Holiday Baking: Chai Pumpkin Spice Kiss Cookies

Been testing out some recipes for this years cookie gram to my family and close friends and I personally love Chai anything and everything. Plus, I was stuck with 2 bags of the Pumpkin Spice Kisses and I desperately needed to get rid of them.... not to mention, I'm still stuck with a bag of them!

I ended up chopping up the kisses and mixed it in the dough since my last thumbprint recipe was a disaster which I had to turn them into a cookie bar. Thankfully these cookies turned out really good! Very cake-like, moist and delicious. The chai flavor wasn't as strong as I hoped for and the original recipe only called to sprinkle the chai spice on top, which I ended up adding it into the dough. I recommend putting in less cinnamon, more cardamon and maybe add in more chai concentrate.



Chai Pumpkin Spice Kiss Cookies
Original recipe from Pass the Sushi

1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup chai concentrate (I used the brand Oregon Chai)
1 large egg
1 teas vanilla extract
1 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teas baking soda
1/8 teas salt
1/2 teas chai spice mix (recipe below)
10-12 pumpkin spice kisses, chopped, optional
OR 22-24 Pumpkin spice Hershey’s Kisses to top on cookie

Chai Spice Mix:
1 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer and cream at medium speed until fluffy, or with a hand mixer, for about 2-3 minutes. Add the egg, chai concentrate, and the vanilla, mix until combined. Add the flour, baking soda, chai spice mix and salt, scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl as necessary. Mix in the chopped kisses.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 325F.

Using your hands, roll the dough into 22 to 24 1 inch round balls. Place the dough balls on parchment paper lined baking sheets.

Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes. Meanwhile, unwrap kisses.

Remove the cookies from the oven and immediately place pumpkin kisses in the center of each cookie. Don’t touch or the kisses will turn into puddles! Cool completely.

100th Post: Pumpkin Bread Muffin

Pumpkin Bread
Original recipe from Peabody

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp fresh ground nutmeg
1 cup plain pumpkin puree
½ cup canola oil
2 large eggs
1 ½ cups granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 325F.
Line muffin pan with cupcake liners.
In a bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and spices; set aside.
In another bowl, mix pumpkin puree, vegetable oil, eggs and sugar for about 1 minute.
Add flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture and mix just until combined.
Pour batter into each cup.
Bake for 22-25 minutes or until the middle is done.
Cool completely before frosting- optional of course :)

Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 cup Butter (1 stick), room temperature
8oz. Cream Cheese, room temperature
1 tsp Vanilla extract
2-3 cups Powdered Sugar

Cream butter and cream cheese til creamy. Mix in the vanilla. Add 1 cup of sugar (i used 2 1/2) at a time to desired sweetness.