Nothing quite compares to the warmth of a hug or the sweetness of a kiss, and with these X’s & O’s Brown Sugar Cookies, you won’t have to choose between the two. These cookies are topped with Hershey’s Hugs and infused with the rich, melty goodness of roughly chopped Milk Chocolate Hershey’s Kisses. The unexpected addition of Grape Nuts cereal gives these buttery, crunchy, and chocolatey hugs and kisses cookies a delightful twist that makes them almost impossible not to fall head over heels in love with.

When I started off the 2024 Alphabet Challenge earlier this year, there were certain letters that I foresaw being a big ol’ pain in my derrière problem. Some letters were annoying because I simply had so many different ideas floating around in my head that it made it practically impossible to choose just one recipe, while other recipes had me searching on the internet for any kind of inspiration. Q, U, and V were not letters I was overly thrilled about, however, I can 100%, without a doubt, say that when it comes to this year’s alphabet challenge, the letter X can pucker up and kiss my you know what. For this week’s challenge, I was seriously close to using the word xiangjiao, which is the Chinese word for banana, but it just seemed like a stretch. A stretch that after almost a year of committing to a new letter-inspired recipe every other week, wasn’t one that I was willing to take. So instead, I decided to go with X’s and O’s. It was the perfect excuse to play around with yet another recipe for brown sugar cookies, while also stocking up on some Hershey’s Hugs and Hershey’s Kisses for holiday baking. If you’re a fan of super-crunchy, chewy cookies topped with Hershey’s chocolate, this is the cookie recipe for you. And, if you’re really feeling adventurous, perhaps you can fold some dried xiangjiao chips into the cookie dough to switch things up a bit.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter, Softened
• 1 Cup Light Brown Sugar, Packed
• 1 Egg
• 2 Teaspoons Vanilla
• 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 1 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 Cup Grape Nuts
• 16 Milk Chocolate Hershey’s Kisses, Unwrapped & Roughly Chopped
• 24 Hershey’s Hugs, Unwrapped (Approximately)

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar together for 3 minutes on medium speed.
2. Add the egg; mix for 30 seconds on medium speed.
3. Add the vanilla; mix for 30 seconds on medium speed.
4. Add the baking soda and salt; mix for 30 seconds on medium speed.
5. Slowly add the flour 1/2 cup at a time on low speed. Mix until just combined.
6. Add the Grape Nuts and roughly chopped Hershey’s Kisses to the cookie dough. Use a silicone spatula to distribute them throughout the dough evenly. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap or foil.
7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
8. When the oven is preheated, use a cookie scoop or tablespoon to scoop the cookie dough out onto a Silpat or parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes.
9. Place an unwrapped Hershey’s Hugs in the middle of each cookie, immediately after removing the cookies from the oven.

Suggestions:

• Do not preheat the oven until after you have mixed the cookie dough for this recipe. Allowing the dough to rest while the oven comes to temperature, allows the Grape Nuts time to absorb some of the cookie dough moisture. The plastic wrap or foil will help the dough not dry out.
• I used Milk Chocolate Hershey’s Kisses & Hershey’s Hugs for this recipe. Feel free to use whichever variety you have on hand.
• These cookies will be puffed up and just starting to crack a bit on top when they are done baking. They will deflate as they cool, creating a soft and chewy cookie. If you overbake the cookies they will be dry and crispier.
• Allow the cookies to rest for 5 minutes before removing them to a baking rack to finish cooling completely.
• The Hershey’s Hugs on these cookies will remain gooey for quite some time after baking. To store these cookies, place the cookies on a rimmed baking sheet or in a sheet cake pan. Cover the baking sheet or sheet cake pan tightly with foil. This will prevent the Hershey’s Hugs from being smudged during storage.
• If you would like to store these cookies immediately for travel or packaging, place them in a freezer on a baking sheet for 15 to 30 minutes to reharden the Hershey’s Hugs.
• This recipe will yield approximately 2 dozen cookies. It’s an easy recipe to double if you so desire.

Improvements:

• Add some food coloring to the dough for festive holiday cookies. Red or green for Christmas, red or pink for Valentine’s Day, blue or red for the 4th of July, orange for Halloween, or green for St. Patrick’s Day.
• Fold chopped pecans, walnuts, or almonds into the cookie dough.
• Skip the Hershey’s Hugs and Hershey’s Kisses and just add milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, or semi-sweet chocolate chips to the cookie dough.
• CLICK HERE to check out all of our past cookie recipes.

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X’s & O’s (Hugs & Kisses) Brown Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter, Softened
• 1 Cup Light Brown Sugar, Packed
• 1 Egg
• 2 Teaspoons Vanilla
• 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 1 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 Cup Grape Nuts
• 16 Milk Chocolate Hershey's Kisses, Unwrapped & Roughly Chopped
• 24 Hershey's Hugs, Unwrapped (Approximately)

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar together for 3 minutes on medium speed.
2. Add the egg; mix for 30 seconds on medium speed.
3. Add the vanilla; mix for 30 seconds on medium speed.
4. Add the baking soda and salt; mix for 30 seconds on medium speed.
5. Slowly add the flour 1/2 cup at a time on low speed. Mix until just combined.
6. Add the Grape Nuts and roughly chopped Hershey's Kisses to the cookie dough. Use a silicone spatula to distribute them throughout the dough evenly. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap or foil.
7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
8. When the oven is preheated, use a cookie scoop or tablespoon to scoop the cookie dough out onto a Silpat or parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes.
9. Place an unwrapped Hershey's Hugs in the middle of each cookie, immediately after removing the cookies from the oven.

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Try our original Simple Brown Sugar Cookies (Soft & Chewy) recipe. Looking for a simple non-fussy cookie recipe that uses basic ingredients you already have on hand in your pantry? Look no further than this soft and chewy simple brown sugar cookie recipe. The brown sugar adds a sweet flavor and a soft, chewy texture to these cookies, and a final sprinkle of demerara sugar before baking gives them a delightful crunchy topping. CLICK HERE for the recipe.

Softened unsalted butter, light brown sugar, vanilla, and a few other essential baking ingredients come together to create the perfect soft and chewy brown sugar cookie dough. By experimenting with additional ingredients or toppings, you can transform this simple dough into an endless variety of flavors and textures. Whether you’re baking up a storm for the holidays, crafting a colorful cookie platter for your next party, or simply indulging your sweet tooth, this cookie dough is your new best friend. Below, you’ll find some of our favorite flavor combinations, each offering a delicious and exciting new twist to the classic cookie recipe. CLICK HERE for the recipes.

In 2024, we’ll be cooking and baking our way through the alphabet with several of our food blogger friends. Every other Wednesday, for the 2024 Alphabet Challenge, we’ll be sharing a new recipe featuring a consecutive letter of the alphabet, starting with A in January and ending with Z in December.

“A” – Dried Apple & Bourbon Oven-Baked Sauerkraut

“B” – Spicy Barbecue Seasoned Rice Chex Mix

“C” – Dove Dark Chocolate Chunk Cakey Muffins

“D” – Italian Deviled Eggs with Heart-Shaped Tomatoes

“E” – Buttery Everything Bagel Seasoning Biscuits

“F” – Butternut Squash Soup with French Herbes

“G” – Creamy Simple Stovetop Gouda Mac & Cheese

“H” – Sweet Honey Deviled Eggs with Fennel Fronds

“I” – Orange & Feta Italian Orzo Pasta Salad

“J” – Brown Sugar Caribbean Jerk Seasoning

“K” – Kalamata, Mozzarella, & Tomato Couscous Salad

“L” – Fresh Dill Deviled Eggs with a Hint of Lemon

“M” – Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Fresh Mint

“N” – Great Northern Bean Summer Caprese Salad

“O” – Firecracker Oatmeal Peanut Butter Blossoms

“P” – Creamy Potato Salad with Crunchy Fennel

“Q” – Butternut Squash Taco Ravioli with Queso Fresco

“R” – Cheeseburger Broccoli Rice Soup Casserole

“S” – Sweet Whiskey Skillet Teriyaki Chicken

“T” – Baked Chicken Tenders with Crushed Fritos

“U” – Unsweetened Coconut Oatmeal Peach Crisp

“V” – Sweet & Spicy Balsamic Vinegar Deviled Eggs

“W” – Whiskey-Soaked Raisin Baked Stove Top Stuffing

“X” – X’s & O’s (Hugs & Kisses) Brown Sugar Cookies

“Y” – Jalapeño Yellow Cornmeal Brown Sugar Cookies

“Z” – Zesty Italian Balsamic Baked Oyster Crackers

Please make sure to check out the other great “X” recipes below. A huge thanks to A Day in the Life on the Farm for hosting this 2024 Alphabet Challenge event.

• Brothless Ramen with XO Sauce by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Chicken Xacuti by Sneha’s Recipe
• Mushroom Xacuti by Mayuri’s Jikoni
• X’s & O’s (Hugs & Kisses) Brown Sugar Cookies by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Xavier Soup by Jolene’s Recipe Journal
• Xiaodianxin – Eggless Chinese Butter Cookies by Blogghetti
• Xmas Eggnog Fudge by Food Lust People Love
• Xoconostle Tartlets by Culinary Cam
• Xoconostle Xnipec Paratha by Magical Ingredients
• Xoi – Vietnamese Sticky Rice by A Messy Kitchen
• Xylocarp Cocktail by A Day in the Life on the Farm