(For some odd reason, Flickr is being yucky right now and not enabling me to post my photos the normal size I'd like to show them as, but this will do. )
Anyway, OWL COOKIES! YAY! Finally! Just in time before Halloween. I've been wanting to make these for quite a while ever since I purchased the Better Homes & Gardens Halloween Tricks & Treats issue a few weeks back. The recipe called for a premade roll of refrigerated sugar cookie dough (ie. Pillsbury), but I thought it couldn't be that hard to make my own. So, of course, I wanted to challenge myself and veganize it, using this vegan sugar cookie dough recipe. After dividing the dough into what I guesstimated to be about 18 oz, all I had to do was further divide it into three pieces. One remained opaque, and the others were knead in cocoa powder. From there, all you have to do is roll the lighter colored cookie dough into a round log, roll out the chocolate cookie dough and place the light colored log on top of the chocolate rectangle. You wrap it, pinch the edges, and seal it, and since I couldn't bake them immediately, I kept it in the freezer for a few days. All I had to do was dethaw in the fridge and I was good to go!
1 roll (18 oz.) refrigerated sugar cookie dough
1/4 cup flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
20 whole cashews
¼ cup chocolate frosting
½ cup M&M’S® Brand Peanut Chocolate Candies
2 cookie sheet pans
Plastic wrap paper
Resealable plastic bag
1. Divide the sugar cookie dough in three pieces. Knead the flour into one piece of cookie dough until smooth, set aside. Combine the remaining two pieces of cookie dough and knead in the cocoa powder until smooth, set aside.
2. Roll the lighter colored cookie dough into a 1-inch round log about 10 inches long, and move it off to the side. Roll out the chocolate cookie dough on a lightly floured surface to a 10 x 4-inch rectangle. Place the light colored log of cookie dough on top of the chocolate rectangle. Wrap the chocolate cookie dough completely around the lighter colored log. Pinch edges to seal and roll the log smooth. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cut the cookie log into 1/4-inch slices. Place 2 slices, side by side, on sheet pans. Press a cashew into cookie at the point the slices touch. Repeat with remaining cookie slices. Bake for approximately 8-11 minutes, or until cookies are just beginning to golden. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
4. Spoon the chocolate frosting into a resealable bag and snip a small corner from bag. Using the photograph as guide, pipe eyelashes and a dot to secure candies. Add the M&M’S® Brand Chocolate Candies for eyes.
More recipes and crafty Halloween baking ideas can be found here!
