Mushroom Cookies

Elena Butuc

If you start making the menu for the holidays, I'm coming with a great suggestion - this cookie recipe, so eye-catchy to children especially. I made it last month on Sofia's birthday and shared with her classmates at school. The cookies were a success and all the children were impressed. Throughout the preparation process, I kept telling myself off, saying I was complicating my life. But, after they were received with such enthusiasm, I realized they were well worth the effort.

Don't let the recipe scare you. If you plan in advance and divide the whole process over 2-3 days, it will only be a pleasure. It might be a good idea to avoid making other recipes at the same time, especially on the day when you bake the mushroom heads and stems. You can bake them even more in advance and assemble and glaze the mushrooms on the day before the event.

There are many steps just because I insisted on showing you the process in more detail. I recommend reading everything carefully and planning your adventure with the Mushrooms in advance. I guarantee that it's worth 200% of your effort for the recognition you'll receive.

In the pictures, I made about 100, but the recipe below is for 50 mushrooms. They will be enough if you don't have too many eaters and you won't even get tired in the process. But, you should know, they go fast, they look tempting for both the little ones and the big ones :)

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Ingredients

Metric US

●

Butter

100 g

for the batter - soft, at room temperature

●

Sugar

150 g

+ 170g sugar for the syrup

●

Sour cream

200 g

fermented sour cream, preferably with a higher fat percentage

●

Egg

1 piece

●

Corn starch

50 g

●

Baking powder

0.25 tsp

●

Salt

0.5 tsp

●

Vanilla Extract

1 tbsp

●

White flour

500 g

●

Dark chocolate

300 g

●

Butter

100 g

for the chocolate glaze

●

Poppy seeds

50 g

Step by step

Step 1

On the day before, I recommend doing this:

- Take some baking paper and cut into 50-60 squares of about 4x4cm.

Step 2

- Roll each square up into a cone. Tighten the tip and twist a little.

Step 3

- The base of the cone should fit the finger, that's how I test :)

Step 4

- Shape 50-60 cone-bags in this way.

Step 5

Baking the mushroom heads and stems - this is the biggest adventure and it will take a little longer, so I recommend doing it on another day.

In a bowl, combine 100g of softened butter with 150g of sugar.

Step 6

Add the egg, sour cream, vanilla, salt and mix well again.

Step 7

Finally add flour, starch and baking powder, mix with a spoon or a mixer (dough hooks).

Step 8

Turn the dough out onto the table sprinkled with flour and knead a little more. If it's sticky, add some more flour in the kneading process until it stops sticking to your hands.

Step 9

Then divide in 2 parts.

Step 10

From one of the parts, we will make the heads. Cut into about 50 small pieces, the size of a walnut.

Step 11

Shape into balls and place in the baking sheet, lined with parchment.

Step 12

Bake in the preheated oven at 180 degrees C for 20-25 minutes, until they begin to brown slightly underneath.

Step 13

While they are hot, carefully carve with a knife in the middle, to make room to insert the stems.

Some of the caps may break in this step, so handle with care. But I assure you that the leftovers will be devoured at once by those who roam around the kitchen :)

Step 14

Now take the other half of dough and shape into strips about a finger thick. Cut into pieces about 2-2.5cm long.

Step 15

Squeeze a bit one of the ends so that it fits the tip of the paper cone.

Step 16

So look at the paper cones and make the stems thick enough to fit easily inside. They shouldn't be too thin, nor too thick.

Step 17

In this way, shape and place all the stems in the cones. Count them to make sure you have the same number of stems and heads.

Step 18

Bake in the preheated oven at 180 degrees C for 10-15 minutes. Try not to brown them too much, best would be for them to stay white. I did brown them a bit too much, as I was doing other things too and I wasn't paying full attention.

Step 19

So, in the end we have the same number of heads and stems.

This can be done in advance (even a week before) and you can assemble the mushrooms 1-2 days before the event.

Step 20

Assembling the mushrooms:

Make a syrup from 170g sugar and 4 tablespoons of water. When it comes to the boil and the sugar has completely dissolved, remove from the heat.

Step 21

Dip the thinner end of the stem in syrup and insert into the indent in the mushroom head.

If it doesn't stick properly from the first time, dip it again several more times.

If the the syrup thickens along the way, reheat.

Step 22

Once you've assembled the mushrooms, dip the root in syrup, then in poppy seeds, to create the impression of a sandy stem.

Step 23

Arrange the mushrooms in a tray or platter and allow the syrup to dry properly and set for a few hours.

Step 24

The glaze:

The last step is decorating the mushrooms with chocolate. For this, break the dark chocolate into pieces, place in a small heavy-bottomed pan, add 100g of butter and place over low heat to melt. Or place over a bain-marie.

Step 25

Leave over heat and stir periodically until the chocolate and butter melt completely, but don't let boil.

Step 26

Then take each mushroom (after the sugar syrup has set) and dip the head in chocolate glaze.

If the chocolate thickens along the way, reheat, to make it thinner.

Step 27

Place the mushrooms on one side in a tray lined with parchment.

Let cool completely. Overnight would be perfect, in a cooler place.

Step 28

That was all. Simple, right? :)) With a little planning, it will be easy, and you can involve the children in the process too.

I assure these mushrooms are worth all the effort and even more. Now I would gladly make them again. They are wonderful dessert decor for any party or occasion. But, most of all, they will make the children happy.

Enjoy!