Every time I make these cookies I end up using a different recipe but so far they've always turned out delicious. This time around I used another basic recipe, which I found here and just tweaked a little bit, and it worked quite well. There are two small details, however, which most recipes don't include, which make this cookie great.
First, after rolling the dough into balls, roll them in granulated sugar before putting them on the baking tray. It adds a little extra sweetness and a light crunchiness which is really delightful on a soft cookie.
Second, the timing of the Hershey Kiss is really important. Bake the cookies on their own until they are just beginning to look cracked on top, which is about 1-2 minutes before they are done baking. Take them out of the oven and gently press a Kiss into the center of each cookie, then return them to the oven for just another 1 or 1 1/2 minutes. When you take them out the Kiss should be glistening but not yet to the point of melting and losing its shape. This may not seem important, but after the cookies cool the Kiss will still be a little softer and thus easier to bite into. Some people just add the Kiss at the very end, but then you end up having to eat the Kiss part all in one bite because it's too hard to split, and then that bite of cookie is overpowered by chocolate. My way, you can take nibbles of the Kiss along with the cookie to get a nicely proportioned bite. Also, I like the way the textures of the cookie and Kiss play off of each other more when the Kiss is pre-melted.
Okay, cookie-technique ranting done. I'll get to the recipe now.
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| Soo I may have forgotten to take pictures until the cookies were mostly gone. Whoops. |
Ingredients:
1/2 c. butter (Or some substitute, if you have a guilty conscience)
1/2 c. peanut butter (I've used creamy and chunky- both work well, it just depends what consistency you want in your cookie)
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 c. peanut butter (I've used creamy and chunky- both work well, it just depends what consistency you want in your cookie)
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
Extra sugar
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix together the butter, peanut butter, and both sugars. (Note: If you can, give the butter some time to soften. Your life will be much better than if you didn't plan ahead at all and use butter straight out of the freezer and then try to quickly warm it up without melting it and then end up attempting to mix in butter that's half melted and half frozen. Not that I did that or anything. But fair warning.)
3. Add in the egg and vanilla.
4. In a separate container, mix the flour with baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add this to the other bowl and mix thoroughly.
5. Put some sugar (maybe 1/4 cup or so) into a small bowl. Roll the dough into small balls, then coat the balls in sugar and place on a greased cookie sheet. Gently press down on the cookies with the palm of your hand to flatten them just a tiny bit. Note: If the dough is too soft/sticky to roll out, put it in the fridge for a little while until it's easier to manage.
6. Bake for 8-9 minutes, or until the top is just beginning to crack. Remove the cookies from the oven and quickly place a Kiss in the middle of each one, pressing it lightly into the cookie. BTW, while the cookies are baking, unwrap the Kisses. That way you can put the Kisses on the cookies quickly and get them back in the oven.
7. Bake for an additional minute, until the Kiss is glossy but not melted (see my rant above). The cookie might not look completely done in the middle, but it is. Let the cookies sit on the tray for a few minutes before removing them to cool, so that they have time to firm up a little.
Yum! These cookies are always a hit. Try not to eat them all right as they come out of the oven so that you have some left to share with friends.
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