Preheat the oven to 350ºF (175ºC). Grease a baking sheet and set aside. Unwrap the milk chocolate kisses so they're ready to use. I always get my ingredients measured out first to make baking go smoother.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, salt, and baking powder until thoroughly combined. Set aside for later use.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter, solid shortening, and peanut butter until smooth and creamy. Add in the packed brown sugar and continue beating until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Blend in the egg and vanilla extract until uniform. Gradually add the flour mixture from Step 2 and mix on low speed until just combined. Scrape down the sides again and blend for 30 more seconds for an even dough.

Shape the dough into small 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in granulated sugar, then arrange them on the prepared baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, or until the bottoms are light golden brown. Remove from the oven, and while still warm, press a milk chocolate kiss into the center of each cookie so the edges crack lightly. Let cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. I like to roll the dough balls generously in sugar to add extra crunch!

Melt the almond bark in a small dish using 30-second microwave intervals until smooth. Pour melted bark into a small plastic sandwich bag, being careful as it may be hot. Snip off a tiny corner of the bag and pipe the melted bark in thin strands around each milk chocolate kiss to resemble strings of lights. Immediately sprinkle colorful nonpareils onto the bark stripes. Finally, use a small dab of melted bark to attach a candy star on the top of each kiss. Allow decorations to set and harden before serving.