Preheat the oven to 350?F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

In a stand mixer, cream the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until smooth. Add in the egg yolk, vanilla extract, and red food coloring gel, and mix until combined.

Add in the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt, and mix just until the flour mixture disappears.

Using a tablespoon, scoop out 18 equally sized cookie dough balls, roll them in your hands, then roll them in the red sanding sugar.

Place the cookie balls on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Place a chocolate kiss in the center of each cookie as soon as you pull them out of the oven, pressing down gently.

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.