Kiss meets crust. Angels sing.
Welcome to Part 1 of Slacker’s Delight Holiday Baking.
These cookies are brilliant: they’re like Mexican wedding cookies without the work and with a big fat Hershey’s kiss in the middle. They come from Averie Cooks, and though I don’t know Averie I think she needs to be worshipped. Why? Because holiday baking is WAY OVERRATED. I mean, like we need one more thing to do? But the thing is, baking just seems like the right instinct at this crazy time of year. And so we bake. And it makes our people happy which makes us happy. When we can all be happy with next to no effort, well, that’s the real miracle of Christmas.
So enough talk. I give you three-ingredient cookies that require no mixing or creaming and, best of all, no thank-you note. Happy Baking and you slackers—stay tuned for Part 2!
Kiss My Crust Cookies
Very slightly amended from Averie Cooks
Makes about 16 cookies
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: about 15 to 17 minutes
Total Time: about 45 minutes, for cooling
Ingredients:
- 1 roll out refrigerated or frozen pie crust for a 9-inch pie, thawed.
- 16 or so chocolate kisses (or Mini Peanut Butter Cups or Rolos or Andes Mints)
- confectioners’ sugar (about 3/4 cup), for dredging
Method:
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat or spray with cooking spray; set aside.
- Place pie crust on a piece of parchment paper or lightly floured surface and roll it it out just a bit with a rolling pin or hefty bottle. Using a sharp knife or pizza wheel, slice into approximately 16 sections, about 2-inch squares. If you cut your circle into 4 rows of 4, a couple sections may be a bit skimpy. Do some cutting and smooshing to make those sections big enough to contain a Kiss. It won’t be perfect. Stay calm. Channel John Tesh.
- Place one chocolate kiss in the center of each section.
- Using your fingertips, seal the dough at the top to fully contain the kiss. Pat smooth with your palms and flatten slightly into a mound; repeat with remaining crust sections and kisses until gone. Transfer mounds to prepared baking sheet or, if working on parchment, scootch the whole piece onto the baking sheet and rearrange the cookies so they look happy.
- Bake for about 15 to 17 minutes, or until crust is just set and done; cookies firm up as they cool. The tops will appear fairly pale while the undersides will be more golden; don’t overbake or the undersides could burn. Watch cookies closely starting at about 13 minutes and use your good judgement.
- Allow cookies to cool on baking tray for about 15 minutes, or until cool enough to handle before dredging each one liberally in confectioners’ sugar. Serve immediately. Cookies will keep airtight for up to 1 week at room temp or in the freezer for up to 4 months.
