These Chocolate Caramel Blossoms — sometimes called Hershey Kiss Cookies — are a must for your holiday baking list. Soft and chocolatey, they’re rolled in sugar and finished with a Hershey Caramel Kiss in the center. Try different sugars for coating to vary the flavor and texture. They’re the chocolate cousin to a Classic Peanut Butter Blossom recipe, easy to make, and irresistibly delicious.
Table of Contents
- How to Make the Best Chocolate Caramel Blossoms
- Recommend Cookie Baking Tools
- Helpful Tips Before Starting
- Pinwheel Cookies FAQs
- Chocolate Caramel Blossoms Recipe
How to Make the Best Chocolate Caramel Blossoms
This recipe is straightforward and forgiving. You’ll need a hand mixer or stand mixer, a medium mixing bowl, cookie sheets lined with parchment or silicone, and wire cooling racks. Follow these core steps for reliable results:
- Whisk the dry ingredients. Combine all-purpose flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, salt, and Dutch-process cocoa in a bowl.
- Cream the wet ingredients. Beat unsalted butter with granulated and brown sugars until light and fluffy. Add the egg, milk, and vanilla extract.
- Combine. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet on low speed until just combined. The dough should be thick.
- Chill the dough. Cover the bowl tightly and chill for at least 1 hour, or overnight for best texture and flavor.
- Form and coat. Scoop or roll dough into 1-inch balls and roll each ball in granulated sugar or a flavored sugar of your choice. Arrange the balls about 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Optionally sprinkle a few sea salt flakes on top.
- Bake briefly. Bake at 375ºF for 6–8 minutes.
- Add the Kisses. Remove the tray, press a Hershey Caramel Kiss into the center of each cookie, which will gently flatten the cookie and create cracks. Return to the oven 1–2 minutes to soften the Kisses without fully melting them.
- Cool. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet about 5 minutes so they set, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store. Keep cookies in an airtight container or cookie jar with a slice of bread to preserve moisture for up to a week.
Recommend Cookie Baking Tools
Useful items for making these blossoms:
- Stand mixer with paddle attachment or a good hand mixer
- Medium mixing bowls and a whisk
- Spoon or small scoop for uniform cookie balls
- Parchment paper or silicone baking mats
- Wire cooling racks and at least one spatula
Helpful Tips Before Starting
- Chill time: one hour is the minimum. Chilling overnight improves flavor and reduces spreading.
- Use oven mitts when handling hot trays. Keep a reminder on the counter if needed so you don’t forget.
- Let cookies rest on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes after adding the Kisses before moving them to racks; they’re fragile while warm.
- Unwrap the Hershey Caramel Kisses while the cookies bake so you can top them quickly and evenly.
- If you want to experiment, roll half the batch in salted caramel sugar and half in dark cocoa sugar for two different finishes.
- Store with a slice of bread to keep the cookies soft in an airtight container.
Pinwheel Cookies FAQs
Chilling firms the dough so it holds its shape while baking and helps prevent excessive spreading.
Granulated sugar is classic, but flavored sugars — like salted caramel sugar or dark cocoa sugar — add flavor and a pleasant crunch.
No. These cookies are baked as sugar-coated balls. When you press the Kiss into the warm cookie it will flatten slightly and develop the characteristic cracks.
A short return to the oven softens the caramel Kisses so they’re spreadable but they won’t fully melt away. Handle warm cookies gently.
Chocolate Caramel Blossoms
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 cup Dutch Process Baking Cocoa
- 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter room temperature
- 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar plus extra for coating
- 1/2 cup Light Brown Sugar
- 1 Large Egg
- 2 tbsp Milk (1%–2% or fat-free)
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 10 oz bag of Hershey Caramel Kisses
- Sea Salt Flakes optional
- Salted Caramel Sugar optional
- Dark Cocoa Sugar optional
Instructions
-
Whisk flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, salt, and Dutch-process cocoa together in a medium bowl and set aside.
-
Using a mixer, cream the butter, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy. Add the egg, milk, and vanilla, scraping the bowl as needed.
-
Reduce speed and gradually mix in the dry ingredients until fully incorporated. The dough will be thick.
-
Cover and chill the dough for at least 1 hour or overnight.
-
When ready, preheat oven to 375ºF and position the rack just above center. Line baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.
-
Scoop 1-inch dough balls, roll each in sugar (or flavored sugar), and place on the prepared sheets about 2 inches apart. Optionally sprinkle with sea salt flakes.
-
Bake 6–8 minutes. While baking, unwrap the number of Hershey Caramel Kisses you need.
-
Remove from oven, press a caramel Kiss into the center of each cookie to spread it slightly and create cracks, then return to the oven for about 2 minutes more.
-
Allow cookies to cool on the sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
-
Store in an airtight container with a slice of bread to keep them soft for up to a week.
Notes
- This recipe is adapted from a classic family blossom cookie.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and will vary based on ingredients used.
