These peppermint blossom cookies are a beautiful addition to any holiday cookie tray. Slightly crumbly and very buttery, they pair tender vanilla sugar cookie dough with a white chocolate peppermint KISS in the center for a classic seasonal flavor.
❤️ Why you’ll love it
- Quick and easy to prepare
- Festive and attractive for holiday gatherings
- A delightful twist on classic Hershey’s Kiss cookies
Rich white chocolate and peppermint are a perfect pairing, and when set into a tender, buttery sugar cookie, they make an irresistible little treat. Roll the dough in colored sugar, sprinkles, or crushed peppermint for a festive finish.
🧾 Ingredients
- 36 Hershey’s Candy Cane Kisses, unwrapped (or your preferred Kiss flavor)
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract (use real vanilla)
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons milk, if needed
- Red and green colored sugar, crushed peppermint candy, or sprinkles for rolling
🥄 Equipment
Basic baking equipment is all you need. Parchment paper for lining baking sheets makes cleanup easy and helps cookies bake evenly.
🥫 Storage
Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for several days. They ship well and also freeze nicely, baked or unbaked.
To freeze baked cookies: Layer cookies in an airtight container with parchment or waxed paper between layers.
To freeze unbaked: Shape the dough into balls, roll in sugar, and flash freeze on a baking sheet. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer bag. Bake from frozen, adding a minute or two if necessary—no thawing required.
📖 Variations
- Roll cookie dough balls in crushed peppermint candy for extra crunch.
- Use peppermint extract in place of vanilla for a stronger mint flavor.
- Stir chopped white chocolate into the dough for pockets of melted chocolate.
- Try different Hershey’s Kisses flavors—sugar cookie or plain white chocolate Kisses work well too.
💭 Tips
Expert Tip: Chill the shaped dough balls in the freezer for a few minutes before baking. This helps prevent excessive spreading—this dough is soft and benefits from a brief chill.
- Bring ingredients to room temperature before starting for best mixing and texture.
- Peppermint Kisses, made of white chocolate, melt quickly—let cookies cool a minute before placing the Kiss on top.
- After pressing the Kiss into the warm cookie, put the pan briefly in the freezer to limit melting.
- If you substitute table salt for kosher salt, reduce the quantity by about one-third.
📚 Related recipes
If you enjoy Kiss-style cookies, consider trying other seasonal variations like peanut butter blossoms, red velvet peppermint kisses, or orange KISS cookies for more holiday variety.
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Brown Butter Pecan Pie Bars
-
Peppermint Bark Brownies
-
Copycat Cranberry Bliss Bars
-
Sugar Cone Christmas Trees
🍽️ Serve with…
These peppermint kiss cookies are lovely on holiday cookie trays and pair perfectly with hot chocolate or a warm mug of cocoa for a cozy treat.
📞 The last word
White chocolate peppermint is a holiday favorite for many, and these cookies capture that flavor in a simple, crowd-pleasing way. They’re easy to scale up for cookie exchanges and simple to prepare with kids.
If you enjoy the recipe, please rate it—your feedback helps others find it!
📖 Recipe
Peppermint Blossom Cookies
Ingredients
- 36 Hershey’s Candy Cane Kisses, unwrapped
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons milk, if necessary
- Red and green colored sugar, crushed peppermint candy, or sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
- Add the vanilla and egg yolks, mixing until combined.
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and blend until a dough forms.
- If the dough seems too dry, add milk a tablespoon at a time until a firm dough forms.
- Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and roll each in colored sugar or sprinkles.
- Place the dough balls on an ungreased or parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Freeze the shaped dough on the baking sheet for about 20 minutes to prevent spreading.
- Bake for 8–10 minutes, until the cookies are puffy and set—do not overbake.
- Remove from the oven and cool for about 3 minutes.
- Press a Kiss into the center of each cookie, then place the pan briefly in the freezer to limit melting of the chocolate.
- Transfer cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
These cookies are ideal for baking with kids—little hands can help roll the dough and press the Kisses into the warm cookies.
- Ensure ingredients are at room temperature for best results.
- Don’t skip the brief freezing step after shaping; it prevents excessive spreading.
- Because peppermint Kisses are white chocolate, they melt quickly—let cookies cool slightly before adding the candy, then freeze the pan for a few minutes after placing the Kisses.
- Cookies freeze well, baked or unbaked. For unbaked freezing, shape, roll, flash-freeze, then store in a freezer bag. Bake from frozen, adding a couple minutes if needed.
Nutrition Facts
Calories: 96 kcal |
Carbohydrates: 14 g |
Protein: 1 g
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify with your own nutritional calculator.
First published December 16, 2019. Last updated December 16, 2021 for clarity and improved instructions.