I found a lovely recipe on etsy blog bt Heather Baird. She used this a little gifts for people to take away after Thanksgiving dinner. They looked so cute and I thought they would be something that children would enjoy helping to make. I decided that I would give them a try too.
They are a simple butter cookie but decorated to look like owls. So really the recipe itself is quite simple and it just takes a while to cut out and make the owl face.
I copied the recipe precisely, except that I converted to metric weights as that is how I preferred to work.
Mine turned out quite well, if not as professional looking as those done in the original recipe. They also taste wonderful, so are well worth trying.
Ingredients:
- 227g softened butter(I used slightly salted but if not add a pinch of salt to the flour)
- 225g granulated sugar
- 385g plain flour
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 1 medium egg(large in USA)
- 30 blanched almonds quartered length ways(or 120 slivered almonds)
- 20 whole almonds with skins on
- 40 dark chocolate chips
- cocoa powder for dusting the wings.
Method:
- In a stand mixer cream the butter and sugar until combined(dont over mix)
- Add the egg, vanilla extract and almond extract and mix until combined.
- Add the flour(with salt if using) and mix on slow until it clumps together.
- Remove from the mixer, onto parchment paper.
- Remove about 150 grams of the dough and set aside.
- Shape the remaining dough into an oblong and place more parchment paper on top.
- Roll out into an oblong and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.
- Meanwhile roll the remaining set aside dough into 40 small balls, this is for the owl eyes.
- Refrigerate the balls too.
- After an hour roll the main dough again, to make it just a bit more than 1/4 inch thick.
- Cut out the cookies, using a 3 inch diameter cookie cutter and transfer carefully to a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
- One each cookie place two balls close together to be the eyes.
- Press a chocolate chip, pointed side down, into each ball.
- Place a whole almond just below the eyes to make a beak.
- Using the cookie cutter again gently make a wing on each side of the cookie(don’t cut all the way through the dough).
- Use a blunt edge to press line in a criss cross pattern in each of the wings.
- Using a small pastry brush dust some cocoa powder onto the wings to give definition.
- Use 6 slivered almonds in groups of three to make the owl feet.
- Refrigerate the cookies for a further 30 minutes, to help prevent them from spreading.
- Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/350F.
- Bake the cookies for 15 to 20 minutes, until the slivered almonds are beginning to go a golden colour.
- Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cook on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.