Black Cat Cookies
1 c. butter, softened
2 c. sugar
2 eggs
3 t. vanilla extract
3 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. baking cocoa
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
48 candy corn candies
24 red-hot candies
Preheat oven to 350 F. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture.
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| Roll dough into 1-1/2 inch balls. Place 3 inches apart on lightly greased baking sheets. |
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| Pinch tops of cookies to form ears. |
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| Flatten with a glass dipped in sugar. |
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| To make whiskers, press a fork twice into each cookie. |
Bake at 350 F. for 10 -12 minutes or until cookies are set. Remove from oven; immediately press on candy corn for eyes and red-hots for noses. Remove to wire racks to cool. Makes 2 dozen.
Tips:
I have made these with 1/2 butter and 1/2 Crisco. They are good, but better tasting and more moist with all butter.
I have also made them with 1/2 the sugar called for in the recipe. They were good, but a bit dry and "dark chocolate" tasting. They also didn't seem to bake up into as large a cookie. I have also made them with 1/2 the sugar and added Agave Nectar with good success.
I use a Pampered Chef cookie dough scoop to form the dough into balls. Use a generous scoop! Make the dough balls big enough or the cat faces will be too small and you won't have enough room to push the candies into the freshly baked cookie. If you don't have a cookie dough scoop, think "golf ball" sized handful of dough.
It's important to not overbake. Recipe says 10-12 minutes, but know your oven! I bake mine 9 minutes. If they are in too long, you'll not be able to press the candies in without cracking the surface of the cookie. I let them sit on the hot cookie sheet for 2-3 minutes after I quickly get the candies in place. This allows them to finish "baking" and firm up. If you remove them to the cooling rack too soon, they will not make the trip well.
It's important to work quickly when pushing the candies into the hot cookies. I only bake 6 at a time so I can get them all done before the cookies cool too much to accept and melt the candies. If the candy doesn't go into a hot cookie, it may not stick. I have had to use merigue powder to make a kind of "glue" to get the candy to adhere when I didn't get them pushed into the cookies fast enough. Work quickly, but be careful not to burn yourself on the hot cookie sheet (spoken from experience....)
There you have it! It's not rocket science, just cookie baking, but I have figured a few things out from making them so many times. The only thing I haven't figured out is how to make them last longer once they are in the house.
This recipe was originally published in the Muskegon Chronicle and was passed on to me by my dear friend Marilyn Kingsley.
Tips:
I have made these with 1/2 butter and 1/2 Crisco. They are good, but better tasting and more moist with all butter.
I have also made them with 1/2 the sugar called for in the recipe. They were good, but a bit dry and "dark chocolate" tasting. They also didn't seem to bake up into as large a cookie. I have also made them with 1/2 the sugar and added Agave Nectar with good success.
I use a Pampered Chef cookie dough scoop to form the dough into balls. Use a generous scoop! Make the dough balls big enough or the cat faces will be too small and you won't have enough room to push the candies into the freshly baked cookie. If you don't have a cookie dough scoop, think "golf ball" sized handful of dough.
It's important to not overbake. Recipe says 10-12 minutes, but know your oven! I bake mine 9 minutes. If they are in too long, you'll not be able to press the candies in without cracking the surface of the cookie. I let them sit on the hot cookie sheet for 2-3 minutes after I quickly get the candies in place. This allows them to finish "baking" and firm up. If you remove them to the cooling rack too soon, they will not make the trip well.
It's important to work quickly when pushing the candies into the hot cookies. I only bake 6 at a time so I can get them all done before the cookies cool too much to accept and melt the candies. If the candy doesn't go into a hot cookie, it may not stick. I have had to use merigue powder to make a kind of "glue" to get the candy to adhere when I didn't get them pushed into the cookies fast enough. Work quickly, but be careful not to burn yourself on the hot cookie sheet (spoken from experience....)
There you have it! It's not rocket science, just cookie baking, but I have figured a few things out from making them so many times. The only thing I haven't figured out is how to make them last longer once they are in the house.
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| Whisker-less kitty! I forgot a step! |
