Chocolate Peppermint Kiss Cookies

A quintessential Christmas cookie is the peanut butter kiss cookie. This year, I wanted to try something new, so when I found this crinkle recipe, I thought it might make a good base for chocolate peppermint kiss cookies.Mint and chocolate pair perfectly for the holidays, so I scoured other mint cookie recipes to figure out how much mint they used. I chose to only add ½ a teaspoon because I wanted just a subtle mint flavor. I added both peppermint kiss and hug candies to the cookies for variety and visual contrast.This chocolate dough is a really rich and chewy base that I can see working with so many variations of chocolate cookies in the future. It almost tastes like the cookie version of a brownie. It’s fun to play with recipes and see what works, and how can you go wrong with a chocolate cookie?  What is your favorite Christmas cookie?  Share your recipes with me!

Chocolate Peppermint Kiss Cookies

Adapted from Allrecipes

Ingredients:

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups white sugar
½ cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pure mint extract
½ cup granulated sugar (for coating)
Hershey’s Hugs and Kisses (I used the mint truffle kisses)

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, mix together cocoa, white sugar, and vegetable oil. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla.
2. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into the cocoa mixture. Cover dough, and chill for about 4 hours.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
4. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
5. Roll dough into one inch balls. Coat each ball in granulated sugar before placing onto prepared cookie sheets.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 13 to 15 minutes.
7. While baking, unwrap enough hugs and kisses so you have one for each cookie.
8. Immediately after removing from oven, quickly push a hug or kiss into the center of each cookie (you need to work fast so they don’t melt!) Once all cookies have a hug or kiss, quickly transfer to wire racks to cool