This holiday season, Hershey’s Kisses is inviting 1,000 holiday bakers and entertainers to celebrate by hosting a Hershey’s Kisses Cookie Exchange Party!

But it gets even sweeter: now through November 15, party hosts can even apply to have their cookie exchange sponsored by Hershey’s Kisses by visiting kissescookies.com. While there, you can also check out holiday cookie recipes, including Peanut Butter Blossoms and the Chocolate Almond Thumbprint cookie, and party planning tips, such as:

~ Invite guests at least two weeks in advance and ask all guests to RSVP with the cookie recipe they plan to bring to the party (this helps to avoid duplicates).

~ Give suggestions or include a unique recipe on every invitation in case guests don’t have a favorite recipe they would like to share. Ask invitees to bring printed recipe copies, a plastic container for taking home treats and a half-dozen or one-dozen cookies for each attendee, depending on the number of guests.

~ Return the favor by turning the cookie exchange into a gifting party – provide gift tags, gift bags and ribbons, and invite guests to assemble cookie gifts for co-workers, neighbors, teachers and friends.

Have you ever hosted a cookie exchange party? What are some tips and pointers you would suggest?

[image used with permission from hershey's]

Post from: Chocolate Bytes

Hershey’s has finally come out with individual packs of Kisses, perfect for giving out for trick-or-treating. They’re also dressing up their other treats for the holiday, like black and orange foil wrapped Kisses:

There are also individually wrapped Reese’s Peanut Butter cups shaped as pumpkins (my kids love these in their lunch boxes), as well as Reese’s mini cups in dark and milk chocolate wrapped in orange and black foils:

Hershey’s regular assortment bags of snack sized bars are also available in fun Halloween wrappers and are in large 50-pack bags, perfect for handing out on October 31st!

[images: hershey's]

Post from: Chocolate Bytes

I just came across this idea for chocolate pretzel kisses, and since it requires easy to find ingredients and pretty much no other prep aside from assembly and warming up, they might just make it into this year’s gift! The “recipe” is easy to find pretty much anywhere, and I picked this one up from allrecipes.com.

Chocolate Pretzel Kisses

24 circular or square bite-size pretzels
24 milk chocolate Kisses and/or Hugs
1 (1.69 ounce) package candy-coated chocolates

~ Preheat oven to 350 degrees

~ Place pretzels on baking sheets

~ Unwrap Kisses and/or Hugs and place one in the center of each pretzel

~ Place in preheated oven 1 to 2 minutes, until kisses melt

~ Remove from oven and place one candy-coated chocolate in the center of each pretzel and press down gently

~ Chill in refrigerator until set

[image: flickr]

Post from: Chocolate Bytes

I’m not sure that these are something I would wear, but I like the concept! Demeter has created Hershey chocolate perfumes in both Kisses and Special Dark.

Kisses is described as “a smooth, delicious fragrance inspired by America’s classic tasty treat. Hershey’s bite-sized, shiny-wrapped gems of smooth, delectable chocolate have been delivering delicious delight since 1907. Capture the essence of kisses and smell irresistibly sweet.”

Special Dark is “a sinful, sensual and delicious fragrance dedicated to the darkest chocolate, Hershey’s. The scent of a dark chocolate and the irresistible taste is all bottled into this exotic delicious fragrance.”

There’s also a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup scent, but it doesn’t come highly recommended!

[images: sephora; ultrafragrances]

Post from: Chocolate Bytes