Hershey Blossom Cookies

Christmastime is rushed and hurried, especially for the home cook, which leaves little time or desire for cookies that require chilled dough and rolling pins. Hershey Blossom Cookies are made with a whipped shortbread dough, rolled in sprinkles and dotted with a chocolate kiss. They’re simple, beautiful, and delicious! Also, they’re ready to eat in less than 30 minutes!

I’m completely in love with these Hershey Blossom Cookies!  Until I tried this recipe, I always believed that a good shortbread cookie base was the result of kneading, chilling, and rolling shortbread dough before using fancy cookie cutters in hopes of getting the perfect cookie. Honestly, I’ve tried them all and some of them have been really successful, but some of them have been a complete disaster.  We’ve all had that experience where the dough rises and spreads during the baking process and destroys our perfectly cookie-cutter cookie.

And, if you’re like me, rolling pins are from the devil.  I know I just need more practice with using a rolling pin, but for some reason, I find it extremely difficult to get an even, flat dough surface when rolling out cookie dough. That was until I found the Joseph Joseph rolling pin. It easily corrects my inadequate dough-rolling abilities, so now I love to make rolled cookies just as much as these whipped ones! 

This whipped version is very easy though. That’s why I had to include it in my 4th annual 24 Cookies of Christmas countdown! There’s no need for rolling pins or cookie cutters.  The only tools you need are a bowl, a mixer, and a small cookie scoop.  Now, are you ready to start baking?

YES, THIS COOKIE HAS A SHORTBREAD BASE

The most common shortbreads are rolled and cut with cookie cutters and then decorated with royal icing. I’m not good with decorating cookies and cakes, so I take a simpler route. For instance, Stamped Shortbread Cookies are beautiful and no decorating skills are needed at all! Then there’s my Whipped Shortbread recipe. You don’t need to roll those at all. In fact, they’re so good that they are one of my most popular Christmas recipes.

Of course, we can’t forget about flavoured shortbreads too. I love these Peanut Butter Shortbread Cookies and I can’t get enough of these Chocolate Drizzled Espresso Shortbread. Did you know there are also shortbread recipes that allow you to stuff them with candied fruits and cherries? Oh, yes, Dear Reader! I have just the recipe to prove it right here! Now, finally, I’m showing you a different type. And, to be honest, in terms of ease, I think these just might be my favourite type to prepare! Because, you know, I love baking with sprinkles, and who doesn’t love chocolate?

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR THIS RECIPE:

• Butter – Make sure your butter is at room temperature! To be perfectly honest, I have made these with both salted and unsalted butter and there’s no difference in taste or appearance once all is said and done. Use what you have on hand.
• Cornstarch – When added to cake, cookie and shortbread recipes, cornstarch helps create a crumbly and tender dessert-like texture.
• Flour – No need for anything special. Just use regular all-purpose flour. I have not tried this recipe with any other type of flour.
• Confectioner’s Sugar – This superfine sugar is sometimes called powdered sugar.
• Vanilla Extract – Probably the most common extract and the most common flavouring used in cakes and cookies. 
• Sprinkles – I could write a book on sprinkles!  I love them and I love using them.  Pick sprinkles that are festive, fun, and appealing to you.  Themed sprinkles are a great way to make an occasion pop!
• Hershey Kiss Chocolates – Any type will do. I used the milk and white chocolate combo.

LET’S TALK SPRINKLES!

Where do you buy sprinkles?  Do you have a favourite vendor or brand?  A few Christmases back, I changed my sprinkle game.  I would always buy sprinkles from the baking supply section at Bulk Barn, but not anymore – no way!  Let me tell you how this all went down.

In November 2018, I was baking a few Christmas goodies and just could not source sprinkles that looked anything like what I was imagining in my head. John.e was on a major sprinkle hunt.  He used to work in close proximity to Michael’s, HomeSense, Winners, and Marshall’s.  He purchased at least ten different sprinkle colours, shapes, and brands.  But, I wasn’t impressed with any of them as much as I was with Sweetapolita.

After Christmas, I needed Valentine’s sprinkles, so I tracked down the brand and found their online store.  I ordered enough sprinkles to last a lifetime!  Shopping for sprinkles online might seem a little over the top, but I’ve never once pretended to shy away from getting what I want! For this recipe, I used chocolate sprinkles. You can use any non-pareil type of sprinkle.

VISITING HERSHEY PARK

A few years ago, John.e and I decided to take McKenna to Hershey Park in Pennsylvania for a mid-July road trip. We piled into the car, along with my ex-wife, (because we all get along greatly) and made the drive. The park was great! There were lots of rides, lots of activities, and lots and lots of chocolate.

Hershey’s chocolate was everywhere! And, much of it was free. Almost every shop at the park had an attendant handing out sample chocolate kisses. McKenna was so happy. And, so was John.e. But, I wasn’t. You see, Dear Reader, I don’t care much for Hershey chocolate. When it comes to mass-produced chocolate, I much prefer Cadbury.

To be perfectly honest, I grew rather tired of declining the free chocolate. The purpose of the visit was to take McKenna there. I wanted to go, because I knew a part of the trip would find me in Amish country, and I was dying to get to their markets!

CHOCOLATE SUBSTITUTES

I went ahead and used the Hershey’s Kisses in these Hershey Blossom Cookies, despite them not being my favourite. They are extremely easy to find and very inexpensive. Also, they work very well in this cookie recipe and 99% of the population tends to like them. It was an easy decision.

A few years back, I posted a similar recipe – Christmas Peanut Butter Rosettes. In that recipe, I used chocolate with a rosette shape. If you prefer, you can use those instead of the kisses.

My favourite brand of rosettes was Neilson’s. Do you remember Neilson’s brand?  They are extremely hard to find, in fact, I’m not sure they’re even made anymore.  I have not seen them in years!  They used to make really good rosettes.  Neilson’s brand of rosettes was called Golden Buds.  I’ve seen other brands called Rose Buds as well.

TRIVIA

I learned this when we visited Hershey Park. Do you know why their most popular chocolate confection, the kiss, is called a kiss? Well, we know they are called Hershey’s because the founder was Milton S. Hershey. He introduced the kiss chocolate in 1907.

The name “kiss” was adopted and applied to the confection, because of the sound the melted chocolate made when it was dropped from the vats onto the conveyer belt. The name stuck and it’s hard to imagine those little chocolates being called anything else!

HOW TO MAKE HERSHEY BLOSSOM COOKIES:

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F. Next, line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set it aside. Now, add the butter to a bowl and using a hand-held mixer, beat it until light and fluffy – about 3 minutes. Add the flour, cornstarch, confectioner’s sugar, and vanilla. Blend together until fully incorporated – about 2 minutes.

Portion about 1 tablespoon of the dough (I used a small cookie scoop to get even amounts of dough for each cookie.) Roll the dough into balls and then roll it into the sprinkles. Sometimes, shortbread cookie dough can be a little dry. If it doesn’t roll into a ball, just squeeze the dough in your hand and then roll it. If the sprinkles don’t stick, apply just a little bit of pressure – but don’t push too hard so that you lose the ball shape. Place the balls onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving two inches of space between each. Use the back of a teaspoon measuring spoon to push an indent into each ball.

Bake the cookies for 14 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately push an unwrapped Hershey Chocolate Kiss into the center of each cookie. Allow cookies to cool for 3-5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to continue cooling.

STORING, PACKAGING, & FREEZING

When it comes to most cookies, they taste best at room temperature, but they don’t hold up well to being left out on your countertop for long periods of time. Cookies will stay fresh in a cookie jar or food-safe container with a lid for 3-5 days if left to sit on your kitchen countertop. You can store them in a food-safe container in your fridge. When you want one, two, or half a dozen, take them out of the container and place them in a single layer on a plate. Let them sit at room temperature for 5 minutes and they’re ready!

If you plan to freeze your Hershey Blossom Cookies, you certainly can! Once they are completely cooled, pile them into a clean, food-safe container. The container must be freezer friendly! You’ll want to ensure a very tight-fitting lid too. I use these quite often when freezing baked goods. I like to place a sheet of plastic wrap over the top of the container before pushing the lid on. This helps to create a better seal. The goal is to keep all of that freshness locked in!  

You can freeze these cookies for up to three months. If you plan to give previously frozen cookies as a gift, I would lay them out on a wire cooling rack to thaw completely. Once thawed, pile into cellophane bags and tie with a ribbon, or stack in a cookie tin/box.

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down to follow me and never miss another recipe!

Finally, as I stated previously, every day I will be posting a new recipe. If you miss one, don’t fret. You can find my entire collection of Christmas Recipes right here! There are over 100 Christmas recipes and counting. There’s something for everyone! Cheers!