Sometimes, you’re making cookies for Christmas, and you realize that your only copy of a recipe exists in notes on a piece of paper. Then you panic a little bit until you find it. Then you blog it, or at least I do.

I developed this recipe because I love Kiss cookies, but the combination of peanut butter and milk chocolate is kind of bland, particularly in the middle of holiday treats. So I decided I wanted coffee and dark chocolate instead. I’ve made them every year since.

Ingredients

1/2 cup of butter at room temperature3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs at room temperature
1 Tbsp milk
2 Tbsp instant coffee or espresso powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2-1/2 cups + 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
48 dark chocolate Hershey’s kisses

Directions

Mix dry ingredients (baking soda, salt, and flour). Set aside.

Cream butter and both sugars. Add vanilla extract. Add eggs one at a time until fully incorporated. Add coffee powder and milk.

Gradually add dry ingredients until fully incorporated. Consistency should be soft and sticky but firm enough to hang on the paddle or beaters. Chill for one hour.

While chilling, unwrap kisses. Set up a rack to receive the cookies. Things will move fast once you pull the cookies out of the oven, and you won’t want to move anything for a while once you’re done.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Use a small scoop to portion out dough. Roll into 1-inch balls.

Bake 10-11 minutes on an ungreased sheet (parchment paper or a silicone pan liner is fine). Move pan near the rack and press a kiss into the center of each one. As soon as all the kisses are in place, move the cookies to the cooling rack.

Don’t be fooled by the appearance of the kisses. Even if they remain upright at this point, they’re molten. Shaking them will result in a puddle of chocolate. Allow to cool for an hour or two before moving.