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Only five ingredients in these super simple Fiesta Fudge Cookies topped with Hershey’s Hugs. These easy Christmas cookies are perfect for a cookie exchange!
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FIESTA FUDGE COOKIES
You can only have so many Christmas sugar cookies at your parties, so these Fiesta Fudge Cookies are nice to switch things up. They start with a sugar cookie base, then you add melted chocolate, butter, melted chocolate, sweetened condensed milk, and cinnamon…and then top them with a Hershey’s Hugs candy. They are fun and so good!
I was originally sent this easy Christmas cookie recipe as part of a recipe swap and I was so surprised by how easy they are to make! I love that it makes a big batch and you’ll be done in the kitchen in no time. They’re perfect when you’re making multiple batches of Christmas cookies.
EASY CHRISTMAS COOKIES FOR COOKIE EXCHANGE
Because these cookies are semi-homemade, only have five ingredients, don’t even require a mixer, and make a big batch, they’re perfect for a Christmas cookie exchange!
FIESTA FUDGE COOKIE INGREDIENTS
- Butter – Unsalted butter
- Chocolate – Unsweetened chocolate. I like to buy the bars of Ghirardelli baking squares.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk – Condensed milk is milk from which water has been removed. It is thick, sweet, and comes in a can.
- Sugar Cookie Mix – I use the Betty Crocker 1lb 1.5oz sugar cookie mix.
- Cinnamon – Try to get a high quality cinnamon.
- Hershey Hugs – One 12 oz bag of Hugs will cover what you need.
WHAT ARE HERSHEY’S HUGS?
Hershey’s Hugs are striped candies with chocolate “hugged” by white creme.
HOW MANY HERSHEY’S HUGS ARE IN A 12 OZ BAG?
You get approximately 70 Hugs in a 12 oz bag and this recipe makes about 40 cookies, so you only need one bag of Hugs.
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HUGS AND KISSES
Hershey’s Kisses are solid chocolate. Hershey’s Hugs are striped chocolate with white creme. They are really good in these Fiesta Fudge Cookies, and they look cool with the stripes, but Hershey’s makes a wide variety of Hugs and Kisses that would all work with this recipe. Some I’ve recently seen are: Hot Cocoa Kisses, Peppermint Bark Bells, Mint Truffles, Candy Cane Mint Chocolates…you could really switch these up & have fun with them!
HOW TO MAKE EASY CHRISTMAS COOKIES
These cookies are one of the simplest cookie recipes I’ve ever made.
To prep, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside.
First, to a large microwave safe bowl, add the butter and unsweetened chocolate. Microwave for 1 minute, then stir. Repeat until both are melted and are fully combined and smooth after stirring.
Next, pour in the condensed milk and stir to combine.
Then, pour in the sugar cookie mix and cinnamon. Stir until well blended.
Finally, use a medium cookie scoop (or a tablespoon) to portion out approximately 1 tablespoon of dough and place on your prepared baking sheets, approximately 2″ apart.
Bake for 6-7 minutes or until edges lose their shiny look, being careful to not over bake.
Immediately upon removing them from the oven, press a Hug into the center of each cookie (point side up).
Let set for approximately 5 minutes then give the pan a jiggle to flatten the the candies. You can also gently press down on the points of the Hugs to flatten them, which I find quite fun.
Cool completely to allow the candy to set.
MORE EASY CHRISTMAS COOKIE RECIPES:
- Dark Chocolate Stars
- Chocolate Dipped Shortbread Cookies
- Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies
- Cream Cheese Sprinkle Cookies
- Reindeer Cookies
AMAZON TOOLS TO HELP YOU MAKE THESE COOKIES:
- Microwave Safe Bowl – You’ll be melting the chocolate and butter. Use a glass bowl or ceramic.
- Silicone Spatulas – One piece, silicone spatulas are easy to clean and my favorite.
- Baking Sheets – I prefer baking sheets with lips so nothing rolls off.
- Medium Cookie Scoop – I love using a cookie scoop to portion out dough.
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4.84 from 6 votes
Fiesta Fudge Cookies
Created by Melissa Williams | Persnickety Plates
Servings: 40 cookies
Prep Time: 10 minutes mins
Cook Time: 7 minutes mins
Total Time: 17 minutes mins
Only five ingredients in these super simple Fiesta Fudge Cookies topped with Hershey's Hugs. These easy Christmas cookies are perfect for a cookie exchange!
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup butter
- 6 oz unsweetened chocolate
- 1 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
- 1 1lb 1.5 oz sugar cookie mix
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 40 Hershey Hugs unwrapped
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside.
In large microwavable bowl, microwave butter and chocolate 1 minute. Stir; microwave 1 minute longer or until butter is melted and chocolate can be stirred smooth.
Stir condensed milk into chocolate mixture.
Stir in cookie mix and cinnamon until well blended.
Use a medium cookie scoop to portion out approximately 1 Tablespoon of dough.
Place each dough ball 2" apart on prepared baking sheets.
Bake 6 to 7 minutes or until edges lose their shiny look (do not over bake). Immediately press 1 candy into center of each cookie (point side up).
Cool cookies on cookie sheet 5 minutes; remove from cookie sheets. To get candy to spread slightly on top of cookie, tap edge of each cookie lightly.
Cool completely.
Notes
Recipe from Betty Crocker
Store covered at room temperature.
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Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 58kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 19mg | Potassium: 35mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 47IU | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Originally published December 13, 2012
