Description
Mushroom Sugar Cookies are thick, soft slice-and-bake cookies featuring a chocolate exterior and a charming mushroom design in the center. These cookies are easy to make, perfect for holiday baking or cottagecore-inspired treats, and can be conveniently frozen to bake fresh whenever desired.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- ¾ cup butter (barely softened - not too soft!)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg (room temperature)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (240g)
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder (Dutch processed)
Decorations
- Red gel food coloring (as needed)
- White round pearl sprinkles
- ⅓ cup coarse sugar
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- Green gel food coloring (as needed)
Instructions
- Prepare the Dough: In a large bowl, cream together the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add the salt, vanilla, and egg, mixing well to combine.
- Add Dry Ingredients: Sift together the all-purpose flour and cocoa powder. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing just until combined to form a soft dough.
- Color and Divide Dough: Separate a small portion of the dough and tint it red with the gel food coloring for the mushroom caps. Leave some dough natural or tint with green for decorative details. Wrap each dough portion separately in plastic wrap.
- Assemble Mushroom Shapes: Shape the red dough into small mushroom caps and use white round pearl sprinkles to create spots. Use the coarse sugar to add texture as needed. Arrange the mushroom shapes on a log of chocolate dough to create a hidden mushroom design inside the cookie slices.
- Chill Dough: Wrap the assembled logs tightly and refrigerate or freeze for at least 1 hour to firm up the dough for slicing.
- Preheat Oven and Slice Dough: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Slice the chilled dough logs into ¼ inch thick rounds, carefully revealing the mushroom design.
- Bake Cookies: Place cookie slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spacing them 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes or until the edges are set but the centers remain soft.
- Prepare Icing: While cookies cool, mix powdered sugar with heavy whipping cream and green gel food coloring to make a smooth icing for decorating stems or leaves if desired.
- Decorate Cookies: Once cooled, pipe the green icing onto cookies to add mushroom stems and leafy details.
- Store or Serve: Let decorated cookies set completely before serving. Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to one week or freeze for longer storage.
Notes
- Use room temperature egg and butter to ensure even mixing and soft dough.
- For vibrant colors, use gel food coloring sparingly and add more if needed.
- These cookies are slice-and-bake style, so chilling the dough is essential for clean slices and preserving the mushroom design.
- You can freeze the unbaked dough logs for up to 3 months; thaw before slicing and baking.
- Adjust the thickness of the slices for desired cookie size; thinner slices will result in crisper cookies.
- Decorate with edible pearl sprinkles to enhance the mushroom cap look.
- Experiment with different colored icing to create varied mushroom designs.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 186 kcal
- Sugar: 15 g
- Sodium: 97 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2.4 g
- Trans Fat: 0.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 26 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg
