Candy Cane Kiss Cookie Bites

These little bites were super easy to make and so yummy! I love peppermint and chocolate together. I've been known to drop a candy cane into my hot chocolate and I recently discovered chocolate-covered mini candy canes. Love it! Around December-ish, Hershey's comes out with Candy Cane Kisses and they are so good. White chocolate and a peppermint ribbon- they are speaking my language! I could eat an entire bag (I said could, not did) and love to find ways to use these babies up. On the back of the bag they had a peppermint swirled cheesecake recipe that I need to make sometime too.

A couple of years ago, I made these cookies, but I made them into regular sized cookies. They were a huge hit at a ward Christmas dinner, but I didn't like how I had to take a huge bite in order to get to the center where the Candy Cane Kiss was (because we all know that's the best part), so this year I made them with my mini muffin tins and I love the way they turned out. So much easier to fit on a holiday treat plate, and I was able to get chocolate cookie and peppermint in each bite. Plus, anything is cuter when it's mini, right?

Adorable, right? I love the little bite-sized cookie!

Fill your lightly-sprayed mini muffin tins a little more than half way.

While the cookies are baking, unwrap a bag of these bad boys.

After your cookies have cooled a few minutes, press in the Kisses.

Press them in pretty good, and then let them do their thing. The bottom will melt a little and stick to the cookie.

Add to your treat plate, take to a potluck, or just eat them up yourself. Super easy, right?

Candy Cane Kiss Cookie Bites

submitted by Carissa @ Girls in Aprons

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1 1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups flour

2/3 cup cocoa powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 bag Candy Cane Kisses, unwrapped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat together butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time and vanilla and mix until light and fluffy. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Add gradually to your butter mixture until well blended. Add your chocolate chips and stir until combined.

Lightly spray your mini muffin tins and drop batter into each hole, filling it a little more than half way. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until done (it will look dry on top). Let cool for a couple of minutes, then press the Candy Cane Kisses into the center of each cookie. Transfer to wire racks until completely cooled.