This recipe won the Pillsbury Bake-Off in 1994 and was featured in the Tampa Tribune when I was growing up. My mom tried them and has had them in her cookie arsenal ever since. They're different from a lot of other cookies, and are rich enough that you'll want to make sure you've got a glass of milk close-by!
1 (12oz) bag semi-sweet chocolate chips (about 2 cups)
1/4 c butter (1/2 stick)
1 (14oz) can sweetened, condensed milk
2 c flour
1 tsp vanilla
60 Hershey Kisses, unwrapped
2oz almond bark or white chocolate
1 tsp canola oil
Unwrap Kisses and set aside.
Heat chocolate chips and butter in microwave-safe dish for about 1 minute. Stir until smooth.
Add sweetened condensed milk and mix well.
Add vanilla and flour to chocolate mixture. Combine until dough forms.
Spoon 1 TBSP of dough into a ball with your hands, then press a Hershey Kiss into the center. Shape dough around Kiss by rolling it back into a ball.
Place 1" apart on cookie sheet.
Bake at 350° for 6-8 minutes. Cookies will appear shiny (and uncooked), but will harden as they cool. Do not overbake!
Allow to cool.
Combine almond bark and oil together and warm in a microwave-safe bowl for 30 seconds or so. Drizzle over bon-bons (I use a fork to flick the chocolate back and forth).
Comments from the cook: Trust me... It's so hard to take these out of the oven after 6-8 minutes! They don't look ready, but they are! The shiny-ness goes away after they are cooled, and the results are fabulous. Overcooking makes them dry and crusty. Trust me on that one :)
These are best when served same-day, in my opinion. But, if they have a chance to cool completely, just use my mom's advice. Heat one in the microwave for 7 seconds - just long enough for the Hershey Kiss to melt inside - and they're magical again. She's made different variations, and my (very) favorite is the kind she makes with Coconut Cream Hershey Kisses (available seasonally). She follows the same steps, and sprinkles a bit of coconut on the top of the finished cookies. Yum!
Hope you like them...
Originally the Pillsbury Bake-Off winner from 1994. A version of the original recipe can be found here.
