Adapted from a Hershey’s Kitchen recipe

Servings:  40-48 cookies

Ingredients

1/3 cup butter (room temperature)
8 oz. cream cheese (room temperature)  (note:  Hershey’s only used 3 oz., but more cream cheese adds a tangy twist and makes for an incredibly tender cookie/candy texture)
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
2 tsp. vanilla extract (note: the original recipe calls for almond extract, but I prefer vanilla)
2 tsp. orange juice
1 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
5 cups sweetened coconut flakes
1/4 tsp salt (use a fine salt rather than coarse kosher salt so that it will disperse through the dough evenly)
40-48 Hershey’s Kisses (or your favorite chocolate candies)

Instructions

  • Cream butter, cream cheese and sugar in a mixing bowl until well blended.  (I use my electric stand mixer.)
  • Add the egg yolk, vanilla extract and orange juice.  Beat until well blended.
  • In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt.
  • Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet mixture with the mixer running (lower speed) and mix until well blended
  • Stir in 3 cups of the coconut flakes
  • Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refigerate for 1 hour so that the dough will be firm enough to handle.
  • Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Shape dough into small balls (about 1 inch).  I used a small “ice cream” scooper to scoop small, even-sized balls of dough.  Then I rolled the dough between the palms of my hands to form a round ball.
  • Roll the cookie balls in the remaining two cups of cocount and place them on an ungreased cookie or a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
  • Bake 8 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned.
  • Remove the cookies from the oven and immediately press a chocolate kiss into center of each cookie.
  • Cool for 1-3 minutes before moving the cookies because the chocolate kiss will become very soft.  By allowing the cookies to cool slightly, the chocolate kiss will keep its shape after it cools.
  • Remove the cookies from the cookie sheet and finish cooling them on the wire rack.

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