Peppermint Penguins

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A bit of peppermint extract makes these cute penguin cookies taste perfectly appropriate as Christmas cookies, although you could enjoy them any time of year.

Prep Time:
40 mins
Bake Time:
11 mins
Total Time:
51 mins
Servings:
14
Yield:
14 penguins

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter, softened

  • ½ cup sugar

  • 1 tablespoon milk

  • 1 teaspoon peppermint extract

  • ¼ teaspoon salt

  • 2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour

  • Black and orange paste food coloring

  • White decorating icing*

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper; set aside. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, milk, peppermint extract, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour.

  2. Remove 3/4 cup dough and set aside. Remove 1/3 cup dough and tint with orange food coloring. Tint the remaining dough with black food coloring.

  3. To make each penguin, shape black dough into one 1 1/4-inch ball and two 1/4-inch balls. Shape the plain dough into one 3/4-inch ball. Shape the orange dough into two 1/4-inch balls and one 1/8-inch ball. On the prepared cookie sheet, for the body, flatten the black 1 1/4-inch ball into a 1/4-inch-thick oval. For the white tummy, flatten the plain 3/4-inch ball into a 1/4-inch-thick oval. Place the plain oval on top of the black oval so that the bottoms of the ovals align. Using a knife, cut the bottom of the ovals to make a straight edge; discard cut edge. For wings, flatten the two black 1/4-inch balls to make teardrop shapes. Position the drops, round sides up, on each side at the top of white oval. For the feet, shape the two 1/4-inch orange balls into squares. Use the handle of a spoon to make small indentations in one end of each square for webbed feet. Attach squares to the bottom of the ovals. For the beak, shape the 1/8-inch orange ball into a triangle and position for a beak. Shape penguins on cookie sheets, leaving 2 inches between each penguin.

  4. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes or until edges are set. Cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes. Carefully transfer to a wire rack and let cool. Make eyes with dots of white decorating icing and a dot of black food coloring in the middle. Let stand until set.

    Peppermint Penguins
    Jason Donnelly

To Store:

Layer cookies between sheets of waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

*Note:

Use purchased decorating icing, or in a small bowl stir together 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 1 to 3 teaspoons of water to reach piping consistency.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

240 Calories
13g Fat
28g Carbs
2g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 14
Calories 240
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 13g 17%
Saturated Fat 8g 40%
Cholesterol 35mg 12%
Sodium 159mg 7%
Total Carbohydrate 28g 10%
Total Sugars 12g
Protein 2g
Calcium 10.1mg 1%
Iron 0.9mg 5%
Potassium 27mg 1%
Fatty acids, total trans 1g
Folate, total 36.3mcg
Vitamin B-12 0.1mcg

*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

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