Description

Gingerbread Blossoms are soft and chewy gingerbread cookies rolled in sugar and topped with a melty Hershey’s Kiss candy center. These festive treats combine warm spices like ginger, cinnamon, and cloves with molasses for a classic holiday flavor. Perfect for cookie exchanges or holiday parties, these cookies are easy to make and sure to delight with their crunchy sugar coating and rich chocolate center.

Ingredients

Scale

Dry Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour (375g, 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 unsalted butter, softened to room temperature (12 Tbsp; 170g)
3/4 cup packed light or dark brown sugar (150g, dark recommended)
6 tablespoons unsulphured or dark molasses (128g)
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For Rolling and Topping

1/2 cup granulated sugar or coarse sparkling sugar (100g)
30 Hershey’s Kisses or Hugs, unwrapped

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Instructions

Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C). Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside.
Combine Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, and salt. Set this mixture aside.
Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl 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 combined, about 3 minutes.
Add Wet Ingredients: Add molasses, egg, and vanilla extract to the butter and sugar mixture. Beat on medium speed until combined, roughly 1 minute. Scrape down sides and bottom of the bowl, then beat again as needed. The mixture may look a bit curdled; this is normal.
Mix Dry and Wet Ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until just combined. The dough will be thick.
Form Dough Balls: Scoop and roll cookie dough into balls approximately 1.5 tablespoons (30g) each. Roll each ball in granulated or coarse sparkling sugar, then place them on the prepared baking sheets at least 2 inches apart.
Bake Cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for 12 minutes or until the edges appear set.
Cool Before Adding Chocolate: Remove cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes.
Add Chocolate Centers and Set: Using a thin spatula, carefully transfer the warm cookies to a tray or plate that fits in your freezer. Press one unwrapped Hershey’s Kiss or Hug candy into the center of each cookie, then freeze for 10 minutes to quickly set the chocolate.
Serve and Store: Remove cookies from the freezer and serve. Store leftover cookies tightly covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Notes

Make Ahead & Freezing: Cookie dough can be made and refrigerated for up to 3 days. Let chilled dough rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before scooping. Baked cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. Unbaked dough balls freeze well for the same period; bake frozen balls for an extra minute, no thawing needed.
Special Tools: Use baking sheets, silicone baking mats or parchment paper, mixing bowls, whisk, electric mixer, silicone spatula, cookie scoop, coarse sugar, and cooling rack for best results.
Sugar for Rolling: Coarse sugar adds extra crunch and sparkle compared to regular granulated sugar. Examples include sparkling sugar or Sugar In The Raw.
Chocolate Candy Choice: Regular Hershey’s Kisses hold their shape best. White chocolate Hugs melt more quickly, so the freezing step is essential for them.
Omitting Chocolate Centers: To make plain gingerbread cookies without chocolate, skip pressing the kisses into the cookies after baking.
Alternative Chocolate Toppings: You can substitute Kisses with chocolate chips, white chocolate morsels, or butterscotch chips if preferred.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 cookie
Calories: 120 kcal
Sugar: 10 g
Sodium: 80 mg
Fat: 6 g
Saturated Fat: 3.5 g
Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
Trans Fat: 0 g
Carbohydrates: 16 g
Fiber: 1 g
Protein: 1 g
Cholesterol: 20 mg