Spiced Cappuccino Cookies

It's appropriate to serve cookies with Hugs and Kisses for a bridal shower, isn't it? These Spiced Cappuccino Cookies fit the bill.  And now that summer finally seems to be loosening its grip on the weather, cappuccino flavor sounds good for fall, too, don't you think?

True confessions: I save WAY too many recipes. I will never get all of them tried on the County Line. But a church bridal shower gave me plenty of reasons to dig through my recipe pile for inspiration. The cappuccino cookies were from Taste of Home. And you just never know what recipe is going to appeal to you in a given moment. You (OK, I) just might need it.

Of course, those printed recipes are another problem. I spent part of the pandemic clearing out extra paper and other minutia from our farm house. I did all right for awhile, but I'm back to printing recipes that again threaten to topple over in a kitchen cabinet. (The younger generation I know all use their phones for their cooking adventures. I like having that printed recipe in front of me ... mainly so I don't have to touch my phone with sticky fingers.)

The original recipe called for a Hershey's Hug. But when I stood in the candy aisle and saw the Cookies and Cream Kisses, I chose those instead. And they added a little extra crunch to the cookies.  

I am a coffee drinker, so I really liked the mild coffee flavor the espresso powder added to the cookies. With the cinnamon-sugar coating on the outside, it does taste like a spiced cappuccino. (Not that I have fancy coffee drinks very often.)

If you try them, let me know what you think!

Spiced Cappuccino Kiss Cookies

Adapted from Taste of Home

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1-1/2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

**

1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
24 striped chocolate Kisses or Hugs

 

Beat butter, brown sugar and 1/4 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, espresso powder and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Refrigerate, covered, until firm enough to shape, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350°. Mix cinnamon and 1/2 cup sugar. Shape dough into 24 1-in. balls or use a cookie scoop. Roll in cinnamon sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets or put on parchment paper.

Bake until lightly browned, 10-12 minutes. Immediately top with chocolate kisses, pressing lightly. Cool slightly on pans. If your kitchen is hot, you may want to have space in your freezer to place your cookies to set the chocolate Kiss or Hug. 

Makes 2 dozen.  Note - I doubled the recipe.

Taste of Home Test Kitchen Tips

Add the espresso powder with the egg and vanilla instead of the flour mixture to ensure that it dissolves.

This dough is a little sticky, but it can be rolled into balls after chilling for an hour.

These cookies taste like a snickerdoodle with a hint of espresso.