Description
Delicious Gingerbread Blossoms are soft, spiced cookies rolled in sugar and topped with a melty Hershey's Kiss center. Perfect for holiday baking, these cookies combine warm gingerbread spices with a classic chocolate surprise, baked to perfection with a hint of molasses for rich flavor.
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 (dark preferred)
- 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 Oven and Prepare Baking Sheets: Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C). Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside to prepare for baking.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, and salt to combine all the spices evenly.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl, using a handheld or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the softened butter and brown sugar on medium-high speed until creamy and well combined, approximately 3 minutes.
- Add Molasses, Egg, and Vanilla: Mix in the molasses, egg, and vanilla extract. Beat for about 1 minute until fully incorporated, scraping the bowl as needed. The mixture may look slightly curdled and that is normal.
- Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Gradually add the dry flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until a thick dough forms and all ingredients are combined.
- Form Dough Balls and Roll in Sugar: Scoop approximately 1.5 tablespoons (30g) of dough per ball. Roll each dough ball in granulated or coarse sparkling sugar until coated, then place them on the prepared baking sheets, leaving at least 2 inches between each cookie.
- Bake Cookies: Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 12 minutes or until the edges appear set and the tops look slightly cracked.
- Cool Cookies Slightly: Remove the baking sheets from the oven and let the cookies cool on them for 5 minutes before transferring.
- Set Chocolate Centers: Using a thin spatula, carefully transfer the warm cookies to a smaller tray or plate that fits inside your freezer. Press one unwrapped Hershey’s Kiss or Hug candy gently into the center of each cookie. Place the tray in the freezer for 10 minutes to quickly set the chocolate.
- Serve and Store: Remove the cookies from the freezer and serve immediately. Store any leftovers tightly covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- You can prepare the cookie dough ahead and refrigerate it for up to 3 days. Allow the dough to come to room temperature for at least 30 minutes before scooping.
- Baked cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. Freeze unbaked cookie dough balls for the same amount of time. When baking frozen dough balls, add an extra minute; no need to thaw.
- Use coarse sugar instead of granulated sugar for rolling dough to add extra crunch and sparkle.
- If you prefer, omit the chocolate center by skipping the step where you press Hershey’s Kisses into the cookies.
- Substitute Hershey’s Kisses with chocolate chips, white chocolate morsels, or butterscotch chips if desired, but note that soft chocolates set best if you freeze cookies after baking.
- Use dark molasses (not blackstrap) for the best flavor balance in these cookies.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150 kcal
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 90 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
