Hidden Kiss Cookies

These tender, nutty, shortbread-style cookies hide a chocolatey kiss inside! These Hidden Kiss Cookies are sure to inspire romantic feelings in even the most hardened grinch. They’re sort of like a little Mexican Wedding Cookie or Russian Tea Cake with a sweet chocolate center. And they’re divine!

The Story Behind the Recipe

I have a couple dozen recipes that I published back in 2009 or 2010 on my first blog, called The Hazel Bloom (because I liked green flowers and the words together!) But unfortunately, when I rebranded to Kitchen Treaty in 2012, I lost many of them. I still don’t know what I did, they just went poof! And gone.

So I’ve been slowly re-adding these recipes to Kitchen Treaty – and by slowly, I mean sloooowwwwwly, considering it’s been a decade plus!

Last year, I republished this Saltine Toffee recipe which has proven to be really popular. I know I’m a huge fan – I make it every year! Another cookie I make nearly every year? These Hidden Kiss Cookies! At the time, I called them Secret Kiss Cookies, and you can call them that if you prefer. Either one works!

These Hershey’s Kiss cookies are made with finely ground walnuts in the cookie dough for a super tender cookie. They’re wrapped around a single Hershey’s kiss, then baked until lightly golden and tender.

From there, just dust them in powdered sugar and watch them disappear! They’re tender, melt-in-your-mouth good and so perfect on any holiday cookie plate.

Why You’ll Love Hidden Kiss Cookies

They’re DELICIOUS. Powdered sugar dusted shortbread style cookies around a big ol’ hunk of chocolate … YES PLEASE.

They’re cute. They look like little snowballs on the holiday cookie platter.

Hidden Kiss Cookies Recipe Ingredients

Butter – You’ll want it to be room temperature so that it blends and fluffs up easily.

Sugar – Granulated (white) sugar.

Vanilla – Pure vanilla extract adds the perfect touch of mellow-sweet flavor.

Walnuts – Raw walnuts, cut as small as you can get them. I use my Vitamix blender! Note that even walnut haters can love these cookies. Because I am absolutely a professed walnut hater, but something about chopping them into tiny bits makes them not only palatable but delicious.

Flour – All-purpose.

Hershey’s kisses – You’ll need about 30 kisses, which is about 3/4 of a 10.2 ounce bag.

Powdered sugar – For dusting the freshly baked kiss cookies.

Adaptations/Variations

Swap pecans for the walnuts for a more traditional Mexican Wedding Cookie approach.

Use Hugs or another favorite kiss variation. Whatever you love!

How to Make Them

First, you’ll want to mix up the dough. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, then mix in the vanilla. Add the walnuts, then the flour, beating on low speed just until the dough forms.

Chill for an hour.

Scoop tablespoon-size balls of dough and press a kiss into each one, using your hands to form the dough around the kiss in a ball.

Bake until lightly golden and set.

Cool for about 5 minutes.

Dust/roll in powdered sugar, then cool all of the way. And enjoy!

Tips for Success

Pulverize those walnuts! The finer the better (just don’t process them so much that they turn into nut butter!). A food processor is perfect, or I even just use my Vitamix blender which does the job perfectly.

Go gently. These tender cookies can be a bit delicate, so be gentle when dusting with powdered sugar.

I hope these Hidden Kiss Cookies are the perfect addition to your holiday cookie platters! They’re always a fave here.

A big bite of chocolate hidden inside a melt-in-your-mouth shortbread cookie, all rolled in powdered sugar. These delicious kiss cookies belong on every holiday cookie platter!

Course Dessert

Keyword hersheys kiss cookies, hidden kiss cookies, secret kiss cookies

Prep Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Servings cookies

Calories 150kcal

Author Kare

Ingredients

For the cookie dough

1 cup unsalted butter softened/room temp1/2 cup granulated sugar1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract1 cup very finely chopped walnuts 4 ounces; 1 heaping cup of walnuts comes to about 1 cup ground1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 215 grams

For inside the cookies

30 Hershey’s kisses unwrapped; about 3/4 of a 10.2 ounce package

For dusting the baked cookies

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

Mix dough & chill

Add the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer affixed with a beater blade or in a large bowl and use a hand mixer. Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and beat for another 20 seconds or so until well-distributed.

Mix in the walnuts on low speed, then add the flour and beat on low just until incorporated.

Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for an hour.

Bake

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Pull the dough out of the fridge and use a tablespoon-sized measuring spoon or cookie scoop to pull out tablespoon of dough, then roll it around each kiss. I like to smoosh the dough just a bit in my palm, stick the kiss in point first, then wrap it around. Or you can press the cookie dough slightly flat, set the kiss on, and wrap it around the top (it’s a little easier to make sure the kiss stays right-side-up this way). You have to smoosh it a little to hide the kiss completely. (I keep using the word “smoosh,” but it’s very appropriate here!)

Place on an ungreased cookie sheet about 3 inches apart. Bake for 10-11 minutes, just until set and the bottoms are lightly golden brown.