Treat yourself to these delicious Poppy Seed Kiss Cookies! This unique Christmas cookie is easy to make, super scrumptious, and each one is topped with a sweet chocolate kiss. You'll love making this recipe during the holidays and beyond!
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Do you enjoy baking during the holidays? I usually set aside a day or two to make all of my favorite cookies (try my family's Pecan Fingers, Mini Chocolate Chip Cheesecakes, and Honey Cookies), and I love baking few new recipes that look too good to resist, too.
It's a tradition that my mom started with my sister and I years ago. Now that I live so far away from where I grew up, baking these recipes is a great way to carry on the fun. And one treat I always make is my mom's Poppy Seed Kiss Cookies!
You are going to adore these tasty Poppy Seed Thumbprint Cookies! This delicious recipe feature a rich, buttery dough speckled with poppy seeds. The finished cookies are wonderfully tender, the poppy seeds give them a unique flavor, and the chocolate kisses are the perfect finishing touch.
This is the perfect Christmas Cookie recipe for when you want to impress (ideal for cookie exchanges)... these tasty treats are unexpected and truly delightful! Don't save them just for the holidays though, you'll want to enjoy this recipe year round.
Ready to start baking? Then keep reading for all the delicious details!
Ingredients
This Chocolate Poppy Seed Cookies recipe uses basic ingredients you can find in most grocery stores! Here's what you'll need:
- Poppy Seeds - The not-so-secret ingredient in these cookies is the poppy seeds, which give the recipe its unique flavor and texture.
- Kisses - Each cookie is topped with a Hershey's Kiss after baking. I typically use standard Milk Chocolate Kisses, but if you prefer dark chocolate, you can use these Special Dark Kisses instead.
- Dough - In addition to the poppy seeds and kisses, you'll use unsalted butter, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, salt, two egg yolks, and all-purpose flour to make the rich dough. Tip: Add the leftover egg whites into scrambled eggs for breakfast, or save them for another recipe.
You'll Also Need
This recipe comes together easiest (and fastest) when prepared with a stand mixer. You will also need a couple sheet pans to bake the cookies (these sturdy baking sheets are my fave!), as well as a wire rack to cool the cookies.
How to Make Poppy Seed Cookies
This unique Christmas Cookie is super easy to make! You'll find a detailed recipe card below, but here's an overview of the steps:
- Make the dough. To make the dough, you'll start by creaming together butter, sugar, and salt until light and fluffy. Next, you'll the vanilla and egg yolks (one at a time), and then you'll mix in the flour, followed by the poppy seeds.
- Shape cookies. Next, you'll shape the cookie dough into 1-inch balls. Place the balls on a cookie sheet about 1 ½-inches apart, then use your thumb to make an indentation in the top of each cookie.
- Bake. Transfer the cookies to your oven, then bake them until they're lightly browned on bottom. It should take about 10 to 12 minutes.
- Add the kisses. While the cookies are baking, remove the foil from the chocolate kisses. Then as soon as you remove them from the oven, immediately top each cookie with a kiss.
- Cool. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool. Tip: The heat from the cookies will melt the kisses (although they will hold their shape), but once they're completely cooled, they will firm up again.
Just try to resist these Poppy Seed Kiss Cookies fresh from the oven ... I dare you! They are so cute and delicious with their melty chocolate center. Add these yummy cookies to your holiday rotation this year, and they just might become a tradition for your family, too!
Storage
Store any leftover Poppy Seed Thumbprint Cookies in an airtight container at room temperature, where they will stay fresh for about a week. You may also freeze the cookies for up to a month.
Related Recipes
Looking for more Christmas Cookies recipes? You'll love these delicious treats, too!
- Nona’s Pecan Fingers
- Coffee Cookies
- Mini Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cupcakes (Black Bottoms)
- Peppermint Thumbprint Cookies
- Ginger Spice Cookies
- White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
- Salted Caramel Pretzel Cookies
- Curry Shortbread Cookies
- Honey Cookies
Make sure to check out all of my Christmas recipes, crafts, and decor ideas, including my super delish, 2-ingredient White Chocolate Peppermint Bark ... yum!
Looking for even more cookie recipes? Then you're in luck, because I'm joining Erin from The Speckled Palate and Susannah from Feast + West for the Sweetest Season Cookie Exchange! If you're looking for creative cookie recipes, then you'll love this awesome virtual cookbook with hundreds of delicious cookie recipes from my fellow food bloggers.
Help support a great cause! I'm especially excited about this year's exchange, because we're raising money for Cookies for Kids’ Cancer, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to funding research for new, innovative, and less-toxic treatments for childhood cancer. Since 2008, Cookies for Kids' Cancer has granted nearly $18 million to pediatric cancer research in the form of 100+ research grants to leading pediatric cancer centers across the country. From these grants have stemmed 35+ treatments available to kids battling cancer today.
Please join me supporting this wonderful organization by making a donation. This year OXO is matching all donations through the end of 2023 for up to $100,000. So anything you donate will be doubled!!
Poppy Seed Kiss Cookies
Ingredients
- nonstick cooking spray
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large egg yolks
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons poppy seeds
- 36 chocolate kisses (unwrapped)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray.
- Cream together butter, sugar, and salt until fluffy.
- Add vanilla and egg yolks (one at a time); blend thoroughly.
- Mix in flour, then add poppy seeds.
- Shape dough into 1-inch balls and place on cookie sheet.
- Use your thumb to make an indentation in the top of each cookie.
- Bake cookies until lightly browned on bottom, about 10 to 12 minutes.
- Remove cookies from oven and immediately top each with a chocolate kiss.
- Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.
- Serve immediately or store in an airtight container. Enjoy!
Nutrition
I am SERIOUSLY swooning over these cookies, Ginnie! My family made regular Peanut Blossom cookies with the Kisses when I was a kid, but I'm loving this grown-up version. The poppy seeds just add such a different look and flavor, and I know I've gotta bake these this year!
Thanks so much for participating in this year’s Sweetest Season! I’ve loved seeing all the recipes, getting in the spirit and feeling inspired to bake EVERYTHING this month! Well done!