Circus Animal Cookies Recipes

MOTHER'S CIRCUS ANIMAL COOKIES

Steps:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla, butter flavoring, and almond extract and mix until incorporated.
• In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt. With the mixer on low, incorporate the flour mixture in two additions, scraping the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Mix just until incorporated. Form the dough into a disc, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.
• Remove the dough from the fridge and set out at room temperature for 20 minutes. Position two oven racks close together in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• Separate the dough into four sections and roll each out separately to 1/8 inch thick. Dip cookie cutter in flour and cut animal shapes out of the dough. Place cookies 1 inch apart on the parchment-lined sheets and bake until lightly golden on the edges, approximately 10-12 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack.
• In a microwave safe bowl, melt the white chocolate in 10-second intervals in the microwave or place over a double boiler. Using a fork, dip each cookie in the chocolate until completely coated. (Once you're halfway through the cookies, add food coloring to the chocolate to the desired pinkness and finish coating the cookies.) Place on parchment paper, sprinkle with nonpareils, and let dry.
• For quicker drying or if you live somewhere warm, like me, place cookies in the fridge to dry. Cookies will keep stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 4-5 days. I kept mine in the fridge to keep them safe from the warm weather we've been having here.

CIRCUS ANIMAL COOKIES WITH ICING

Steps:

• Place butter in a large bowl and cream using an electric mixer for 3 minutes. Add confectioners' sugar and mix until incorporated. Add each egg individually to the creamed butter, scraping the sides of the bowl if needed. Add vanilla extract and mix for 3 more minutes.
• Sift flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar together in a bowl. Add flour mixture to the butter mixture, mixing on low speed. Cover and chill the dough until it is workable, 2 to 4 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Roll dough out onto a work surface and cut using small animal-shaped cookie cutters. Place cookies on a baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven on the middle rack until crisp, 7 to 9 minutes. Let cool completely before icing, about 45 minutes.
• Mix 2 cups confectioners' sugar, half-and-half, and vanilla extract together in a bowl. Divide icing and add pink food coloring to 1 half. Dip cookies in icing and decorate with sprinkles quickly before icing dries. Place cookies on a rack to let icing dry to a shiny finish.

CIRCUS ANIMAL SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter, shortening and sugar for 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add in the egg and vanilla and stir until well combined. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, then add them to the butter-and-sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Fold in the sprinkles, cover with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
• Using a small cookie scoop (about 1 1/2 tablespoons), portion out the dough into balls and roll between the palms of your hands, placing 6 on each of the prepared baking sheets. Make sure to leave about 2 to 3 inches of space in between to allow the cookies to spread while baking.
• Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly golden brown around the edges. Remove from the oven and immediately place 1 frosted circus animal cookie on the center of each cookie, pressing down slightly. Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheets before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Allow the baking sheets to cool completely, then repeat with the remaining dough and circus animal cookies. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.