Raspberry Hugs Chocolate Cookies

There are no words for how pumped I was to discover that Starbucks now has seasonal Valentine’s Day cups. No more waiting for Christmas time every year to get excited!!!

I’ve also discovered a newfound obsession. It’s time to move over, Peanut Butter. Chocolate has a new BFF and it is good for your health and figure-friendly too! Also known as, Raspberry.

There is a serious love triangle between chocolate, raspberries, and myself… It might permanently replace my favorite flavor combo of chocolate and peanut butter. Dark chocolate, milk chocolate, or white chocolate, it don’t matter, no, ‘cause they’re with raspberry. (In case you were wondering, I was typing this while singing to Akon…)

Is anyone still with me after that comment? Okay, great, because I don’t want you to miss out on the beauty of this flavor combination. I love the salty-sweet combo of chocolate and peanut butter, but sometimes, it’s a little heavy and I feel sick after eating a treat. But chocolate and raspberries are a sweet-juicy-sour combination that I can justify eating a ton of because there’s fruit involved! And fruit is healthy.

I’m going to gradually introduce you to the BFFs with these Raspberry Hugs Chocolate Cookies… We all know how intimidating it can be to be the third wheel in a relationship, so I’ll start slow. A Hershey Hug with a tangy raspberry swirl hugged by a chewy chocolate cookie. Sounds safe enough, right?

Raspberry Hugs Chocolate Cookies FTW.

Raspberry Hugs Chocolate Cookies recipe by Two Peas & Their Pod:

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

¾ cup dutch processed cocoa

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup light brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 (10 ounce) bag Hershey’s Raspberry Hugs candy

1 cup white chocolate chips (Note: I substituted a simple powdered sugar glaze mixed with red food coloring instead of drizzling white chocolate. It’s festive!)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, sift flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa. Set aside.
3. With a mixer, cream butter and sugars together until smooth. Add in eggs, one at a time. Next, add in vanilla extract. Mix until blended.
4. Slowly add flour mixture to sugar mixture and mix until flour disappears. Unwrap the Hugs candies. Take a spoonful of cookie dough and wrap the dough around the Hug candy. Make sure the entire Hug is covered. Place cookie onto prepared baking sheet. Continue wrapping cookies until dough is gone. Make sure the cookies are 2 inches apart on the baking sheet.
5. Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes. Don’t over bake. Remove from oven and let sit on baking sheet for 3-5 minutes. Move to a cooling rack and cool completely.
6. Place white chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and melt. Drizzle chocolate over the cookies. Let cookies sit until chocolate hardens, about 10 minutes.

Note-if you can’t find Raspberry Hugs, any Hershey’s Kiss or Hug will work. I found the Raspberry Hugs at Target. They are a seasonal Valentine’s Day candy.