Cookies & Bars Archives - Page 78 of 121 - Garden Seeds and Honey Bees

Homemade Circus Cookies

I’ve tried to think of many different words that would describe and name these cookies? I had small cookie cutters that I really liked their shapes, but they weren’t all animal shapes and I liked the idea of animal cookies, so I decided to call them homemade circus cookies with a twist. I looked at many recipes for a good small cookie that wouldn’t bake to crispy and I think this recipe does the trick. I hope you like them as much as family and I do!!!

(The Large Homemade Circus Cookies turned out good, holding their shape even with the slender tails and legs of the cookies.)

Note: Some of the cookies cutters are made by Wilton and other are just random finds of cookie cutters from Walmart and Home Goods.

Homemade Circus Cookie Dough

*1/2 cup Butter, room temperature

*1/4 cup Granulated Sugar

*1/4 cup Brown Sugar

*2 Tablespoons Honey

*4 Tablespoons Cream

*2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

*1/2 teaspoon Almond Extract

*1/2 cup White Whole Wheat Flour

*2 cups All-Purpose Flour

*1/2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

*1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder

*1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt

*1/2 cup Old Fashion Oats, chopped

*Sprinkles/Nonpariels

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**Small or medium-sized cookie cutters of animal shapes or any shapes desired.

In stand mixer on medium-low Speed, cream together the wet ingredients; butter and sugar until light and creamy. Then drizzle in the honey while mixing and add the: Cream, vanilla, almond extract and continue mixing until combined.

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Sift together in a mixing bowl the dry ingredients; flour, cinnamon, and baking powder. Then add the sea salt and oats and whisk together. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until it forms a semi-sticky dough.

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Remove the dough from the bowl and divide in half. Form the dough into two flat dough disks on 2 pieces of plastic wrap and wrap each dough disk and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

After refrigeration roll out each dough disk, on a floured surface a thick 1/4 inch and cutout cookies with cookie cutters. Place cut cookies on a Silpat covered baking sheet and bake the cookies in a 350 F. oven. for 6-7 minutes for small cookies and 7-8 minutes for the medium cookies. When finished baking allow the cookies to remain on the cookie sheet 2 minutes before removing to cool on baking racks.

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Dipping Chocolate Frosting

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*1 cup Ghirardelli White Melting Wafers

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Melt the wafers in a double boiler or we use a glass bowl over a sauce pan filled about 1/3 full, making sure the water doesn’t tough the glass bowl. Bring to a simmer on medium-low until wafers are melted. (You can also use 1 cup of Ghirardelli White Melting Chips with 2 tablespoons of white vegetable shortening. Melt in the same way you would the melting wafers.)

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Divide the melted vanilla chips or wafers into two bowls (Bowls that are big enough to dip one of the flat sides of each your baked cookies) and then dip cookies in the melted chips or wafers and sprinkle with sprinkles/Nonpareils. Allow cookies to dry on baking racks.

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Store the cookies in an air tight container for 2-3 days.

Homemade Circus Cookies

Enjoy!

Lindy

Crumble Crust Million Dollar Bars

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Crust Layer

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*1 cup All-purpose Flour, sifted

*1/4 cup Dark Brown Sugar, packed

*2 teaspoons Cornstarch

*1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt

*1/2 cup Butter, cold and cubed

*1 tablespoon Ice Cold Water

*1 large Egg Yolk

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Caramel Layer

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*1 can 14 ounce Sweetened Condensed Milk

*6 tablespoons Butter

*2 tablespoons Dark Corn Syrup

*1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

*1/8 teaspoon Sea Salt

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Dark Chocolate Layer

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*6 ounces Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate Bar-like Bakers, chopped into chunks

*3 tablespoon Heavy Cream

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Preheat oven 350*F.

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In a parchment lined 9×9 inch pan or we used a quarter baking sheet and spray parchment with Pam cooking spray.

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Making the Crust Layer

Use a pastry cutter or food processor with metal blade.

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Combine together in bowl using the pastry cutter or food processor, add the flour, brown sugar, cornstarch and sea salt. Mix or pulse together until well mixed. Then pulse or cut in cold butter until clumps form. Then add the ice water and egg yolk until moist clumps.

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Crust dough will be sticky when you scoop the dough onto baking sheet/ pan so, flour your hands while you press into prepared baking sheet/pan.

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Poke dough with a fork all over the dough crust layer and bake for 20 minutes. Then set aside to cool while making caramel layer.

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Making the Caramel Layer

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In a medium heavy duty sauce pan, add all the caramel ingredients and whisk them together until combined. Then turn on stove to medium-low heat whisking together until sugar dissolves. Turn up to medium heat (whisking continuously throughout cooking) and bring to a boil and the caramel mixture becomes thick (use a candy thermometer and when it reaches 225*F.) about 6 minutes. Pour the caramel over baked crust and let set in the fridge for about 15 minutes while you make the chocolate layer.

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Making Chocolate Layer

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In a sauce pan fill 1/3 full with water. Then in a small glass bowl that fits on top the sauce pan, making sure it doesn’t touch the water. Add the chocolate and cream to the glass bowl. Turn on heat to medium-low and melt chocolate and then add to the top of the cooled caramel layer.

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Refrigerate the bars at least one hour before cutting into squares, cut into squares with dough cutter or sharp knife and store in airtight container if fridge until serving.

Recipe adapted from Once upon a Chef Millionaire’s Shortbread

Crumble Crust Million Dollar Bars