Secret Kiss Cookies

I've been baking cookies lately. It's a tradition in our family: every December we run the "cookie factory." There are seven different kinds of cookies we make, and we usually make double batches of them because we give so many away. It's a little different here with my toaster oven, but I've done toffee and chocolate fudge cookies in my own kitchen, and I'm finding other kitchens to bake in, too. I pay in cookies. People seem to like that.

My favorite part about the "cookie factory" is that we can make Christmas a little brighter for some people who wouldn't have much Christmas cheer otherwise. And if that means we use 15 pounds of flour (we've been known to do that), that's fine with us. I've used at least 5 pounds so far.

All that to say, if any of you want to join in our tradition, I'm going to post our recipes. The first one, Secret Kiss Cookies, comes from a newspaper article that my grandma read many years ago. We've been making them ever since. This is a nice recipe for kids to help with, since they can unwrap the kisses and "hide" them inside the dough. (Since there are no eggs in the dough, it's also safe for kids to eat.) I made a double batch of these yesterday, and two boys (ages 5 and 8, I think) unwrapped 100+ kisses and rolled most of the cookies. I stood by pinching off the extra dough from their cookies, so that we could make as many as possible. When the time came to lick the bowl, we didn't have any trouble finding volunteers...





Secret Kiss Cookies

1 c. soft butter
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. flour
1 c. finely chopped walnuts
1 package milk (or dark) chocolate kisses
Confectioners sugar

Beat at medium speed butter, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add flour and nuts; beat at low speed till well blended. Chill dough. Remove foil from kisses. Using about a teaspoon of dough, shape it around a kiss and roll gently into a ball. Be sure to cover kiss completely. Place on ungreased cookiesheet. Bake in a preheated 375 oven for about 12 or until cookies are set but not brown. Cool slightly; remove to wire rack. While still warm, roll in confectioners sugar. Cool. Store in tightly covered container. Makes about 40 cookies.