No matter what time of year, chocolate and peppermint are always a hit. Give your friends and family a punch of peppermint with these Gluten Free Chocolate Peppermint Hershey’s Kisses Cookies, or try some other seasonal Hershey’s kisses flavor combo.
So does everyone remember Winnie the Pooh??? Of course we all do. It’s a classic. Even if you didn’t like the show, everyone knows about Pooh Bear.
But is Pooh really the star? If I had to choose, Rabbit is most definitely my favorite. Mostly because Rabbit is pretty much a personality clone of myself. He’s the only smart one of the bunch, he uses his common sense, and almost everyone annoys him. Haha! Don’t I sound so humble and kind with that self description???
Okay, really I’m mostly like Rabbit because I can’t loosen up, I’m a neat freak, and I have the best friends that love me despite my ever too often pessimistic attitude.
As for the other characters: Pooh is too flighty for me, Roo is whiny, Christopher Robin is MIA most of the time, Eeyore is depressed and boring, Owl is snooty, Tigger is a spaz, and Piglet is just a weenie worry wart. Who came up with these characters anyway?!
And you’re probably sitting here wondering why I am talking about a childhood cartoon anyway. Well, remember Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day??? You know, the short film where the wind blows Pooh and Piglet away??? Well today I lived that movie. Today I was Pooh.
It has been crazy windy here! I mean CRAZY windy!!! The wind was blowing so hard that the rain was practically shooting sideways. The carpet in our bedroom was soaked because the rain was blowing in through the windows. Braelyn, my anxiety ridden child, was so freaked out by the gusts of wind traveling through our house, that she could hardly focus on eating her dinner. I thought she was going to have a straight up panic attack.
Anyway, referring again to my OCD self, I felt the need to head out for a run today, regardless of the blustery conditions. I try to run every day but Sunday. I wasn’t able to go this morning since Ben was working at an early conference downtown. Later in the day, while Braelyn was at a birthday party, and the rain had died down, I ordered Emry in the jogging stroller and began a 4 1/2 mile loop.
During that run, the only thing I kept thinking about was how it was physically possible for the wind to constantly be blowing against me while running in a large circle. I mean, shouldn’t it be blowing at my back at some point, helping me along the way??? NOPE!!! That wind was freaking crazy and if I could have given up halfway through that run, I would have. Crappy thing about circles is that once you’ve gone halfway, you ain’t any closer to home.
But alas, despite the wind and the hills, this little lady right here finally made it back home. I was panting and exhausted, while Emry just sat there chilling in the stroller, listening to Kidz Bop and having a grand old time.
Right after finishing that run was probably the only moment all day long that I was actually warm. The rest of the day, I have been bundled up doing chores around the house. It’s chilly up in here!!! All I want is a cup of hot cocoa. Peppermint hot cocoa. That’s my favorite.
You know who has peppermint hot cocoa??? Not me, that’s who. One thing about living in Hawaii is that buying hot chocolate doesn’t usually make it onto the grocery list. Instead, I get my peppermint chocolate fix in the form of cookies or cake. It’s just as good in my opinion. Not quite as easy as pressing a few buttons on the microwave, but it suffices the hot cocoa craving nonetheless.
Okay, pause right here. You guys, my power just went out for the THIRD time today! That’s how freaking windy it is. No joke. No lie. Why did I go running in this???!
Anyway, my latest and greatest chocolate peppermint creation were these Gluten Free Chocolate Peppermint Hershey’s Kisses Cookies and they sure as heck did not disappoint.
Now before you go on hazing me for another late Christmas post (yes, these were originally part of my holiday baking line up), let me defend myself by saying there are lots of different flavors of Hershey’s Kisses out there. They don’t have to be the seasonal candy cane flavor that you use. You can still get your chocolate peppermint fix by using peppermint extract in the cookie dough and topping it off with a regular, creamy milk chocolate Hershey’s kiss.
Or you can omit the peppermint extract in the cookie dough for a basic chocolate cookie and top it off with a caramel filled Kiss or a white chocolate Hug. Either option is satisfactory. That being said, you still need to save this recipe for your next holiday cookie exchange because the peppermint cookie combined with the holiday candy cane Kiss is pretty phenomenal if you ask me.
These cookies come out perfectly soft and chewy. They aren’t too cakey or too brownie like. They fall just in between the brownie cake description. They’re a cookie texture with all the richness of a fudgy brownie. In fact, they’re delicious enough to eat plain if you want to forego the Kisses altogether…but that just ain’t no fun!
My girls loved helping me with these cookies. They were right up their alley with rolling the dough into balls, unwrapping candy for me, and smashing Kisses into the freshly baked cookies. It was one of the less stressful baking projects I’ve done with my kiddos recently.
But as fun as it is to make these cookies, they’re even more fun to EAT! You can eat them warm and let the Kiss slightly melt in your mouth, enjoy them room temperature, or pop them in the fridge for a chewy, chilly treat. It’s your call.
FOR REALS???!!!! Okay, that was the FOURTH time the power went out on me. I’m done. No more cookie talk. You’re just going to have to make these yourself. I’m going to get this recipe posted before the power goes out for good…or my computer blows up…both have good odds of happening in the very near future.
What is your favorite flavor of Hershey’s Kisses?
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, room temperature
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup cane sugar
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon peppermint extract (optional)
- ¼ cup full fat sour cream
- ½ cup dutch processed cocoa powder
- 1¼ cup Pamela's brand gluten free all-purpose flour*
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 36 Hershey's Kisses, flavor of choice
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, egg, sugar, and brown sugar until just incorporated. Add vanilla, peppermint extract, and sour cream and mix until combined. Add cocoa powder and mix on low, scraping down the sides, until evenly distributed. Add flour, baking soda, and salt and mix until combined. Beat for an additional minute, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Cover dough and chill in fridge for at least 1-2 hours or until dough is firm.
- Once ready to bake cookies, preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Shape walnut sized balls of dough, one at a time, and place 2" apart on cookie sheet. Bake cookies, one pan at a time, at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes until edges are set.
- Remove cookies from the oven and allow to cool on baking sheet for 3-5 minutes or until firm enough to transfer to cooling rack. Once transferred onto cooling rack, gently press Hershey's kiss into middle of each cookie. Allow to completely cool before serving.**
- Store leftover cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature, 1 week in the fridge, or up to 3 months in the freezer.
**You may place cookies in the fridge to speed up the cooling process and to make sure the kisses don't melt and flatten while trying to store.
