pumpkin spice kiss cookie party!

Can you believe my husband hasn't touched the FRENCH SILK PIE I made? Have I mentioned that he is "health conscience"? I KNOW! When I first found out, it really made me question our relationship, ha! But, being a loving and supportive wife, I made him these cookies today. They are PUMPKIN spice kiss cookies; pumpkins are vegetables; vegetables are healthy. He will eat a half dozen of these & think I'm amazingly thoughtful! Everyone will be happy!

I'm whispering so he doesn't hear...These cookies are not particularly healthy. They don't even have any pumpkin in them. But they are creamy, little bites of heavenly cinnamon sweetness. Shhhh...They might even have as many grams of fat & sugar as a french silk pie. We don't know; we won't talk about it.

I got the recipe from my friend and neighbor, Mindy. Not only did she give me the recipe. she also tracked down the pumpkin spice kisses & delivered them to my door. Thanks, Mindy! Keep these kisses on your radar. I believe they are only available at Target.

OR...EBAY...for $10 a bag! Dang!

9/5/12 UPDATE: THEY'RE BACK @ TARGET $2.99 per bag!
9/15/12: Also @ WalMart for $2.88 per bag! Spotted TODAY! 
Get 'em while they last!! 

Don't cut the kisses in half for the recipe. I just wanted to show you the goodness inside.

Pumpkin Spice Kiss Cookies
makes 4 dozen cookies

ingredients:

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
2 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 package Pumpkin Spice Hershey Kisses

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Unwrap Hershey Kisses and set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add vanilla and eggs and beat until light and fluffy.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Gradually add to butter mixture. Mix until just combined.

 4. Place rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart on a parchment lined or sprayed cookie sheet.

 5. Bake 7 to 9 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately press a Hershey Kiss into the center of the cookie. Move to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

P.S. A reader commented below & suggested that you FREEZE the unwrapped kisses for a bit before you put them on the cookies. That way they won't melt. What a great idea! I'm going to give it a try next time. I love it when my readers share their ideas with me! Thanks!

P.S. A few people have commented that the dough is too dry. I'm not sure why that is for some,but readers below suggested to make sure your butter is softened & that your eggs are large & that your flour is not packed when measured. If yours seems too dry to shape as shown, add 1-2 tablespoons of milk. I had another reader who made them & added 3 tablespoons of molasses. She said they were YUMMY!

This is what happened to the first pan of cookies when I immediately pressed the Kisses in after baking. I swirled the melted kisses with a toothpick so the cream centers would show a bit. I let the cookies cool for a few minutes before adding the kisses on the rest & they didn't melt. I can't decide which way I liked them best, melted or kiss shaped. Happy baking!


 
9/24/12 update: I didn't have any kisses but wanted a sweet cinnamon treat tonight. I made these exactly as written, minus the kisses. Mixed up 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 3 tablespoons sugar in a separate bowl. Rolled the cookie dough into the cinnamon sugar mixture before baking, like a snickerdoodle. YUM! Here are a couple of a pics of tonight's version, soft, chewy, cinnamon sweetness!