Hey there, fellow cookie lover!
Have you ever bitten into something so cute you almost feel bad eating it? Me neither—but Strawberry Kiss Cookies come close. The first time I made these, it was after a spring market where I’d bought way too many strawberries (is there such a thing?). My little one wanted ‘pink cookies’—which, of course, sounded adorable but felt like a setup for red dye and disappointment. Anyway, it turned out these Strawberry Kiss Cookies saved the day, mostly because I’m a sucker for anything with a dollop of jam. Warning: they may lead to random kitchen dancing and, if you live with teens, the vanishing-cookie phenomenon.
Why these cookies just work (for my wild family, at least)
I break out this recipe when I need something cheerful—post-bad-news, pre-birthday, or OK, sometimes just on a Tuesday. My partner can’t stop at one (neither can I, but who’s counting?). Even my pickiest niece—she’s a tough cookie herself—asks if I have the ‘strawberry buttons’ ready. Plus, they’ve rescued many a rough baking mood! A tiny bit of warning: my first batch came out more like jawbreakers than cloud puffs because I rushed the softening step (we’ll get to that…)
Gather your bits and bobs (with swap ideas)
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened (but honestly, I use salted and skip extra salt if that’s what’s in the fridge)
- 3/4 cup sugar (I tried coconut sugar once—bit odd, very caramel-y, but works)
- 1 egg yolk (my neighbor swears whole eggs work in a pinch; truth: texture changes but it’s fine)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (my grandmother always insisted on King Arthur, but regular store brand doesn’t mind)
- Pinch of salt (unless your butter is already salted, then maybe skip)
- 1/3 cup strawberry jam (I’ve made these with raspberry, and honestly, I sort of liked it better. Shh!)
- About 15 Hershey’s Kisses, unwrapped (I’ve been known to substitute with fancy dark chocolate squares when Kisses run out—still cute)
Let’s get those cookies going!
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment, or, you know, regular foil if that’s all you can find (I’ve done both, no disasters yet).
- Cream butter and sugar together until fluffy. I stick with a hand mixer—mine’s made weird noises since college and somehow still works. But use a stand mixer if you’ve got it. Don’t stress if it looks a bit grainy at first; it smooths out.
- Add in egg yolk and vanilla. Mix till blended well. This part smells so good, I usually have to stop for a sniff.
- Toss in the flour and salt gradually. The dough looks crumbly but comes together with a bit of kneading (this is where I sneak a taste—no raw whites, so why not?).
- Roll into tablespoon-ish balls and arrange on your sheet, leaving some elbow room.
- Here’s where I smoosh: Press your thumb or the bottom of a clean spice jar into each to make a well—sometimes it goes sideways but nobody has ever complained.
- Spoon a bit of jam into each well; don’t overfill or you’ll end up with lava (trust me, been there).
- Bake for 12-ish minutes, but check at 10. The bottoms should get a faint golden tint. If your oven’s like mine—hot in odd corners—turn the tray at halfway.
- Remove, let cool a minute (important so you don’t burn your fingerprints off), then gently press a Kiss into the gooey center of each. Watch them get all melty and magical.
Stuff I learned the hard way (so you don’t have to)
- If you use jam with whole fruit chunks, stir it really well before spooning. Once, I got a mutant cookie that looked like it had a nose. Not the look I was going for.
- Let the cookies cool before moving—unless you like cookie crumbles. But hey, those taste great on ice cream.
- If you’re out of parchment, greasing the tray sparingly is fine, but too much and, well, swimming cookies.
- I tried storing them stacked once—big mistake. Use a single layer or wax/parchment between.
Would these work with… something else?
I’ve replaced Kisses with white chocolate chips (good, if a little sweet), and one wild day, I tried Nutella instead of jam. Messy, delicious, not quite the same vibe though. Lemon curd makes an unexpectedly zippy version. Oh, and peanut butter Kisses? Only do this if you’re already a PB&J diehard because most people at my table called it “a bit much”.
If you don’t own everything…
No mixer? You can mix by hand—just use some elbow grease. No proper baking sheet? I’ve used an old pizza tray. Cooled a bit unevenly but nobody noticed. I once used the bottom of a clean glass instead of a measuring cup for smooshing. Work with what you’ve got—that’s half the fun!
How do you keep these from disappearing? Ha!
OK, storage. Airtight tin or box, single layer if you can swing it. They’ll keep 3-4 days just fine (but, honestly, mine vanish by day two). If you’re curious about freezing: yes, it works, but let ‘em thaw naturally—microwaving does weird things to the chocolate.
When to eat (besides always)?
With tea is classic, but my crew dunks them in milk (not fancy, but tasty). Sometimes I serve them alongside lemon sorbet after dinner—fancy pants, right? These showed up at our last cookout and, I kid you not, went faster than the burgers.
What tripped me up (so you can dodge it)
- One time, I tried skipping chilling the dough to save time—big mistake, cookies went flat as pancakes. Taking 10 minutes to chill saves all the heartbreak.
- I got cocky and doubled the jam once. Sticky puddles! Less is more here.
- Pull them out just as they’re turning color on the edges—they keep baking a bit once out. Overbake? They get dry. (I mean, still good, but not dreamy.)
The questions my baking group actually asked
- Do I have to use strawberry jam? Nah—any jam works, but if you’re a purist, stick to strawberry for the pinkest pop. Check out homemade jam tricks on Simply Recipes if you want to go extra.
- Do the cookies taste better the next day? Actually, I find the flavors mellow nicely overnight. But fresh is fab too!
- Can I make them gluten free? I haven’t tried, but a pal swears by Cup4Cup (see their details here). Let me know if you go that route!
- What if my Kisses melt flat? That’s just how the cookie crumbles (heh). It means your cookies were extra warm—pop them in after a minute longer of cooling next time.
- Do I need fancy chocolate? Not at all. Use whatever you love. I think dark is extra tasty with the sweet jam, but everyone’s got their own hill to die on, chocolate-wise. For fun, here’s the Hersheyland lineup if you want to browse the Kisses.
Oh! Just remembered—if you try to sneak a cookie before they’re fully cooled, you will get molten jam on your chin. Wear that with pride.
And, um, if you see pink crumbs on the kitchen floor at midnight, you know who to blame (definitely not me…). Happy baking!
Ingredients
- 1 box (15.25 oz) strawberry cake mix
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar (for rolling)
- 24 chocolate kiss candies, unwrapped
- Optional: pink food coloring
Instructions
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1Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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2In a large bowl, mix together the strawberry cake mix, eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract until a soft dough forms. Add a few drops of pink food coloring if desired.
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3Scoop tablespoon-sized portions of dough and roll into balls. Roll each ball in powdered sugar to coat.
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4Place dough balls 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 9-10 minutes or until cookies are just set.
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5Immediately press a chocolate kiss candy into the center of each cookie. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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