Americans love their holiday traditions, and nobody understands that better than Hershey.
The candy giant has been filling stockings and candy dishes for generations with those iconic foil-wrapped Kisses.
And Hershey's new Snickerdoodle Kisses just dropped and this one detail left everyone stunned.
Hershey's Christmas candy lineup looks better than ever this year with four new products hitting shelves nationwide, including the new Hershey's Kisses Snickerdoodle Cookie Candy.
These aren't your typical chocolate Kisses.
The new treats combine white chocolate with bits of crunchy cookie and get wrapped in bronze holiday foils, delivering that classic cinnamon-sugar snickerdoodle taste your grandmother's been making for decades.
But here's what caught everyone off guard: Hershey didn't just guess that Americans wanted snickerdoodle-flavored candy.
Company asked consumers what they wanted and actually listened
The candy maker conducted consumer surveys and found three out of four Americans wanted snickerdoodle candy on store shelves.¹
When's the last time a major corporation actually asked regular Americans what they wanted instead of pushing whatever trendy flavor some marketing executive dreamed up?
Hershey put in the research, got overwhelming demand for a traditional American cookie flavor, and delivered exactly what people asked for.
That's how business used to work in this country before companies started chasing activist approval over customer satisfaction.
The snickerdoodle Kisses join three other new holiday treats Hershey launched this month: peppermint-flavored Kit Kat bars with red candy pieces mixed in, miniature Reese's shaped like Christmas trees, and Hershey's Milk Chocolate bars featuring the Grinch, Max, and Cindy-Lou Who.
"From festive red, green, and silver Hershey's Kisses to fan favorite Holiday shapes, Hershey celebrates the traditions that make the season sweet," Angie Stubbs, Senior Manager of Holiday at The Hershey Company, said in a statement.² "Whether you're enjoying a timeless favorite or discovering a new treat, we're here to make your celebrations more memorable."
The timing of this product launch couldn't be more critical for Hershey.
New CEO faces Halloween sales disappointment
CEO Kirk Tanner revealed during an October earnings call that Halloween candy sales got off to a slower start than anticipated this year.³
Tanner attributed some of the lag to Halloween falling on a Friday in 2025, which tends to push final purchases into the last week of the season, along with unusually warm weather affecting seasonal shopping patterns.
But that admission came with a price tag.
Hershey's stock took a hit and retailers started deeply discounting Halloween candy to move inventory.
In response, Hershey announced plans to invest more heavily in consumer insights to refine its product mix, pricing, and packaging beyond just holiday seasons.
That strategy appears to be paying off with the Christmas lineup.
Winter holidays represent the candy industry's second-biggest sales period behind Halloween, with shoppers dropping more than $4 billion on sweets between Thanksgiving and New Year's, industry data shows.⁴
Hershey's consumer research confirmed another obvious truth the company's competitors seem to miss: people crave mint-flavored treats during winter months.
The new Kit Kat peppermint bars come in multiple sizes specifically designed to compete with traditional candy canes for holiday candy dish dominance.
Hershey has been navigating some rough waters lately.
Cocoa prices remain 70% higher than 2023 levels, squeezing profit margins even after the company raised prices.⁵
Third quarter net income dropped 38.2% despite sales increasing 6.5%.⁶
But Kirk Tanner, who took over as CEO in August after running Wendy's, brought a collaboration-intensive playbook focused on consumer trends and innovative product partnerships.
His approach includes aggressive market research to stay ahead of shifting consumer preferences.
That's exactly what drove the snickerdoodle Kisses to store shelves.
When three-quarters of your potential customers say they want a specific flavor, you don't ignore that kind of consensus.
The new holiday candy lineup shows Hershey betting big on nostalgia combined with innovation.
Snickerdoodle cookies have been an American tradition for generations, evoking memories of home kitchens and family gatherings.
Now those warm cinnamon-sugar flavors come wrapped in the familiar shape that's been gracing candy dishes since 1907, when Hershey's Kisses first made their debut.
The snickerdoodle Kisses and the rest of Hershey's holiday lineup are available in stores nationwide now while supplies last.
Retailers set the final pricing, but these limited-edition treats typically sell out fast during the Christmas season.
¹ Shannon Cudd, "Hershey's new holiday candy: Snickerdoodle Kisses and more," Fast Company, November 6, 2025.
² The Hershey Company, "The Hershey Company Delivers Holiday Magic with New Treats and Timeless Favorites," PR Newswire, November 6, 2025.
³ Marla Dickerson, "Hershey creates wild new holiday candy lineup," TheStreet, November 10, 2025.
⁴ Ibid.
⁵ Ibid.
⁶ Oliver Morrison, "Hershey Q3 earnings: Sales rise but profits plunge amid cost pressures," ConfectioneryNews, October 30, 2025.