Description
These Gingerbread Kiss Cookies are soft, warmly spiced, and rolled in sparkling sugar, then finished with a melty Hershey’s Hug. The dough mixes fast, chills briefly, and bakes into perfectly crackled cookies—ideal for holiday boxes, bake sales, and cozy nights in.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2¼ tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¾ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- ¾ cup salted butter, softened
- ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup + 2 tbsp molasses
- 1 large egg
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- Sanding sugar (for coating)
- ~30 Hershey’s Hugs, unwrapped
Instructions
- Whisk flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, and allspice.
- Cream butter 30–60 seconds; beat in brown sugar 1 minute.
- Mix in molasses, egg, and vanilla until smooth.
- Add dry ingredients and mix just until a soft dough forms; chill 30 minutes.
- Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment.
- Scoop 1½ tbsp portions, roll into balls, coat in sanding sugar; place 2 inches apart.
- Bake 8–10 minutes until puffed and just set at edges.
- Cool 2 minutes, gently press a Hug into each center, cool 5 minutes on tray, then rack.
Notes
- Use unsulphured molasses for classic flavor.
- If Hugs soften too much, chill the tray 10 minutes.
- Freeze dough balls up to 2 months; bake from frozen +1–2 minutes.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes (+30 minutes chill)
- Cook Time: 8–10 minutes per tray
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Cookie
- Calories: 120Kcal
- Sugar: 11g
- Sodium: 65mg
- Fat: 5g
- Carbohydrates: 18g
- Protein: 1g
Keywords: Gingerbread Kiss Cookies