Sliced Penguin Cookies topcook.tomathouse.com
Ingredients:
- 2 and 1/4 cups of premium flour, plus extra for working with the dough
- 0.5 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 165 g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 large egg + 1 beaten egg for brushing
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- Orange gel food coloring
- Black gel food coloring
- 1/4 cup (80 g) red confectionery chocolate icing granules
- 12 mini marshmallows, cut in half crosswise
- 1/4 cup (80 g) white confectionery chocolate icing granules
- 48 mini chocolate chips
Preparation:
- Cookie:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes.
- Beat in 1 egg and vanilla extract until fully incorporated. Reduce mixer speed to low, add the flour mixture, and knead the dough.
When measuring flour, spoon it into a dry measuring cup and remove any excess. Scooping flour directly from the bag with a measuring cup will compact it, resulting in dry baked goods.
- Turn almost all of the dough out onto a floured work surface, reserving ¼ cup in the bowl. Add 3 drops of orange food coloring to the remaining dough and mix on low speed until it's evenly colored bright orange.
- Form the orange dough into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
- Wash the bowl and return 3/4 cup of the remaining uncolored dough to the bowl. Add 4 drops of black food coloring and mix on low speed until evenly colored a rich black.
- Form the black dough into a rectangle, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 20 minutes.
- Make a penguin body:
Form the remaining uncolored dough into a cylinder 23-25 cm long and about 4 cm wide. Wrap in plastic wrap and set aside (not in the refrigerator).
- Divide the orange dough into 3 equal parts (these will be the legs and nose). Roll 3 ropes 23-25 cm long and about 0.8 cm wide. Shape one rope into a triangle along its entire length, smoothing the sides (a ruler will help here). Wrap the orange pieces individually in plastic wrap and place in the freezer to set, about 15 minutes.
- Cut the unpainted cylinder in half lengthwise. Brush the cut edges of both halves with beaten egg. Press the orange triangle rope into the center of the cut edge of one half. Cover with the other half and press them together to seal and form a cylinder again.
- Make the black part of the penguin's body:
On a floured surface, roll the black dough out with a rolling pin into a 0.5 cm thick rectangle measuring 22 x 10 cm, with the long side facing you. Using a rolling pin, roll out the edges by another 2.5 cm to make them thinner and create a raised rectangle in the center. The rectangle should be 22 x 15 cm. Brush the black rectangle with beaten egg, then wrap it around the unpainted cylinder, pressing down with your hand to ensure the two layers of dough adhere to each other. The black dough will be thicker at the top of the cylinder (the penguin's head) and thinner at the bottom.
- Glue the legs:
Brush the thinner bottom of the black dough with beaten egg and press two thin orange ropes along the entire length, about 0.5 cm apart (these will be the legs). Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and use your palm to form a cylinder into an egg shape (the head should be narrower).
- Place in the freezer to chill, about 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Using a very sharp knife, trim 0.5 cm off each end of the cylinder to reveal the penguin's face. Slice the cylinder into cookies approximately 0.5 cm thick. Place the slices on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 4 cm apart.
- Bake, rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until crisp and just beginning to brown, 10-12 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
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