If you know me, you know that I love to bake cookies. Since it’s been a while since I made some, I was brainstorming what I could make with this bag of cherry chips I’d bought before Valentine’s Day. Originally I’d planned on using them for a Valentine’s Day recipe, but as usual life got in the way and we’ve been pressed for time with our move and unpacking. I was lucky enough to get one Valentine’s Day recipe cranked out, but this left me with some delicious baking chips and nothing to make with them.

This past week I also received the #JadoreVoxBox from Influenster. It was packed with some pretty amazing beauty items, but in it there was also a family sized bag of Hershey’s Kisses. LOVE!! I immediately knew that I wanted to make something with them, but I wasn’t sure what exactly it would be. To be honest I’ve been pretty stressed out the past few weeks and it’s affecting my creativity. The next day I had a moment of genius clarity, and came up with these amazing cookies. No, seriously, they taste like heaven!

The making of Coconut Cherry Kiss Cookies 

The recipe is based on my chocolate chip cookies, as most of my cookie recipes are. I did use less sugar because the coconut I used was also sweetened and I figured the cherry chips and the Hershey’s Kisses would add a decent amount of sweetness. I also took out the cream of tartar because that just gives a nice crackle effect, but since I’d be adding the kisses to each cookie it would crack it anyway once pressed in.

There’s just something about the chocolate and cherry combination that makes it such an excellent dessert choice.If you remember my chocolate cherry brownies I made a few months back, these lend such a different taste than those did. The coconut adds a lightness that is so lovely with the cherry chips, and then the kisses are a great surprise after the second bite. Using my Cake Boss baking sheet I didn’t even have to line the pan, and it distributed the heat evenly and every cookie came out perfectly.

You know they’re good when your kids take a bite and purrrrrr…

Oh yes. They are that good. I think my creative block has been broken!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened to room temperature
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut
• 1 cup cherry chips
• (about) 21 Hershey’s Kisses

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Cream your room temperature butter or margarine with your sugars until smooth.
Add the egg and vanilla and mix well.

In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix well.
Add the coconut, stir in until well combined.

Add the dry mixture to the wet, stir until just combined.

Add the cherry chips, fold into mixture.

Using a standard size cookie scoop, roll the dough into uniform sized balls.
Place on cookies sheet, bake in preheated oven for about 10 minutes.

They will begin to be golden, and very soft in the middle.

Bring the oven heat up to 375 degrees, and while it’s heating up press each Hershey’s Kiss to the center of each cookie. The cookie will crack a bit, that’s the effect we want. Place back in oven for another 2 minutes to soften the kisses just a tad.

The edges will be a bit more golden. Let cool a few minutes, then remove and place on racks to cool completely.

Serve with a big glass of milk!

Enjoy!