sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl. Add some softened butter and butter-flavored shortening and cream together for a few minutes until light and fluffy. Add some vanilla, peppermint extract, and eggs and mix until thoroughly combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the baking powder, baking soda, salt, flour, and cocoa powder. Add to the butter/sugar mixture and mix until combined. Mix in the chocolate chips.
- To prevent cookies from flattening out, refrigerate dough for 30-60 minutes. Drop the dough by the tablespoonful onto an ungreased baking sheet (or parchment paper-lined baking sheets). Bake until just set, but centers are still soft, about 8 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 1-2 minutes. Use a metal spatula to transfer cookies to cooling rack. Top each cookie with an unwrapped Candy Cane Kiss. Allow them to stand for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire cooling rack.
- Allow to cool completely, long enough for the Kiss to harden.
Storing and Other Tips
- Store finished cookies in an airtight container at room temperature and enjoy within days for best results.
- These puppies need a few hours for the kiss to become solid again, but if you need to hurry things along, wait until the cookies themselves have cooled and then transfer them to your refrigerator or freezer and they’ll be set up in no time.
- These are perfect for holiday gift-giving because they’re easy, festive, a little different, and hold up well to packaging.
Frequently Asked Questions
Definitely! I understand not everyone likes to bake with shortening. I sometimes think of it as a cheat-code because a little bit helps the cookies have a really great shape and a little more lift. They also stay softer, longer! But you certainly can use all butter as well. Just make sure you do the chilling step and know that you might get just a little more spread (ie flatter cookies).
Make these cookies a day ahead of time if needed. Store on the counter in an airtight container until ready to serve. While I have not personally tried freezing these, most cookies freeze pretty well as long as they are sealed well.
Yes. Make the dough and store, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours before baking. For best results, let it sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes before scooping and baking.
You don’t have to, just expect a flatter cookie. Refrigerating the dough helps it hold it’s shape when baked.
Candy Cane Kiss Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter-flavored shortening
- ½ cup real butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 ½ cup flour lightly spooned into measuring cups and leveled with a knife
- 6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 12 ounces dark chocolate chips (1 bag)
- 48 Hershey’s Candy Cane Kisses unwrapped (one 10 ounce bag)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Cream together softened butter, shortening, brown sugar, and white sugar for 1-2 minutes on medium-high speed or until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until combined. In a separate bowl, combine the baking powder, baking soda, salt, flour, and cocoa powder. Add to the butter/sugar mixture and mix until combined. Mix in the chocolate chips.
- To prevent cookies from flattening out, refrigerate dough for 30-60 minutes. Drop the dough by the tablespoonful onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake until just set, but centers are still soft, about 8 minutes.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for 1-2 minutes. Use a metal spatula to transfer cookies to cooling rack. Top each cookie with an unwrapped Candy Cane Kiss.
- Allow to cool completely, long enough for the Kiss to harden. If necessary, after the cookies have cooled, they can be placed in the refrigerator or freezer to re-solidify the Kiss.
Notes
- Store finished cookies in an airtight container at room temperature and enjoy within days for best results.
- These cookies need a few hours for the kiss to become solid again, but if you need to hurry things along, wait until the cookies themselves have cooled and then transfer them to your refrigerator or freezer and they’ll be set up in no time.
- These are perfect for holiday gift-giving because they’re easy, festive, a little different, and hold up well to packaging.
Questions & Reviews
These look great, and I am excited to try them, but I live in a higher elevation area. How would you adjust this recipe (along with the ginger spice cookie recipe) for higher altitudes?
Thanks, and Merry Christmas!
These were amazing. I love them. My brother ate the first dozen right after they came out of the oven and had even more after dinner. Thank you so much for posting this recipe. It is definitely one of my favorites.
its superb i like it
oh really i also like it
I bought your new cookbook and I love it! I do have a quick question regarding the winter recipes, including this one. My husband hates anything peppermint (I KNOW!) so I was wondering if you have any suggestions for a substitute for those great recipes. I am not very creative with my cooking but I can follow a recipe really well! So, any help for me?! 🙂
Making my second batch of these today. The BEST Christmas cookie EVER. Everyone who has had one has asked for the recipe.
I made these to take to our ward Christmas party last night and they were one of the first cookies gone from the dessert table!! My husband said they were quite possibly the BEST cookie he’s ever had!! And this is coming from a guy who usually only requests plain chocolate chip cookies!
I made these for a family party today and they were AMAZING! They were the hit of the dessert table! So soft and chewy, I can’t wait to make them again, thanks!
I LOVE these cookies…but to make it easier I have started using the Andee’s peppermint chips and mixing them in with the mini chips
Just popped my last batch of dough in the oven tonight (from hubby’s request:-). We absolutely love them as much as last year. However, I evidently shopped too late for the peppermint kisses as I couldn’t find them anywhere. I substituted the Dove Peppermint Bark squares, putting 1/2 of a square on each cookie. The squares cut cleaner with the chocolate side face up.
they look yummy! i wish to make them.