Quick Summary
Chocolate Kiss Cookies-decadent chocolate cookies rolled in sprinkles and topped with a chocolate kiss. A fun cookie for the holidays or any occasion!
I love baking cookies, especially during the holidays. I love turning on Christmas music, lighting the tree, and baking all of my favorite Christmas cookies. Every year, I make:
- soft gingersnaps
- lime coconut snowballs
- brown butter salted caramel snickerdoodles
- chocolate peppermint crunch cookies
- soft peanut butter cookies
- chocolate dipped toffee shortbread
- Mexican wedding cookies
- peanut butter blossoms
Ok, I will stop there. I go cookie crazy!! I can’t control myself. My new favorite holiday cookie are these Chocolate Kiss Cookies! They are fun to make and the festive holiday sprinkles make them a holiday hit!
This cookie recipe is from Sally’s new cookbook, Sally’s Cookie Addiction, which is filled with amazing cookies. When I saw these cookies, I knew they would be the perfect Christmas cookie and I was right! They are sure to be the star of every holiday cookie platter!
The boys loved helping me make these cookies. I let them roll the chocolate cookie dough balls in the sprinkles and they thought I was the best mom ever. I also let them help put the chocolate kisses in the center of the cookies after they came out of the oven. Of course, they sampled a few along the way:)
The cookies are very decadent, thanks to the rich chocolate cookie base and the chocolate kiss on top. Make sure you have a glass of cold milk nearby…and make sure you leave a glass for Santa too. I have a feeling Santa will LOVE these cookies.
And these chocolate kiss cookies aren’t just for Christmas. You can make them year round by changing up the sprinkles. You can use red, white, and pink sprinkles for Valentine’s Day, green sprinkles for St. Patrick’s Day, pastel sprinkles for Easter, or rainbow sprinkles for birthdays!
You could also use different flavored kisses in the center. Candy cane, mint, Hugs, almond…use your favorite! These fun cookies are perfect for any occasion!
Make sure you bake these cookies this holiday season, they are guaranteed to make everyone happy!
More Holiday Cookie Recipes
- Peppermint Bark Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Shortbread
- Chocolate Crinkles
- Andes Mint Cookies
- White Chocolate Peppermint Pretzel Cookies
Chocolate Kiss Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup Dutch process or unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup nonpareil sprinkles
- 25 Hershey's Kisses, unwrapped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat baking mats and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or using a handheld mixer, beat the butter on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and beat on medium-high speed until creamed, about 2 minutes. Add the egg yolk, milk, and vanilla extract, and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until combined.
- Pour the sprinkles into a small bowl. Roll the balls of dough, about 3 teaspoons of dough per cookie, then roll each ball into the sprinkles to coat. Place the dough balls on the prepared baking sheet, 2 inches apart.
- Bake the cookies for 9-12 minutes. Check early to be safe. You want to take them out when they are still soft in the center.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Press the chocolate kisses into the center of each cookie. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Note-cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?
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Hi! Wondering if these freeze well?
I it took my 1st ever batch out of oven and set my timer for 5 minutes. Only problem is I used too big a scoop, so they a much larger than intended. (What a shame!!). I did bump the cook time a bit to compensate. (I added about 5 minutes).
I can’t seem to find these sprinkles?!? Any suggestions?
Hmmm, they should be everywhere this time of year. Michael’s? Smith’s? Home Goods? Joanne’s? Hobby Lobby?
I got mine at Walmart!
Why Is my dough so sticky??
Try chilling it!
Can I make these with peanut butter dough instead of chocolate cookie dough, like the regular peanut butter kisses? Just wondering if the sprinkles will hold as well as in this recipe. I have too much chocolate already in my cookie list, so wanted to hold back a little. Looks very cool with the sprinkles!
Yes, here is our recipe for peanut butter blossoms: https://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/peanut-butter-blossoms/
Can you freeze these cookies?
Yes!
There is no baking soda needed in these?
Correct!
The egg will be your rising agent
I let the cookies sit but when I went to press the kiss in, the cookies cracked. Anyone else have that problem?
I did – trying my second batch for less time?? So bummed! For a school bake sale!
Did you press too hard? Press gently. It’s ok if they crack a little. You can gently press them back in a little.
Cookies crumbled as I tried to put the Hershey Kiss in. Did not look at all like the photo. The cookie is quite bitter too. Gave Up trying to put the kisses on because all of them were cracking and crumbling.
Do you think it would work to swap the vanilla for peppermint and use mint truffle kisses? Would you recommend any other changes?
Thank You!
If you want mint cookies, you can add a little peppermint extract and use mint or candy cane kisses.
You need to put the kisses on as soon as the cookies come out of the oven while they’re still soft. Your kisses might melt a bit, but should hold their shape fairly well.
Just like someone else said, mine completely cracked when I put the kisses in. Trying your 12 cookies of Christmas so I also made the peanut butter blossoms. Hope those work out better
I need to freeze these cookies and would like to know the best way of doing this !
Place cooled cookies in a freeze container or freezer bag, in a single layer and freeze!
Do you have to use nonpareil sprinkles or can you use any Christmas sprinkles?
You can use your favorite, I just like the nonpareil because they are small.
Yummy cookies but a little too much chocolate going on for us.
How could I tone down the chocolate? Less cocoa powder?
BTW my daughter loved making these with me. Perfect cookie to make with kids!
Can I pre-make and refrigerate the dough, if so, for how long?…. I plan on making a double batch for Christmas and want to bake them in the morning. I’m hoping to have the dough prepped a day or two before?
i have , left as long as a few days to refrigerate and its ok .. makes dough less sticky . plus i freeze any unused dough and defrost later … keeps them good for longer .
These cookies are wonderful. So chocolatey! Love them. I pressed the kiss in right after taking them out of the oven like I do my peanut butter blossoms and they turned out fine. Making my second batch of the season!
Can these be pre-made the night before and stored in the fridge? I don’t have time to prep and bake on Christmas! Thanks!
Yes! You can even keep them in an airtight container on the counter.
For the past two years, have made these cookies using this exact recipe and they’ve always come out perfectly! Thank you for such a great recipe. My family loves them and relatives get excited seeing them in their cookie boxes! I use a small cookie scoop but overfill it just slightly. Then lightly flatten each scoop before rolling in nonpareils – that way when I push the Kisses in later, the cookies don’t crack too much.
Glad you love the cookies! Thanks for letting us know!
I tried this recipe for the first time and followed it to the letter. First issue, the non-parEli’s would not stick to the cookie. Used a little sprinkle of water to get them to stick. Second issue, after letting the cookies cool for five minutes, I tried to add the kisses, very gently I must add and they just crumbled into pieces. What did I do wrong? I used a KitchenAid mixer for the first time when preparing the cookies. Did I over mix them?
i make the dough and then refrigerate for at least an hour .. makes it easier to roll into balls .. less sticky. plus i add chocolate chips to the dough.. extra chocolate.
everyone i have had try them loves them .. they are like little balls of chocolate goodness.
i dont put sprinkles or kisses and they are very good ..
thanks for the recipe , its gold !!! 😀
Thanks for sharing!
this is one of the best cookie recipe ever!And it’s really easy to make! The chocolate is just right. They’re also pretty.
My 3 yr old and I were so excited, rolling these into balls, but sadly, they came out of the oven as flat pancakes. What went wrong??
Was your butter too warm? You can try chilling the dough next time, but I never have a problem without chilling it. Sorry you had trouble.
Just baked these and they are tasty! They’re like little brownies. I only put Hershey kisses in a couple because it’s enough chocolate on it’s own.
I also rolled have of them in colored sugar and liked it better than the non-pareils. I’m definitely baking them again and think they’ll be great to give as holiday treats.
Rolled them into about 1 inch balls; smaller than the recipe, turned out great very sweet. Easy to make.
I made these for my family and staff for Christmas gifts.
Pin Win.
These cookies have no business being so delicious! I cannot leave them alone. Thanks for the recipe.
This is my second year making these ! We love them !
This was an easy recipe and delicious! I made the recipe using mini baking m&ms and they made the cookies so pretty.
My cookies were a bit bigger and only made 16. I bake them for 14 min. because at 9 min. they didn’t looked baked. So I kept added minutes. When I was cooling them on the rack they were pretty firm and I thought I baked them too long. However, after they cooled off they were soft eating them. I liked that they were so firm and I used very good gourmet Dutch cocoa and they tasted so good. I was giving them as gift and decided to make another batch just for us. My husband isn’t much into cookies but he liked these.
My cookies came out flat there still good though. Did I do something wrong?
It sounds like your butter was too warm or you didn’t add enough flour. Or did you bake on hot cookie sheets?
Just. made these and they were so delicious and moist. I made bigger cookies and only got 16 and use mini baking M&M’s. They were very pretty. At first, I thought I had baked them too long because they were so hard. They were soft to eat so these cookies would travel well. I’m making another batch. Great Xmas cookies.
These are delicious. I love the versatility with different colors and kisses.
I am in Love with these cookies. Not only are they beautiful but they are sooo delicious.
How do I keep them fresh? I want to give them to people but just not ready and of course I want some for me. You are amazing Thanks so much for posting these yummies.
I am so glad you loved the cookies. Keep them in an airtight container on the counter. They will keep for up to 5 days.
I just made these and I am sure they are delicious but in my experience — and it may be because I am at a high elevation– but I would lower the temp to 325F and take out at 8-9 minutes. Also, to avoid cracking, I would lightly flatten making a shallow centre before baking. This way the kiss would naturally fit and soften underneath to adhere from the warmth. I used candy cane hershey kisses
I am not impressed with this cookie. It looks nice but when you put the hershey kiss in the cookie cracks.
I make these cookies every year for my Christmas Cookie Plate and they are divine! You can’t go wrong with a great chocolate cookie and a chocolate kiss! I find the recipe instructions and cook time to be spot on.
So happy you love the kiss cookies.
We are really enjoying these cookies! We made them today for Santa! I found these exact sprinkles at Target as soon as Christmas decorations came out. The flavor is delicious. Chilling the dough for about 30 mins helped to make it less sticky and we placed our kisses on the cookies as soon as they came out of the oven. The cookies held their shape and came out picture perfect. Thanks, Maria, for this recipe that is making our Christmas Eve extra festive!
Absolutely Horrid. Tasted like eating a sandwich made of sand and cardboard. Unless you are trying to scare away the whole family at the christmas party, I do not suggest making these disgusting cookies #GARBAGE.
This dough is dry and not enough moisture for sprinkles to stick. Very disappointing!
Do I dip the cookie in the egg white, then sprinkles
No, you don’t need the egg white for the recipe. Just roll the dough balls in the sprinkles, they will stick.
these don’t last in my house. They are SO GOOD.. .my son’s favorite cookie of all… thank you for this recipe!
I turned these into Easter nest cookies by using pastel nonpareils and substituting Cadbury mini eggs for the Hershey kiss (and on some I placed pastel colored m&m’s). I also used Hershey Dark cocoa powder. Attention chocolate fans: They are so decadent- a deep, cocoa blast! So good! Suggestions: Spoon your dry ingredients into measuring cups; when first adding dry to wet, it doesn’t look like it will come together, but it does- just keep mixing; use a tablespoon of dough per cookie. Makes about 28-28 cookies at that size.