Week 18: Graham Blossoms

I always wonder what Christmas is like in the Southern hemisphere. Does Starbucks still sell peppermint hot chocolate? Does the term 'White Christmas' conjure thoughts of a day spent on a white sandy Australian beach instead of waking up to a white blanket of snow? But more importantly, do they still bake cookies?! Or is it too hot out to turn on the oven comfortably?

Though I love gingersnaps and gingerbread as much as anyone, it always seems rather inappropriate to be baking Christmas cookies until at least November. It's a shame because I missed out on making peanut blossoms this year and it's still seven months until November. And frankly, I don't have the patience to wait seven months to enjoy Hershey Kiss topped cookies.

This is why I decided to summer-ize the holiday classic by making graham blossoms. Graham crackers are used to make s'mores, which are eaten when camping, which happens in  the summer. It's seasonally appropriate, I promise.

Graham Blossoms
Inspired by: Graham Cracker Cookies
Yield: 4 dozen

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup +2 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 48 Hershey Kisses

1. Preset oven to 350F
2. Cream butter and both sugars
3. Mix in egg and vanilla
4. In a large bowl, mix sifted flour, salt, baking soda and graham cracker crumbs
5. Combine wet and dry ingredients and scoop 1 tablespoon portions of dough
6. Bake for 7-9 minutes (Mine were perfect at 8)
7. Immediately out of the oven, press a Hershey Kiss into the cookie

Oh, was I supposed to wait until the chocolate set back up? whoops

Per cookie:

75 calories | 3.6g fat | 5.9g sugar