Description
Hershey’s Red Velvet Blossoms are soft, tender red velvet cookies coated in vibrant red sanding sugar and topped with classic Hershey chocolate kisses. These delightful cookies combine a subtle cocoa flavor with a hint of vanilla and a festive red hue, perfect for holidays, parties, or any special occasion.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 7 tbsp butter (salted or unsalted, softened)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/4 tsp red food coloring gel
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
Coating and Topping
- 1/4 cup red sanding sugar
- 18 Hershey chocolate kisses
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking and set aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In a stand mixer, beat the softened butter with brown sugar and granulated sugar until the mixture is smooth and creamy. This process incorporates air for lightness.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Mix in the egg yolk, vanilla extract, and red food coloring gel until fully blended, ensuring an even red color throughout the dough.
- Incorporate Dry Ingredients: Add the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Mix just until the flour mixture disappears to avoid overworking the dough, which can toughen cookies.
- Form Cookies: Using a tablespoon, scoop out 18 equally sized portions of dough. Roll each portion between your palms to form smooth balls.
- Coat in Sugar: Roll each cookie ball in red sanding sugar to coat thoroughly, adding texture and color.
- Bake: Place the sugar-coated dough balls evenly spaced on the prepared baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.
- Add Chocolate Kisses: Immediately after removing the cookies from the oven, press one Hershey chocolate kiss gently into the center of each cookie to create the classic blossom look.
- Cool: Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes to set the shape and chocolate, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Use gel food coloring to achieve a vibrant red color without thinning the dough.
- Don’t overmix the flour into the dough to keep the cookies tender.
- Baking time may vary slightly depending on your oven, so watch for slight firmness at the edges.
- For softer cookies, slightly underbake by 1-2 minutes.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: red velvet blossoms, Hershey kisses cookies, red velvet cookies, chocolate kiss cookies, holiday cookies, festive cookies
