Description
These Mushroom Sugar Cookies are thick, soft sugar cookies with a rich chocolate outside and an adorable mushroom design in the center. They are slice-and-bake cookies that are surprisingly easy to prepare and wonderfully convenient. Perfect for cottagecore-themed or holiday baking, these cookies can be sliced and baked fresh or stored in the freezer for later enjoyment.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 3/4 cup butter (barely softened - not too soft)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg (room temperature)
- 2 cups all purpose flour (240 g)
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder (dutch processed)
Decorations and Finishing
- Red gel food coloring (as needed)
- White round pearl sprinkles
- 1/3 cup coarse sugar
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- Green gel food coloring (as needed)
Instructions
- Prepare the Dough: In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and granulated sugar together until creamy and well combined. Add the salt, vanilla extract, and egg, mixing thoroughly until smooth.
- Incorporate Dry Ingredients: Sift together the all purpose flour and cocoa powder, then gradually add this dry mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix until a consistent dough forms. Chill the dough if necessary to make it easier to handle.
- Create the Mushroom Design: Divide a small portion of the dough and color it with red gel food coloring to make the mushroom caps. Shape small rounds with red dough and use white pearl sprinkles to mimic mushroom spots. Use green gel food coloring mixed with powdered sugar and a bit of heavy whipping cream to create green accents resembling grass.
- Form the Cookies: Roll the chocolate dough into a log shape, then press the small mushroom-decorated dough pieces onto the log at regular intervals. Chill the entire log to firm up the dough for slicing.
- Slice and Coat: Cut the chilled dough log into approximately 1/4 inch-thick slices and roll the edges in coarse sugar for added texture and sparkle.
- Bake the Cookies: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Arrange the sliced cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spacing them apart. Bake for 10 minutes or until the edges are set and the cookies are lightly firm.
- Cool and Finish: Remove cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Optionally, drizzle the green icing around the cookies or add finishing touches as desired.
Notes
- These cookies are slice-and-bake style, so you can prepare the dough in advance and freeze it for up to 3 months.
- Use room temperature eggs and butter for best dough consistency and easier mixing.
- If you prefer a softer cookie texture, slightly reduce the baking time but be careful to avoid underbaking.
- Substitute Dutch processed cocoa powder with natural cocoa powder if needed, though flavor and color may vary slightly.
- The pearl sprinkles create the classic mushroom spots, but white sugar pearls or small candy decorations can be used instead.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- 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
