Description
Gingerbread Blossoms are soft, spiced cookies perfectly rolled in sugar and topped with a melted Hershey’s Kiss in the center. These festive treats combine warm gingerbread flavors with a delightful chocolate surprise, making them ideal for holiday celebrations and cozy snack times.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (375g, spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 and 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature (170g, 12 Tbsp)
- 3/4 cup packed light or dark brown sugar (150g)
- 6 Tablespoons unsulphured or dark molasses (128g)
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For Rolling and Topping
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar or coarse sparkling sugar (100g)
- 30 Hershey’s Kisses or Hugs, unwrapped
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheets: Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C) and line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set these aside.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside until needed.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the softened butter and brown sugar together on medium-high speed until creamy and combined, about 3 minutes.
- Add Molasses, Egg, and Vanilla: Beat in the molasses, egg, and vanilla extract until fully combined, approximately 1 minute. Scrape down the bowl sides and bottom as needed. The mixture may look slightly curdled; this is normal.
- Combine Dry and Wet Ingredients: Add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until combined. The dough will be thick.
- Shape and Roll Dough Balls: Scoop about 1.5 tablespoons (30g) of dough per ball and roll each ball in granulated or coarse sparkling sugar. Arrange the dough balls at least 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake Cookies: Bake the cookies for 12 minutes or until the edges appear set but the centers are still soft.
- Cool and Transfer: Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes. Then use a thin spatula to carefully transfer cookies to a smaller tray or plate that can fit in your freezer.
- Add Chocolate Kisses and Freeze: Press an unwrapped Hershey’s Kiss or Hug candy into the center of each cookie. Place the tray(s) in the freezer for 10 minutes to quickly set the chocolate.
- Serve and Store: Remove cookies from the freezer and serve. Store leftovers in a tightly covered container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- You can make the dough up to 3 days ahead by refrigerating it; let the dough sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before scooping and rolling.
- Frozen baked cookies stay good for up to 3 months; frozen unbaked dough balls can also be baked directly from frozen, adding an extra minute to baking time.
- Use coarse sugar when rolling dough balls for added crunch and sparkle, but regular granulated sugar works well too.
- If you prefer, omit the chocolate centers entirely or substitute with a few chocolate chips, white chocolate morsels, or butterscotch chips pressed into the cookie centers.
- White chocolate Hugs melt faster than regular chocolate Kisses, so freezing is especially important to keep their shape.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150 kcal
- Sugar: 10 g
- Sodium: 100 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg
