Ingredients:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1 roll (30 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated gingerbread cookie dough
1 bag (13 oz) KISSES® dark chocolates, unwrapped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Whisk together the spices and sugar in small bowl. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in sugar mixture to coat. Place 2 inches apart on lined baking sheets. Bake 8-10 minutes or until edges of cookies just begin to brown. Immediately press a candy into center of each cookie. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.

My thoughts:

Pillsbury asked me and a few other food bloggers to create some recipes using their refrigerated cookie dough. I had pitched some ideas for cookies and this one, Gingerbread Kisses, uses their limited edition gingerbread cookie dough. I’d seen it at the stores in years past starting in early November so I never dreamed I’d have a hard time finding it. It was the week before Thanksgiving and by the end of it, we had gone to nearly 20 supermarkets and big box stores looking for it to no avail. Finally, through the magic of Facebook, a high school friend of mine told me that she saw it at a store in Westminster, about a hour away. My tireless cookie search partner/husband checked a couple of more stores slightly closer to home then drove out to western Maryland and finally bought a tube. A cry of relief went out across the city that day.

It was worth it though because this cookie has been the favorite of all of the Pillsbury cookies I made this year according to my cookie tasters. The gingerbread dough is rolled in some extra spices and sugar and then a dark chocolate Kiss is placed on top. Simple but full of complex flavors.