Description
Delicious gingerbread blossoms cookies feature warm spices and a soft molasses-infused dough that’s rolled in sugar and baked to perfection. Each cookie is topped with a melted Hershey’s Kiss or Hug candy center that adds a classic and festive touch, perfect for holiday gatherings or cozy treats.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour (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 (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 6 Tablespoons (128g) unsulphured or dark molasses
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For Rolling and Topping
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar or coarse sparkling sugar
- 30 Hershey’s Kisses or Hugs, unwrapped
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare: Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C) and line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats to prevent sticking.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside this flavorful dry mixture.
- 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 well combined, about 3 minutes.
- Add Molasses and Wet Ingredients: Mix in the molasses, egg, and vanilla extract, beating until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and beat again if needed; the mixture may appear slightly curdled but that’s normal.
- Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Add the dry flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined into a thick dough.
- Shape Cookies: Scoop cookie dough into balls weighing about 1.5 tablespoons (30g) each, then roll each ball in granulated or coarse sparkling sugar. Arrange the dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, spaced at least 2 inches apart.
- Bake: Bake the cookies for 12 minutes or until the edges appear set but the centers are still soft.
- Cool and Add Chocolate: Remove the baking sheets from the oven and allow cookies to cool on the sheets for 5 minutes. Then transfer the cookies onto a smaller tray or plate and press an unwrapped Hershey’s Kiss or Hug into the center of each warm cookie.
- Set the Chocolate: Place the tray or plate of cookies in the freezer for 10 minutes to quickly set the chocolate centers.
- Serve and Store: Remove from the freezer and serve. Store leftover cookies tightly covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- You can make dough ahead and refrigerate it for up to 3 days; let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before scooping and baking.
- Baked cookies and unbaked dough balls freeze well for up to 3 months; bake frozen dough balls for an extra minute without thawing.
- Use coarse sparkling sugar for extra crunch and sparkle when rolling dough balls; granulated sugar also works.
- Regular chocolate Kisses hold their shape better than white chocolate Hugs, which melt faster, so freezing step is crucial for Hugs.
- To make plain gingerbread cookies without chocolate centers, simply bake as directed and skip adding Kisses or Hugs.
- Alternative toppings include pressing chocolate chips, white chocolate morsels, or butterscotch chips into the centers instead of Hershey’s Kisses.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 130 kcal
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 90 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1.5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 1.5 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg
