After the Snoopy valentines and conversation hearts, what my sisters and I used to look forward to most about Valentine’s Day as kids was the big heart-shaped box of chocolates my dad would bring home for us my mom. It was a fun game to guess what was inside each piece (through extensive sampling, of course). But whatever you did, it was imperative to AVOID the cherry cordial one! Ewwwww!!
Fast forward twenty-five years and I find myself buying a bag full of only cherry cordial chocolates. Another sign that might be a grown up! I did have an alterior motive: I was intrigued by the cookie recipe on the back. It was a chocolate brownie-like thumbprint cookie rolled in chopped hazelnuts with a cherry cordial-filled Hershey’s kiss nestled in vanilla icing on top. It looked to me like a grown-up version of those peanut butter Hershey’s kiss thumbprint cookies my mom always made.
These cookies are small but they pack some amazing complementary flavors, between the chocolate, the hazelnuts and the cherry cordial creme. What terrific little bites! The absolute best time to pop these cookies in your mouth is about 5 minutes after adding the kiss on top (that’s when I took these photos, you can see how the heat from the cookie softens the chocolate just enough to make it melt in your mouth almost immediately). I think they would be fabulous with the regular all-chocolate kisses as well but if you have the chance to try them with the cherry cordial kind while they’re still available it’s a real treat.
Cherry Cordial Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
From the back of the Hershey’s Kisses Brand Milk Chocolates filled with Cherry Cordial Crème package
Makes about 2 dozen cookies
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg, separated
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup finely chopped nuts (I used hazelnuts)
Vanilla Filling (recipe follows)
26 Hershey’s Kisses Brand Milk Chocolates filled with Cherry Cordial Crème
DIRECTIONS:
Beat butter, sugar, egg yolk, milk and vanilla in medium bowl until fluffy. Stir together flour, cocoa and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating until blended. Refrigerate dough at least 1 hour or until firm enough to handle.
Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease cookie sheet. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. With fork, beat egg white slightly. Drip each ball into egg white; roll in nuts. Place on prepared cookie sheet. Press thumb gently in center of each cookie.
Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until set. Meanwhile prepare Vanilla Filling. Remove wrappers from chocolate pieces.
Remove cookies from cookie sheet to wire rack; cool 5 minutes. Spoon about 1/4 teaspoon filling into each thumbprint. Gently press chocolate piece in center of each cookie. Cool completely.
Vanilla Filling: Combine 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon softened butter or margarine, 2 teaspoons milk and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract in small bowl; beat until smooth.
These look and sound delicious! I am also thinking that you could do a straight-up chocolate almond version by rolling the cookies in chopped toasted almonds, making an almond cream (using almond extract) instead of vanilla cream and putting a Hershey’s kiss with almond on top. Let the experimenting begin!!
That actually sounds pretty good to me! The possibilities are endless. 🙂
These look deeeeelish!! I wonder how the peanut butter or caramel filled ones would taste, too? You could make your out surprise box of cookies!
Ha ha…you never know what might be inside that kiss!
How funny–I always really wanted the cherry cordial when I was little. These look fantastic!
Oh those shiny, melty kisses are calling my name.
I think that my chocolate covered cherry loving FIL would love these cookies. I might have to make him some for Valentine’s Day. Thanks for sharing!
These might be just the ones for him! 🙂
You have made my day. I made these cookies according to the wrapper on a bag of the Hershey’s Kisses. And when all the cookies were gone and the original wrapper gone as well, I decided to make another batch, but to my surprise, the recipe was different and I didn’t have the ingredients for the revised version that was printed on the newer bags of the kisses. I frantically searched the internet because I wanted the same cookies to continue to share with the rest of my friends (that I had already promised them these cookies) but the recipe was nowhere to be found. I then Google searched the recipe, came across the image of these cookies (the original recipe) and found the recipe I had the ingredients for. Thank you very much.