Here are my festive Grinch cookies with Hershey’s Kisses, featuring soft, chewy green cookies rolled in powdered sugar and topped with a red candy heart to complete the Grinch’s famous look.
These cookies have become a holiday tradition in our house every Christmas. The kids love helping me roll the dough in sugar, and honestly, they’re almost too cute to eat. Almost.
Why You’ll Love These Grinch Cookies
- Quick and easy – These festive cookies come together in under 35 minutes, making them perfect for last-minute holiday baking or when you need a sweet treat fast.
- Simple ingredients – You probably already have most of these pantry staples on hand, and the special touches like green sanding sugar and candy cane kisses are easy to find during the holidays.
- Fun for the whole family – Kids love rolling the dough in green sugar and pressing the candy kisses on top, making this a great activity to do together during the holiday season.
- Festive and adorable – The bright green color and peppermint kiss topping make these cookies look like they came straight from Whoville, adding a playful touch to any cookie platter.
What Kind of Kisses Should I Use?
Candy cane kisses are the classic choice for Grinch cookies, and they’re usually available during the holiday season at most grocery stores. These festive red and white striped chocolates add a fun pop of color and a hint of peppermint flavor that pairs perfectly with the sweet cookie base. If you can’t find candy cane kisses, regular Hershey’s Kisses work just fine, or you could even try the hugs variety (white and milk chocolate swirled) for a different look. Just make sure to unwrap all your kisses before you start baking so you can press them into the warm cookies right away without any delay.
Options for Substitutions
These festive cookies are pretty forgiving when it comes to swaps:
- Candy cane kisses: If you can’t find candy cane kisses, regular Hershey’s kisses work perfectly fine. You could also try peppermint bark pieces or even chocolate chips if you’re in a bind.
- Green sanding sugar: No green sanding sugar? Mix regular granulated sugar with a few drops of green food coloring until you get your desired shade. You can also use green sprinkles or colored sugar crystals.
- Salted butter: Unsalted butter works too – just add a pinch of salt (about ⅛ teaspoon) to the dough to make up for it.
- All-purpose flour: This is one ingredient you’ll want to stick with as written. All-purpose flour gives these cookies their perfect texture, and substituting with other flours will change how they turn out.
- Vanilla extract: If you want to play up the minty theme, you can replace half the vanilla with peppermint extract. Just go easy – peppermint extract is strong, so ½ teaspoon is plenty.
Watch Out for These Mistakes While Baking
Placing the candy cane kisses on the cookies right when they come out of the oven is a recipe for melted chocolate disaster – instead, let the cookies cool for about 2-3 minutes on the baking sheet so the kisses hold their shape while still being warm enough to stick.
Another mistake is skipping the step of chilling your dough for at least 30 minutes, which prevents the cookies from spreading too thin and losing that perfect round shape when you roll them in the green sanding sugar.
Make sure your butter is truly at room temperature (not melted or too cold), as this affects how well the dough comes together and how the cookies spread during baking.
Finally, don’t overbake these cookies – pull them out when the edges are just set but the centers still look slightly underdone, since they’ll continue cooking on the hot pan and you want them soft and chewy, not hard and crispy.
What to Serve With Grinch Cookies?
These festive cookies are perfect for holiday cookie platters alongside other Christmas favorites like sugar cookies, chocolate crinkles, or peanut butter blossoms. They’re great with a cold glass of milk for kids or a cup of hot cocoa topped with marshmallows for the whole family. I love setting these out at holiday parties with other finger desserts like brownies, rice krispie treats, or fudge. Since they’re so sweet and minty, they also pair nicely with a warm cup of coffee or peppermint tea for the adults.
Storage Instructions
Store: Keep your Grinch cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. I like to layer them between sheets of parchment paper so the kisses don’t get squished or stick together.
Freeze: These cookies freeze really well for up to 3 months. Just make sure they’re completely cool before freezing, and store them in a freezer-safe container with parchment paper between the layers. When you’re ready to eat them, let them thaw at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
Make Ahead: You can roll the dough into balls and coat them in green sugar ahead of time, then keep them in the fridge for up to 2 days before baking. This makes holiday baking so much easier when you’re short on time!
| Preparation Time | 15-20 minutes |
| Cooking Time | 10-15 minutes |
| Total Time | 25-35 minutes |
| Level of Difficulty | Easy |
Estimated Nutrition
Estimated nutrition for the whole recipe (without optional ingredients):
- Calories: 2850-3050
- Protein: 22-26 g
- Fat: 110-120 g
- Carbohydrates: 420-450 g
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup salted butter (room temperature)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (I use King Arthur flour)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (for best flavor)
- 1 large egg
For finishing:
- 32 candy cane kisses
- 1/2 cup green sanding sugar
Step 1: Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheets
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set them aside.
Prepping the sheets ahead makes for easy cleanup later.
Step 2: Combine Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (I use King Arthur flour)
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour and baking soda until well combined.
This ensures the baking soda is evenly distributed throughout the dough.
Step 3: Cream Butter and Sugar, then Add Wet Ingredients
- 1/2 cup salted butter (room temperature)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (for best flavor)
In a separate medium mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to beat the salted butter and granulated sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy.
Add the egg and vanilla extract, then beat again until well incorporated.
For best flavor, I like to use high-quality vanilla extract here.
Step 4: Mix Dough and Shape Cookies
- flour mixture from Step 2
- creamed mixture from Step 3
- 1/2 cup green sanding sugar
Gradually add the flour mixture from Step 2 into the creamed mixture from Step 3 while beating on low speed until just combined.
Scoop about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough for each cookie, roll into balls with your hands, and then roll each dough ball in green sanding sugar to coat.
Step 5: Bake Cookies
- shaped cookie dough balls from Step 4
Arrange the sugar-coated dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.
The cookies should be set but still soft in the center.
Step 6: Add Candy Cane Kisses and Cool
- 32 candy cane kisses
Allow the cookies to sit out of the oven for about 3 minutes.
Gently press a candy cane kiss into the center of each warm cookie.
Let the cookies stand for a few more minutes before transferring them to wax paper or a baking rack to finish cooling.
I always wait until the kisses just start to set before moving the cookies—otherwise, the candies can lose their shape.
Simple Grinch Cookies with Kisses
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup salted butter (room temperature)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (I use King Arthur flour)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (for best flavor)
- 1 large egg
For finishing:
- 32 candy cane kisses
- 1/2 cup green sanding sugar
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set them aside. Prepping the sheets ahead makes for easy cleanup later.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour and baking soda until well combined. This ensures the baking soda is evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- In a separate medium mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to beat the salted butter and granulated sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla extract, then beat again until well incorporated. For best flavor, I like to use high-quality vanilla extract here.
- Gradually add the flour mixture from Step 2 into the creamed mixture from Step 3 while beating on low speed until just combined. Scoop about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough for each cookie, roll into balls with your hands, and then roll each dough ball in green sanding sugar to coat.
- Arrange the sugar-coated dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. The cookies should be set but still soft in the center.
- Allow the cookies to sit out of the oven for about 3 minutes. Gently press a candy cane kiss into the center of each warm cookie. Let the cookies stand for a few more minutes before transferring them to wax paper or a baking rack to finish cooling. I always wait until the kisses just start to set before moving the cookies—otherwise, the candies can lose their shape.
