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

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*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.

 

Enjoy!

Lindy