KISSES

I made these for our 6 month Anniversary but they are also a great idea for Valentines Day...

Hershey's Kiss Cookies

It's all about the presentation (see below) but you have to start with the recipe:

This recipe comes right out of the Hershey Cookbook*...

1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened.
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 C All-Purpose Flour
1 cup finely chopped walnuts or almonds
36 Hershey Kisses (It recommends Milk or Milk Chocolate with Almond, but I think Dark would work nicely too.)

1) Beat butter, granulated sugar and vanilla in a large bowl until fluffy.   Add flour and walnuts; beat on low speed of mixer until well blended.   Cover; refrigerate 1-2 hours or until dough is firm enough to handle.
2) Remove wrappers from chocolates.
3) Heat oven to 375F.
4) Using about 1 Tbsp dough for each cookie, shape dough around each chocolate; roll in hand to make ball.  (Be sure to cover each chocolate piece completely.)   Place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
TIP: Here is a tip that isn't in the book, try to keep track of the direction you placed the kiss (easier said then done when your rolling a ball of dough) so that when you put the kiss on baking sheet its right side up.  The cookies won't bake perfectly round and there will be a clear bottom of the cookie, so this way when your loved one bites into them it looks like a right side up kiss.
5) Bake 10-12 minutes or until cookies are set but not browned.   Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.  While still slightly warm, roll in powered sugar.  Cool completely again in powdered sugar just before serving.

Now for the presentation.  I wanted my husband to be able to take them to work so I used a take out container.   I mixed it in with Hershey Kisses to make a spectacular kiss themed present.  But I think the real presentation was in the paper I put on top of the lid.   I printed out my saying on word, making sure it never got to wide or long for the lid.   Then using the lid as a template I created a circle on my paper, centering the words I wrote.  I used scrap book scissors to cut it out and then punched hearts into the paper with a punch.   To secure it to the takeout lid I used double sided tape.  Decorate it anyway you want, but make it personal and relate it back to kisses.



*Hershey's Recipe Collection, Publications International, Ltd., 2008.  p 28