The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap (Peppermint Kisses)

This year, I participated in the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap of 2011 (typed in my best Madison Square Garden announcer voice), hosted by Julie at The Little Kitchen and Lindsay at Love & Olive Oil.  (Check out their blogS - love it!)  The idea was like any other cookie swap, that we would each bake a dozen cookies to send to 3 other bloggers and would receive 3 different kinds in return.  Except better, because these cookies come in the mail.  Finally, after weeks of online Christmas shopping, there's a package that comes for me!  Very exciting.

I decided to put a new twist on an old favorite cookie of my husband's, the peanut butter blossom.  For those of you not in the know, this is a peanut butter cookie with a Hershey's kiss stuck in the top.  Delicious.  Wonderful.  Traditional.

(Funny story:  the first time I made those for Bob, years ago, I forgot the baking soda, so they turned out to be peanut butter pancakes with a Hershey's kiss stuck in the top.   He married me anyway.)

I accidentally found myself at Wegman's a few weeks ago (trust me, as much as I love it, the crowds keep me from going on purpose) and in the holiday aisle I stumbled upon peppermint kisses from Hershey's.  I'd seen recipes floating around for blossom cookies using them, and that gave me the idea for my version:  a chocolate cookie base with the peppermint kiss.  (OK, I may also have been inspired by the chocolate peppermint milkshake I accidentally scarfed down on my way to the store...)  

Halfway through the making of said cookies, I also decided to experiment rolling them in powdered sugar before baking them - the result was not much different from the plain ones, so I did half that way and half naked.  Feel free to do it that way - or not.  Also, since my cookies needed to survive in the mail, I stuck my kisses in the just-baked bases right away, instead of waiting a few minutes to cool, so that the candies melted down inside and didn't run the risk of breaking off during shipping.  I that it made them cuter, but again, feel free to do whatever you like.

This, though, is the cutest red and white striped thing in my house:

Chocolate Peppermint Kiss Cookies

(adapted from Hershey's)

1 cup butter, softened 

1-1/2 cups sugar  

2 eggs 

2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

3/4 teaspoon baking soda 

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups flour 

2/3 cup cocoa 
powdered sugar (optional)

24-36 unwrapped Hershey's peppermint kisses

Time and temperature:  350 for 10 minutes

Cream the butter and sugar until smooth.  Beat in the eggs and the vanilla.  In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, coca, salt and baking soda.  Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture.  Roll a generous 1 tablespoon of dough into a ball and roll the ball in the powdered sugar.  Bake for 10 minutes in a parchment lined cookie sheet, until the cookies are set.  Remove from the oven.  Press a peppermint kiss in the center of each cookie, immediately for melted candies or after 3-4 minutes for the candies to retain their shape.  Store in an air tight container.