Owl Butter Cookies

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:

1. In a stand mixer cream the butter and sugar until combined(dont over mix)
2. Add the egg, vanilla extract and almond extract and mix until combined.
3. Add the flour(with salt if using) and mix on slow until it clumps together.
4. Remove from the mixer, onto parchment paper.
5. Remove about 150 grams of the dough and set aside.
6. Shape the remaining dough into an oblong and place more parchment paper on top.
7. Roll out into an oblong and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.
8. Meanwhile roll the remaining set aside dough into 40 small balls, this is for the owl eyes.
9. Refrigerate the balls too.
10. After an hour roll the main dough again, to make it just a bit more than 1/4 inch thick.
11. Cut out the cookies, using a 3 inch diameter cookie cutter and transfer carefully to a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
12. One each cookie place two balls close together to be the eyes.
13. Press a chocolate chip, pointed side down, into each ball.
14. Place a whole almond  just below the eyes to make a beak.
15. Using the cookie cutter again gently make a wing on each side of the cookie(don’t cut all the way through the dough).
16. Use a blunt edge to press line in a criss cross pattern in each of the wings.
17. Using a small pastry brush dust some cocoa powder onto the wings to give definition.
18. Use 6 slivered almonds in groups of three to make the owl feet.
19. Refrigerate the cookies for a further 30 minutes, to help prevent them from spreading.
20. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/350F.
21. Bake the cookies for 15 to 20 minutes, until the slivered almonds are beginning to go a golden colour.
22. 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.