This next step requires perfect timing. The moment I pull the baking sheet from the oven, I work quickly. I take an unwrapped peppermint kiss and firmly press it straight into the center of each warm cookie. I’ve learned that if you wait even a minute, the cookie surface starts to set and the candy won’t stick as well or might crack the cookie. I press down until the candy is nestled in and the cookie cracks beautifully around the edges. I then let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. As they cool, the candy softens slightly into a perfect, melty blossom.
Pro Tips for Best Results
The temperature of your dough balls before baking makes a difference. I tested this by baking some right away and chilling some for 15 minutes first. The chilled cookies held a slightly thicker, more defined shape, while the room-temperature ones spread a bit more. For a slightly puffier cookie, a quick 15-minute chill on the baking sheet is a great trick, especially if your kitchen is warm.
The quality of your cocoa powder truly matters. I’ve made these with standard grocery store cocoa and with a higher-quality Dutch-process cocoa. The Dutch-process cocoa gave the cookies a deeper, richer, almost fudgier chocolate flavor that stood up brilliantly to the strong peppermint. It’s worth using the best cocoa you have for this recipe.
When pressing in the candies, have them all unwrapped and ready to go before the cookies even go in the oven. That oven-to-candy window is short, and fumbling with wrappers can mean missing the perfect moment. Also, press straight down—don’t twist. Twisting can cause the cookie to break. A firm, direct press gives you the classic, beautiful blossom look.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
The biggest mistake is pressing the candy into completely cooled cookies. The kiss needs the residual heat from the warm cookie to soften its base and adhere properly. If the cookie is cold, the candy will just sit on top and fall off when you pick it up. I learned this the hard way when I got distracted and came back to a cooled tray—don’t do what I did! Have those candies ready and act fast.(See the next page below to continue…)