Description
Dense and fudgy chocolate cookie bars topped with sparkling sugar and a cookies & cream Hershey’s Kiss! Perfect for cookie exchanges, holiday parties or for Santa’s plate on Christmas Eve.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder*
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- Pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon sparkling sugar, plus more for decorating (optional)
- 16 Hershey’s Kisses Cookies ‘N’ Creme candies, unwrapped
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 350°F. Spray the bottom and sides of a 9×9-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl using an electric hand mixer, beat butter and granulated sugar on medium speed for 3 to 4 minutes or until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract until just combined.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, cornstarch and salt until combined. Add to butter-sugar mixture; stir until just combined.
- Using greased hands or a spatula, press dough evenly into bottom and sides of prepared baking pan (the dough will be thick). Sprinkle evenly with 1 teaspoon sparkling sugar.
- Bake for 17 to 20 minutes or until edges are set and a toothpick inserted in the center of the pan comes out clean. Remove from oven; cool for 7 to 10 minutes, then gently press Hershey’s Kisses into pan in 4×4 rows. Sprinkle with more sparkling sugar, if desired. Transfer pan to the fridge for 15 minutes (this important step ensures the Kisses won’t melt!). Remove from fridge; finish cooling completely on a cooling rack.
- Use a sharp knife to cut fully cooled bars into 4×4 rows. Store leftover bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- *It’s important to use Dutch-process cocoa powder in the cookies for that rich, deeply chocolaty flavor and color. Here is my favorite Dutch-process cocoa powder, though Hershey’s Special Dark works great, too.
- Recipe adapted from Delish.