Powder Puff Chocolate Kiss Cookies — These chocolate Kiss cookies are like a cheater’s version of Russian teacakes. But enhanced with a chocolate Kiss. And you only need 3 ingredients to make them!
Easy Chocolate Kiss Cookies
Growing up, it was an annual holiday baking tradition that my mom and grandma would bake Russian tea cakes. They loved them, but of all the holiday treats they’d bake, tea cakes were the last thing I’d reach for. In a sea of sprinkles, fudge, barks, and homemade caramels, they just couldn’t compete. Too boring.
So I decided to re-vamp tea cakes and made powder puffs, which turned out to be the easiest cookies ever. I sliced a sheet of store-bought pie crust into two-inch squares and placed a chocolate Kiss in the center of each square before sealing the edges, patting into a mound, and baking.
After baking, I dredged the puffs through confectioners’ sugar, which I still call powdered sugar in my head. Cookbook editors say the proper term is confectioners’ sugar, but you can’t have powder puffs without powdered sugar.
The contrast of the flaky, buttery pie crust with the dense, smooth chocolate interior is wonderful. The puffs are pretty small and it’s easy to pop quite a few. Whoops. Melt in your mouth, not in your hand.
What’s in Powder Puff Chocolate Kiss Cookies?
To make these pie crust cookies, you’ll need:
- Store-bought pie crust
- Chocolate Kisses
- Confectioner’s sugar
Really, that’s it! This is easy holiday baking at its finest.
How to Make Chocolate Kiss Cookies
Place the pie crust onto a floured surface and cut into two-inch squares. Because the crust is likely a circle, a couple sections may be a bit skimpy. If that happens, take crust from two skimpy sections and smoosh it together to make a section big enough to contain a Kiss. This is not an exact science, it’s okay if not all sections are exactly the same size.
Place one Kiss in the middle of each square, then pinch the dough around it to seal it in. Bake the chocolate Kiss cookies for roughly 15 minutes.
Let the Kiss cookies cool for another 1o to 15 minutes until cool enough to dredge in sugar.
Can I Use Homemade Pie Crust?
Yes, if you want to make your own pie crust, be my guest. I don’t. If you’re an avid pie crust make and find yourself with scraps, here’s a way to use them.
Can I Make This Gluten-Free?
If you have a store-bought gluten-free pie crust that you’ve used before and trust, go ahead and try it in this recipe!
Tips for Making Chocolate Kiss Cookies
A fun twist on these pie crust cookies would be to use mini Reese’s or Rolos instead of chocolate Kisses. You’d prep the powder puff cookies the exact same way, just with a different filling.
Be sure to tightly seal the Kiss inside the pie dough. I sealed the cookies at the top and then flattened it out a bit with my hand so it wouldn’t be obvious after the cookies had baked.
Lastly, start checking the chocolate Kiss cookies at the 13-minute mark. You don’t want to overbake these, as the bottoms burn easily.
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Chocolate Kiss Powder Puff Cookies
Ingredients
- one sheet pie crust that makes a 9-inch pie, thawed (I used Trader Joe’s; homemade may be substituted)
- about 15 chocolate kisses, Mini Peanut Butter Cups or Rolos may be substituted
- about 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar, for dredging
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat or spray with cooking spray; set aside.
- Place pie crust on a lightly floured surface and using a pizza wheel, slice into approximately 16 sections, about 2-inch squares. Because the crust is likely a circle, if you make 4 rows of 4, a couple sections may be a bit skimpy so take crust from two skimpy sections and smoosh it together to make a section big enough to contain a Kiss. This is not an exact science, it’s okay if not all sections are exactly the same size.
- 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. Place mound on prepared baking sheet; repeat with remaining crust sections and kisses until gone.
- Bake for about 15 to 17 minutes, or until crust is just set and done; puffs 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 puffs closely starting at about 13 minutes since all ovens and ingredients vary.
- Allow puffs to cool on baking tray for about 15 minutes, or until cool enough to handle before dredging each puff liberally in confectioners’ sugar. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Puffs will keep airtight for up to 1 week at room temp or in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I made these cookies with the kids, they seemed like a great idea and very simple. The taste was unpalatable and the cold chocolate kiss in the center was hard as a rock. I had to spit the cookie out. I definitely do not recommend.
I was excited to try this easy recipe. I was disappointed in the crust taste and the dryness. Any help? I would love to make these with my granddaughter but would want to perfect the recipe.
Maybe roll your crust thinner so there’s less crust-to-chocolate ratio and really dredge them like crazy in powdered sugar would be my suggestions.
Hey me and my daughter were looking at the recipe and they look so goo but my daughter is gluten free so we were wondering if it is possible,to make them with the gluten free crust?? Anyway let me know!! We were,also thinking of making them for a holiday party if it works!! I hope so!!
I’m sure a GF crust would work if you have a solid GF pie crust you use normally; I’m sure it will be fine here.
Hmm, tried these today. I’m really disappointed. We used Hershey kiss with caramel in the middle (couldn’t find rolls). In for 7 minutes and all the chocolate/caramel is all over the pan! All we have now is a ruined cookie sheet and undercooked empty pie dough :(
I’ve never tried it with anything other than a solid Hershey’s Kiss so maybe the caramel Kisses just don’t hold up in this recipe. Maybe if you try again with what I used in the recipe you will have better luck. Sorry things didn’t go well for you.
My adult daughters and I made these on our annual cookie day and were impressed. The cookies were a bit bigand with the powdered sugar, make a mess when eating. My daughter had a good idea….use the mini kisses….so we will try that the next time we make them. Then they would be small enought to pop in your muth. Thanks for sharing this.
Glad you were baking with your daughters – sounds like fun and mini Kisses are always an option too as you said!
Hi. I tried these today at first had a hard time with the dough and the did not look as pretty as yours. Then the second batch I had a small dish of warm water I would place the kiss in the center pinch the douch with my fingers dipped in warm water then used the palm of my hand ro roll/smoth sough….beautiful they turned out like the pic. Then on a second batch I rolledin cinnamon/sugar….yum definitely a keeper thank you
Glad you enjoyed them and found out what worked in your oven and with your dough and that they’re a keeper for you!
Have you tried this with sugar cookie dough? I read all the complaints about the pie crust dough not tasting enough like a cookie…just wondered if sugar cookie dough would make a better tasting one?
I have not tried it any other way but I’m sure it would work. I basically made this recipe one day when I had extra pie dough and some Hershey’s Kisses on hand and never knew what a popular post it would become…if I had sugar cookie dough that day, that would have been good too I’m sure! :)
I actually made the dough using a recipe from Southern Living Magazine which included sliced almonds. I used too much dough. the recipe said use a heaping table spoon of dough one for top and one for bottom. I like your idea about the 2″ square. am going to try it next. sounds better than a heaping tablespoon, which was too much.
Had limited success with these, they did not end up looking like the photos, and the taste was meh. Might try it again sometime, but with butter cookie dough instead.
Thanks for trying the recipe.
I tested these today, as well. The prep was easy. I melted butter and applied it to the crust with a pastry brush to add more of a home cooked flavor. The butter was cooled down before applying. I baked them for 18 minutes. They still tasted under cooked. Also, I noticed, Hershey’s kisses have gotten a lot smaller than they used to be! Too much dough and not enough chocolate. Will probably not make these again. I’ll stick with mexican wedding cakes. Sorry.
Thanks for trying the recipe and you can always use less dough next time relative to the Kiss. I used barely enough to get it sealed and yes, there is still quite a bit of dough per cookie, but a certain amount is just a necessity to enclose the Kiss fully so it doesn’t melt/leak while baking.
I made a test batch of these with my kids and they turned out…OK… I was a little disappointed that they did not seem to “puff up” or become cookie/cake like it shows in the pictures. Any suggestions on how to make that happen or what I did wrong?
Pie dough or puff pasty dough or any dough with lots of butter puffs best when it’s really COLD. So if you were handling these, or your kids were, with their warm little hands, and then baked them, you won’t get as muff puff. Chemical reaction with butter, water, and heat. I would put them in the fridge for 30-60 mins before baking after shaping them and that may help. But mine didn’t ‘puff’ too terribly much either. I just wrapped them in dough and baked. Maybe use more dough? Not sure but play around with it!
These are going on my holiday baking list! But….I am still making up a batch of good old Russian Tea Cakes
I made a test batch of these just now to see if I wanted to include them in my holiday gift baskets – seeing as I’m distracting myself with other tasks to prevent myself from eating the whole batch I’d say they’re a keeper! Once my husband gets home, they’ll be gone faster than you can blink I’m sure!
Such a simple, easy recipe which is what I need for baking at my mother-in-law’s before Christmas. Thank you for posting, I pinned this right away!
Thanks for trying them and so glad you’re happy! And thanks for the pin love too!
Hello,
My 9 yr. old daughter and her friend made these cookies today. But I don’t think it was a “keeper” recipe for us. Here’s our review and why:
1.) the girls had difficulty get the pie crust to stay pinched. I had to roll them with my hands for them and work on them to stay closed. Once cooked, they some of them opened up a little.
2.) They didn’t like the pie crust taste, I agreed, it just wasn’t that tasty. Ok, but not like….Oh! Yum! I think if it had a butter taste to the crust like shortbread, we would have really liked that.
If I were to make these again, which I doubt I will, I’d add fine pecans to the crust if possible for extra flavor.
Another point, if I’m going to eat something fattening, I want it to be really good, not just so-so.
And yes, I have had russian teacakes and mexican wedding cookies and know what they taste like.
Ok, well, we tried.
Thank you.
I wish I had read your review first . Tried these tonight and totally agree with you. No flavor in the piecrust and just a little to plain for us. Thanks
I know it says you can freeze them, but do they freeze well? I don’t really like to freeze cookies (except chocolate chip type) and I’m nervous about making these for a school fundraiser that is 3 weeks away. Do they freeze with the powdered sugar on them or do you roll them in it after they are thawed?
Fresh is always best; there’s no doubt about that. But why don’t you make a half batch, freeze them for a few days, and see what you think. That way you can decide for yourself if you want to make a large batch and freeze or not. And I would roll in sugar before freezing, however, upon thawing, there may be some condensation and I would recommend a quick re-rolling.
I think I’m failing at these… mine are falling apart and unfolding in the oven. Any tips?
You have to make sure it’s TIGHTLY sealed Like really seal and pinch your dough together into a tight little ball and then bake.