Bake a batch of these soft Gingerbread Kiss Cookies that are flavored with molasses and warm spices, rolled in sparkly white sugar, and topped with a Hershey’s kiss chocolate. This is one of the easiest holiday cookies that everyone loves!
If you love peanut butter blossoms and gingerbread cookies, then you are going to love these cookies! They are soft, a little chewy, and have the best gingerbread flavor.
I love topping my favorite cookies with Hershey’s kiss chocolates, these chocolate peppermint cookies are another favorite. And if you love gingerbread then you should also try these gingerbread bars that are easier than making individual cookies, and my chewy gingersnaps.
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Soft and Chewy. These cookies are soft with a little chew to them, they are coated in white sparkly sugar before baking that helps them keep their shape to give you beautiful cracks as you top them with chocolate kisses after baking.
- Makes 60 Cookies! These cookies are small and perfect for cookie trays! This recipe here makes 60 gingerbread kiss cookies.
- Holiday Flavors. Nothing screams holiday more than gingerbread! Plan to make these every year, they will become a family tradition.
Key Ingredients
Complete list of ingredients with quantities and instructions is located in the recipe card below
- Flour, Baking Soda, and Salt: The basic dry ingredients make up the bulk of these delicious cookies.
- Butter: I used unsalted butter to make these cookies. Butter makes these cookies rich and delicious.
- Light Brown Sugar: These cookies are made with brown sugar that keeps them moist, soft, and chewy. It also adds richness and a wonderful flavor to the cookies.
- Egg and Vanilla: Use one large egg that is at room temperature and a splash of vanilla extract.
- Molasses: Make sure that you’re using unsulphured molasses. I use Grandma’s original molasses.
- Spices: A combination of ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg is what you need to flavor these gingerbread cookies. You can also add cardamom, mace, and nutmeg if you like.
- Hershey’s Hugs Kisses: You can use any kiss cookies that you like, but striped hugs are my favorite! Of course, unwrap them before using them.
How To Make Gingerbread Kiss Cookies
Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C, and line 3 cookie sheets with parchment paper or Silpat silicone mats.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour with baking soda, salt, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Set aside.
- Cream Wet Ingredients: In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add butter, brown sugar, egg, and and beat until smooth and creamy.
- Add Molasses: Add half a cup of unsulphured molasses, and beat again until well combined.
- Add Dry Ingredients: Add the flour mixture to the bowl, and mix on low speed until combined. The cookie dough will be quite dry, but don’t worry that’s how it should be.
- Form Cookies: Using a small 1-inch cookie scoop, scoop out dough and roll into balls.
- Roll in Sugar: Roll each cookie dough ball in a bowl with white granulated sugar, and place on a cookie sheet about an inch apart.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 8 minutes or until the cookies are puffed. They will be soft but will set as they cool down. Also note that these cookies will not spread much. As the cookies are being baked, unwrap the Hershey’s hugs.
- Top with Chocolate Kisses: While the cookies are still warm out of the oven, work quickly and press a Hershey’s kiss on top of each cookie gently pushing it down a little. Allow to cool then store.
Top Tips
- Add Hershey’s Hugs at the right time: If you add the kisses to the top of the cookies when the cookies are too hot, they will melt. If you wait too long to add them, they won’t stick. Set a timer, and add the kisses after the cookies have cooled for about 4 minutes for best results.
- Remove Cookies after 8 minutes: It’s hard to see when gingerbread cookies are done because they don’t spread, so remove them from the oven at 8 minutes.
- Use a Cookie Scoop: For the correct cookie to kiss ratio, you want the cookies to be a certain size. Using a small cookie scoop will help you get this part right.
- No Mixer? No problem! You can use a handheld mixer to make these cookies rather than a stand mixer. You may need to mix in the flour by hand since this dough is pretty thick.
- Make Ahead: You can make the dough for gingerbread cookies and store it in the freezer for up to three months. When you’re ready to bake with it, thaw it overnight in the fridge. Then follow the recipe instructions to finish the cookies.
Storing Tips
Store baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days at room temperature.
This cookie dough can be frozen, you can also freeze baked cookies for up to 3 months. Thaw before serving.
More Christmas Treats To Make This Year!
FAQs
Generally, dry cookies have been baked for too long. Make a note and reduce the cooking time the next time you make these. You also want to make sure that you’re measuring your flour correctly. Spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off, rather than scooping it into the container.
Each 10-ounce bag of Hershey’s hug kisses has 70-75 kisses in it, so you can make one batch of this recipe using one bag and you’ll have a few extra chocolates left.
Don’t forget to Pin this recipe! You’ll want to have it next year when everyone asks you to make these cookies again. Merry Christmas!
Gingerbread Kiss Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups (385g) all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter at room temperature, 1 ½ sticks in total
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup unsulphured molasses
- ½ cup granulated sugar to roll the cookies
- 60 Hershey's hugs chocolates
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour with baking soda, salt, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Set aside.
- In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add butter, brown sugar, egg, and and beat until smooth and creamy. Add half a cup of unsulphured molasses, and beat again until well combined.
- Add the flour mixture to the bowl, and mix on low speed until combined. The cookie dough will be quite dry, but don’t worry that’s how it should be.
- Using a small 1-inch cookie scoop, scoop out dough and roll into balls. Roll each cookie dough ball in a bowl with white granulated sugar, and place on a cookie sheet about an inch apart.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 8 minutes or until the cookies are puffed. They will be soft but will set as they cool down. Also note that these cookies will not spread much. As the cookies are being baked, unwrap the Hershey’s hugs.
- While the cookies are still warm out of the oven, work quickly and press a Hershey’s kiss on top of each cookie gently pushing it down a little. Allow to cool then store.
Notes
- Add Hershey’s Hugs at the right time: If you add the kisses to the top of the cookies when the cookies are too hot, they will melt. If you wait too long to add them, they won’t stick. Set a timer, and add the kisses after the cookies have cooled for about 4 minutes for best results.
- Remove Cookies after 8 minutes: It’s hard to see when gingerbread cookies are done because they don’t spread, so remove them from the oven at 8 minutes.
- Use a Cookie Scoop: For the correct cookie to kiss ratio, you want the cookies to be a certain size. Using a small cookie scoop will help you get this part right.
- No Mixer? No problem! You can use a handheld mixer to make these cookies rather than a stand mixer. You may need to mix in the flour by hand since this dough is pretty thick.
- Make Ahead: You can make the dough for gingerbread cookies and store it in the freezer for up to three months. When you’re ready to bake with it, thaw it overnight in the fridge. Then follow the recipe instructions to finish the cookies.
- Store baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days at room temperature. This cookie dough can be frozen, you can also freeze baked cookies for up to 3 months. Thaw before serving.
Nutrition
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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