Strawberry Kiss Cookies are made with only 5 ingredients and take 10 minutes to prepare the cutest Valentine’s Day cookies with a pretty pink sparkle.
What’s better than a sugar cookie base that’s baked from a bag mix and topped with a melted chocolate kiss in the middle?
About Our Strawberry Hershey Kiss Cookies
Our Strawberry Kiss Cookies recipe is so quick and easy to make using my favorite shortcut: a Funfetti Sugar Cookie Mix combined with cream cheese and a single egg produces the perfect base for baking these treats, like Strawberry blossom cookies from scratch.
I love creating cookie dough from a mix because the baking soda, flour, and most other ingredients are already in the bag.
This strawberry kiss cookie recipe couldn’t be any more straightforward – simply scoop out balls of colorful dough, roll them in sanding sugar, bake them in the oven, and press pink Hershey’s Strawberry Ice Cream Cone Chocolate Kisses into each center.
Soft and chewy on the inside with a shimmery sugar-coated crunch, the melted pink kiss in the middle sends the perfect sweet message to your Valentine!
Why We Love Strawberry Hershey Kiss Cookies
- Quick and easy to make with a shortcut.
- Only uses 5 ingredients.
- Colorful, fun, delicious sweet snack or dessert.
- Cream cheese creates a puffy and light cookie that won’t flatten as they cook.
- Soft and chewy texture with a slight crunch.
- Pretty pink color makes them perfect for Valentine’s day parties, birthday celebrations, or baby showers.
Strawberry Kiss Cookies Ingredients
- Funfetti sugar cookie mix: You can also use a regular sugar cookie mix if necessary.
- Cream cheese
- Egg
- Pink or white sanding sugar or non-pareils
- Hershey’s Strawberry ice cream cone kisses
Substitutions and Additions
- Choose Your Chocolate: You can substitute your favorite flavor Hershey Kisses or Hugs for these Valentine’s Kiss Cookies.
- Make Strawberry Cake Mix Cookies: You can use a box of strawberry cake mix instead of the sugar cookie mix if you prefer a pink cookie base.
- Decide How To Decorate: You can use any color of sanding sugar or non-pareils for this recipe. I prefer using pink or white sanding sugar or non-pareils since the Strawberry Kisses are pink. You can also omit this step if you wish. Your cookies won’t be as smooth but they will still be delicious.
Recommended Tools
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Hand or stand mixer
- Shallow bowl
- 1 ½ Tablespoon cookie scoop
How to Make Strawberry Kiss Cookies
- Create The Cookie Dough: Beat together the cookie mix, cream cheese, and egg until you form a soft dough.
- Coat Your Cookies: Scoop out balls of dough and drop them into a bowl of sugar or non-pareils. Roll them until coated and then roll into a ball.
Pro Tip: If the dough is too sticky to scoop and roll well, you can refrigerate or freeze it for 30-60 minutes. This is optional. - Bake: Bake the cookie balls at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 8-12 minutes or until the edges are set.
- Top With A Kiss: Allow the cookies to cool for 3-5 minutes on the cookie sheet and then press a Strawberry Kiss into each top.
- Serve: Serve and enjoy cooled or warm!
Tips for Making the Best Hershey Kiss Cookies
- Make sure your cream cheese is softened to room temperature.
- You can adjust the color of the sanding sugar or the type of non-pareils or sprinkles you use to match your party theme.
How To Avoid Sticky Dough
This dough is sticky! If you don’t want to have to deal with sticky dough, you can refrigerate or freeze it before scooping and rolling it. The sanding sugar is also very helpful when dealing with the sticky dough.
You can use a little to coat your hands, as you would with flour, and even your cookie scoop. The non-pareils do not work in that way but they do still coat the cookie balls so that you can smooth them into a ball.
Melted or Unmelted Middle?
Decide how soft or hard you want your Kisses before making your cookies. The time that you allow the cookies to cool before pressing in the Kisses will make a huge difference in how soft the Kisses get.
For example, if you press the Kisses in right out of the oven they will melt and any touch will cause them to lose their shape. The longer you allow the cookies to cool, the less the Kisses will melt. If you let the cookies cool completely first the Kisses will remain hard. I like to let the cookies cool for 3-5 minutes but you can adjust that to match your preferences.
More Easy Hershey Kiss Cookie Recipes
How to Store Hershey Kiss Cookies
- To Store: Store your cooled cookies in an airtight container and keep them at room temperature for 3-4 days. You can also refrigerate them for up to a week.
- To Freeze: You can freeze your cookies for 2-3 months.
Other Easy Cookie Recipes
- Peanut Butter Stuffed Cookies
- Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies
- M&M Brownie Mix Cookies
- How to Make Meringue Cookies
- Twix Cookies
Strawberry Kiss Cookies
Ingredients
- 16 ounce bag Funfetti Sugar Cookie Mix
- 4 ounce cream cheese softened, ½ 8-ounces package
- 1 Large egg
- ½ cup pink or white sanding sugar or non-pareils
- 18 Hershey’s Strawberry Ice Cream Cone Kisses
Instructions
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a large mixing bowl use a hand or stand mixer to beat together the cookie mix, cream cheese and large egg until combined. You should have a soft dough.
- Place the pink or white sanding sugar or non-pareils in a shallow bowl.
- Use a 1 ½ Tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop out balls of dough and drop them into the bowl of sugar or non-pareils.
- Roll them gently until coated and then roll into an even ball.
- The dough is sticky, if you cannot get it to scoop and roll well, you can refrigerate or freeze it for 30-60 minutes. It will still be slightly sticky but will be easier to work and form this way. This is optional.
- Place the cookie balls on the prepared baking sheet with about 1 ½ inches of space in between them.
- Bake for 8-12 minutes or until the edges are set.
- Allow the cookies to cool for 3-5 minutes on the cookie sheet and then press an unwrapped Strawberry Kiss into the top of each cookie.
- Move to a cooling rack to cool completely or serve warm.
Jenn’s Notes
- To Store: Store your cooled cookies in an airtight container and keep them at room temperature for 3-4 days. You can also refrigerate them for up to a week.
- To Freeze: You can freeze your cookies for 2-3 months.
- Try to avoid covering or storing these cookies while they are still warm, as it will cause the Kisses to deform. After they are cooled you can place them in an airtight bag or container and keep them at room temperature for 3-4 days. You may also refrigerate them for up to a week or freeze them for 2-3 months. Be aware that chilling these cookies may cause them to harden or dry out. For best results bring to room temperature before serving.
- Keep in mind that this dough is sticky. If you don’t want to have to deal with sticky dough, you can refrigerate or freeze it before scooping and rolling it. The sanding sugar is also very helpful when dealing with the sticky dough. You can use a little to coat your hands, as you would with flour, and even your cookie scoop. The non-pareils do not work in that way but they do still coat the cookie balls so that you can smooth them into a ball.
- Decide how soft or hard you want your Kisses before making your cookies. The time that you allow the cookies to cool before pressing in the Kisses will make a huge difference in how soft the Kisses get. For example, if you press the Kisses in right out of the oven they will melt and any touch will cause them to lose their shape. The longer you allow the cookies to cool, the less the Kisses will melt. If you let the cookies cool completely first the Kisses will remain hard. I like to let the cookies cool for 3-5 minutes but you can adjust that to match your preferences.
Where cañ the strawberry kisses be purchased? How about the Funfetti Cookie Mix?
I really want to try this recipe! Please help?
I searched the internet and found that they were discontinued in 2022! I’m using the M&M valentine candy instead
Where do you find those strawberry ice cream cone kisses at?
Absolutely impossible to find the Hersheys Strawberry Ice Cream Cone Kisses. Otherwise love the recipe
I want to make the pink version of these cookies, using the cake mix. Do I need to make any other changes to the recipe?
You should be able to use any flavor cake mix.