Chocolate hippos, moomins and butterflies
Cut-out cookies makes me think of Christmas and as it’s still 6 months left it’s too early to bake ginger cookies, so I decided to bake chocolate cookies instead. I started searching on the internet and finally found theese very chocolaty cookies by Martha Stewart. I have to admit that I’ve never tried any of her recipes before, she’s not that big in Sweden even though they sell her magazines and send her show on TV (daytime though, which means that I only watch it when I’m ill or have vacation). The cookies have a very strong flavour of chocolate and slightly reminds me of oreo cookies. There is also cinnamon in the dough, but the flavour is very vague even though I increased the amount. The cookies were a success at my husband’s office and I had great fun baking and decorating them.
I’ve received a lot of questions regarding the cutters. The moomin cutters were bought in a small shop in Gothenburg for about 2-3 years ago. I havn’t seen them anywhere since then, not even in that store. The hippo and the butterfly cutter were bought in Verner & Verner, a kitchen utensil shop.
- Chocolate cookies
(Source: Martha Stewart. I’ve only converted the recipe to the metric system and increased the amount of cinnamon. I ended up with 4 or 5 baking sheets of cookies – much larger sheets than the ones on the photos.)
330 gram sifted all-purpose flour
155 gram unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
340 gram unsalted butter
280 gram sifted confectioners’ sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
In a large bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, salt, and cinnamon. Set mixture aside.
Use an electric mixer to cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
Add flour mixture; mix on low speed until thoroughly combined. Divide dough in half; wrap in plastic. Chill at least 1 hour (I chilled my dough overnight).
Heat oven to 175 degrees C. Take out the dough from the fridge, by now it will be very hard but it will get soft after you’ve rolled it a few minutes. On a floured surface, roll dough to about 4 mm thick (Myself I roll on my tupperware “mat” and then a put a large piece of plastic wrap on top of the dough, in that way the dough doesn’t stick). Cut into desired shapes. Transfer to ungreased baking sheets; refrigerate until firm, 15 minutes.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until crisp but not darkened. Cool on wire racks; decorate as desired
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How to decorate eyes on the hippos and moomins
(source: My own idea and recipe)
120 gram (=200 ml) confectioners’ sugar
3 tsp water
a squeeze of fresh lemon
A piping bag with a small tip.
Round silver candies for decorating (unfortunately I believe that I’ve read that they are not allowed in the US).
Mix the ingredients. Fill a piping bag with the mixture. Squeeze out a small amount that will be the eye white and then press a silver candy in the center.
August 3rd, 2007 12:14
they look very delicious!!!
i’d like to taste them!
August 3rd, 2007 12:31
I love the bag! And the cookies look tasty too.
August 3rd, 2007 12:56
Too cute! I bet they also taste delicious!
August 3rd, 2007 12:57
hello
Where did you get the Moomin cutter shapes?!
August 3rd, 2007 13:30
Those Moomin cookie cutters are beyond cute!! Will you share the secret source for finding them? :)
August 3rd, 2007 13:36
Ils sont super mignons ces biscuits. Ils me rappellent mon enfance, quand je mangeais des petits gâteaux en forme d’animaux hihi!
August 3rd, 2007 13:59
They look delicious, I so love the hipo…
August 3rd, 2007 15:07
They are so cute and funny! I like very much to decorate all kind of desserts but I’ve never made such happy hipos :)
August 3rd, 2007 19:46
lol! Fruuuuktansvärt söta flodhästar! :-D
/Breledorm
August 3rd, 2007 20:53
They look so adorable!
August 3rd, 2007 23:26
ZOMG, those “moomins” cookie cutters are adorable.
Where did you get them?
I found a link via google for some, but the didn’t have the detail in the middle, just the outlines.
August 4th, 2007 07:28
Those hippos are the best ever!
August 4th, 2007 12:39
Hej Dagmar!
I have made you “Rockin’ girl blogger”, look at my page to see what it means and then pass it on to 5 bloggers who deserve it :-)
My best,
Newyorkerbyheart
http://www.newyorkerbyheart.blogspot.com
August 4th, 2007 17:40
Dagmara ja tez chcę takie upiec ,proszę przepis…..
August 4th, 2007 17:49
These cookies look delightful! Where did you get your cookie cutters?
August 5th, 2007 00:18
Oh the hippos are so cute!
August 5th, 2007 11:38
So cute! I rarely make cut-out cookies, only for Christmas, but these ones sounds really tasty. But before I try them I have to go out and get me some cookie cutters that are cute like yours.
August 5th, 2007 12:00
Thanks for all sweet comments!
The moomin cutters were bought in a small shop in Gothenburg for about 2-3 years ago. I havn’t seen them anywhere since then, not even in that store and I’ve really been searching everywere. The hippo and the butterfly cutter were bought in Verner & Verner, a kitchen utensil shop.
August 7th, 2007 08:11
The hippos and moomin are adorable! Great pictures!
August 7th, 2007 23:58
I love these!! Too cute!