Peppermint Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies

I have probably the biggest sweet tooth ever (which in reality isn't a good thing). So every time my favorite candy and cookie brands release a new flavor, I like to get a package to try it out. For the seasonal flavors I can't always remember if I tried it or not. Such was the case for the Candy Cane Hershey's Kisses. While I still can't remember if I've tried it or not, I decided to bake with it. The perfect opportunity came when Auntie Vicki sent out an email about Christmas Day and I offered to bake these. They're basically like the Peanut Butter Blossom cookies with the regular kisses except instead of peanut butter the cookie is chocolate and brownie-like. The Hershey's website does have a recipe for these but I decided on one I found on Pinterest (I really need to cut down on my Pinterest use for baking).

Peppermint Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies (source)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon mint extract (wasn't sure if this was mint or peppermint but the blogger described the cookies as peppermint so I used peppermint extract)
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 2/3 cup cocoa
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 28 unwrapped peppermint kisses

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350℉.
2. Cream butter & both sugars with mixer. Add eggs one at a time and mix just until incorporated. Mix in mint extract.
3. Combine flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a medium bowl. Add 1/2 cup dry mixture to butter mixture. Blending after each addition just until combined and scraping side of mixer bowl as needed. Remove bowl from mixer and refrigerate for 10 minutes.
4. Butter hands and roll dough into 1 inch balls. Place on cookie sheet covered with parchment paper.
5. Bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes only. Press one peppermint kiss into the top of each cookie. Move to cookie cooling racks being very careful not to the touch the kiss.

I somehow ended up with just 2 dozen. Which didn't bother me since I know these wouldn't be the only dessert put out so we wouldn't run out. It ended up being enough for Christmas Eve (one of my mom's best friends and her family come over) and Christmas Day with a few left over for me to take home. And that was after Auntie Vicki and Nonni took some to have. In the same text as the one about the spice cookies, Nonni told me that these were delicious.