Hershey’s Kiss Candy Cane Chocolate Cookies (Low Carb & Gluten Free)

Merry Christmas! It looks like we are having another pandemic Christmas! I hope everyone is staying safe. Here is something sweet to cheer you up and get into the holiday spirit!

My neighbor made cookies similar to these for us last year during Christmas. They were so good! Moist, soft, full of chocolate, and the peppermint flavored Hershey’s kisses literally melt in your mouth the second you touch them.

Only one problem: I didn’t know I would have high blood glucose after consuming carbs. I hope I can dodge the bullet since only about 50% of women develop type 2 diabetes after having gestational diabetes. Finger’s crossed. Nonetheless, I have since learned that I need to control my intake of carbohydrates and stay active if I want to be free of high-blood-sugar related complications.

So I have had to abandon using refined flour to make these delicious cookies. After some trial and error, I came up with this low-carb version of Hershey’s Kiss Candy Cane Chocolate Cookies that uses almond flour. To me, they taste just as good as the flour version. I still like using real sugar. But each cookie only has 8 grams of carbs. I can safely eat 2 at a time without worrying. And I can give them to my kids without feeling guilty either.

Tools: baking sheet, parchment paper

Gluten Free, Vegan, Low Carb

Preparation Time:  15 minutes

Total Time:  30 minutes plus cooling time

Servings: 12 to 15 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almond flour ¹
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup sugar ²
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder ³
• pinch kosher salt
• 1 large egg (room temperature)
• 2 tablespoons soft unsalted butter (1/4 stick) ⁴
• Hershey’s kisses candy cane (peppermint flavor)

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 °F (~175°C). In a medium mixing bow, add all the dry ingredients: 1 cup of almond flour, 1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/4 cup of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder, and a pinch of kosher salt. Mix well.

2. In a large mixing bow, beat the large egg and 2 tablespoons of butter together with a fork. Then add the mixed dry ingredients, blending thoroughly with the fork. The dough should be moist and a bit sticky.

3. Prepare a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Using a tablespoon, scoop out a spoonful of dough and roll it into a small ball (~20 g). Place it onto the baking sheet. Continue the same procedure until all the dough is used up, about 12 to 15 balls. Make sure to leave some space in between each dough ball as the cookies spread a little during baking.

4. Put the baking sheet with the dough balls on the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 10 minutes. Unwrap the same number of Hershey’s kisses as the cookies.

5. Remove the baking sheet from the oven. While the cookies are still hot, gently press one Hershey’s kiss onto each cookie. Let the cookies cool a little before consuming. Enjoy!

Bon Appétit

Notes:

1. Make sure you use almond flour, not almond meal.

2. If using coarse sugar, increase the timer to 12 minutes. You can also reduce the amount of sugar further since Hershey’s kisses are pretty sweet already.

3. You can replace baking powder with 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda.

4. Unsalted butter must be softened at room temperature first.

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