Peppermint Kiss Cookies

These peppermint kiss cookies bake up a batch of festive cheer in just four simple steps.
Candy Cane Blossom Cookies Recipe photo by Taste of Home

These festive peppermint kiss cookies are a warm welcome during the holiday season. They’re lovely little balls of soft sugar cookies, surrounded by finely crushed candy canes and topped with delightful chocolate kisses.

If you love peanut butter kiss cookies, these cookies are basically the Christmas version. Need we say more?

Peppermint Kiss Cookies Ingredients

  • Chocolate kisses: Chocolate kisses, peppermint kisses or mini chocolate-covered peppermint patties work perfectly.
  • Candy canes: Crushed candy canes surround the cookies’ edges, adding a peppermint taste and festive look.
  • Butter: Butter adds fat and richness to the cookies. If you forgot to bring your butter to room temp, learn how to soften butter quickly.
  • Sugar: Sugar adds sweetness and browning power to the cookies.
  • Egg: An egg binds the ingredients together so the cookies don’t fall apart.
  • All-purpose flour: All-purpose flour gives the cookies their structure.

Directions

Step 1: Prepare the kisses and candy canes

Freeze the kisses in a covered container for at least one hour. Place the candy canes in a food processor, and process until finely crushed.

Editor’s Tip: If you don’t have a food processor, crush the candy canes by hand. Place the candy canes in a resealable bag, and securely seal the top closed. Place the bag on a kitchen towel, and, with a meat mallet or hammer, break up the candy canes until very finely crushed. If the hammer or mallet isn’t crushing small enough pieces, switch to a rolling pin, and roll it back and forth on the bag.

Step 2: Make the cookie dough

Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, use a hand mixer or stand mixer, and cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, five to seven minutes. Beat in the egg, milk and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually beat the dry mixture into the creamed mixture.

Step 3: Roll the cookie dough

Shape the cookie dough into 1-inch balls. Roll the cookie dough balls in the crushed candy canes. Place them 2 inches apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets.

Step 4: Bake the cookies

A Group of Peppermint Kiss CookiesTMB Studio

Bake the cookies until the bottoms are golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven, and immediately press a frozen kiss into the center of each cookie. Remove the cookies from the baking sheets and onto wire racks to cool.

Peppermint Kiss Cookies Variations

  • Roll in festive sprinkles: If a peppermint kiss and a crushed candy cane cookie coating is too strong of a flavor for you, omit the crushed candy canes and use red or green colored sugar (like we do in our peanut butter blossoms recipe) for a festive touch.
  • Use a chocolate cookie dough: Make chocolate peppermint kiss cookies! Replacing this recipe’s cookie dough with the cookie dough from our chocolate caramel kiss cookies.
  • Add color to your cookie dough: Divide your cookie dough batch in half, then add red food coloring to one portion and green food coloring to another.

How to Store Peppermint Kiss Cookies

To store, allow the cookies to cool to room temperature, then place them in an airtight container. They can be stored at room temperature for up to one week.

Peppermint Kiss Cookies Tips

A Plate of Peppermint Kiss Cookies and a Cup of CoffeeTMB Studio

Can I make peppermint kiss cookie dough ahead of time?

Yes, you can make peppermint kiss cookie dough ahead of time. Create the dough, roll them into the balls, cover the balls with the crushed candy canes, and store them in an airtight container in the fridge for one day or in the freezer for up to three months. Bake from frozen, but add an extra minute or two to the bake time.

How do you keep chocolate kisses from melting?

A Group of Peppermint Kiss CookiesTMB Studio

Keep chocolate kisses from melting by freezing the kisses for at least one hour before sticking them in the freshly baked cookies.

Peppermint Kiss Cookies

We like to stir different flavored candy canes into the dough for fun variety. —Joan Cossette, Colbert, Washington
Candy Cane Blossom Cookies Recipe photo by Taste of Home
Total Time

Prep: 45 min. Bake: 10 min./batch

Makes

4 dozen

Ingredients

  • 48 milk chocolate kisses, candy cane kisses or miniature chocolate-covered peppermint patties, unwrapped
  • 4 candy canes
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon 2% milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

  1. Freeze kisses in a covered container for at least 1 hour. Place candy canes in a food processor; process until finely crushed.
  2. Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, milk and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture.
  3. Shape into 1-in. balls; roll in crushed candy canes. Place 2 in. apart on parchment-lined baking sheets.
  4. Bake 10-12 minutes or until bottoms are golden brown. Immediately press a kiss into center of each cookie. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

Nutrition Facts

1 cookie: 110 calories, 5g fat (3g saturated fat), 16mg cholesterol, 69mg sodium, 14g carbohydrate (8g sugars, 0 fiber), 1g protein.