Panda Cookies

Panda Cookies

Panda Cookies

I ordered a Panda Cookie Cutter Set from Hong Kong on Amazon about two months ago and they arrived in three weeks. The wait was worth it, and the cutters and panda set is adorable. I wanted to make panda cookies as the last of my winter cookie series before spring baking commences this weekend. This is one recipe that turns into two doughs: vanilla orange and chocolate. If you need more than two dozen cookies just double the recipe. The vanilla and orange zest make this an aromatic cookie and while baking, the smell of orange, vanilla and chocolate permeated the kitchen in the best way possible. Since you need to bake this cookie just until slightly browned so the tops do not turn brown, the cookie is chewy and tender. The trick to using the cutters especially the faces (see pics below), is making sure the dough is cold. Room temperature dough will stick to the panda face imprints. See the recipe and instructions below.

Panda Cookies, so cute!

Panda faces, adorbs.

Yield: 2 Dozen Panda Cookies

Ingredients
2 tablespoons Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

2 1/2 cups King Arthur All Purpose Flour

1/8 teaspoon Coarse Salt

3/4 cup Granulated Sugar

Zest of 1 Orange (I used a Navel Orange)

1 cup (2 sticks) Unsalted Butter, softened and cut into cubes

1 Large Egg

1 1/2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract

Panda Cookies, close-up

Panda Cookies - you can see the orange zest 

Directions
Cream butter in a hand held mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment on medium speed until fluffy; 1-2 minutes. Do not over mix.

Scrape sides of bowl with spatula and mix for 5 seconds.

Add egg, vanilla extract, orange zest and mix until incorporated. Do not over mix.

Scrape sides of bowl and mix for 5 seconds.

With mixer on low speed, add salt and slowly add the flour until incorporated. The dough is ready when it begins to clump around the paddle attachment.

Cut dough in half.

Pandas

On wire racks cooling

Take one half of the dough and add the cocoa powder and knead with your hands. I also added 2 drops of AmeriColor Soft Gel Paste Food Color in Super Black. Knead until the dough is dark and roll dough into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and chill both dough balls in the fridge for 1-2 hours or overnight, or for 30-45 minutes in the freezer if pressed for time.

Take the chocolate dough leaving the vanilla orange dough in the fridge until ready to use.

Heat oven to 350°F.

Use two sheets of parchment paper and place chocolate dough in between, and roll with rolling pin until desired thickness is reached.

Dip panda cutters in flour, shake off excess, and make several shapes with the 3 different body cutters, and then use the panda face cutter. Place onto cookies sheets lined with parchment paper. Repeat until you use up the dough.

Panda Cookie Cutter Set

Take the vanilla orange dough and roll out as described above until desired thickness is reached. Use the 3 panda body cutters on the side with the belly shapes, and make several, and place them over each of the chocolate dough panda body shapes.

Take the panda face cutter and the 4 face imprints and dip them in flour, shake off excess, and make the face imprints pressing gently into the dough. Then use the face cutter over the imprints, centering it over the face imprint, and then pressing firmly into the dough to make the face shapes. Place the vanilla orange faces over the chocolate dough. Use a brush to gently remove any flour on the dough. Repeat until you have used up all the dough.

If the dough begins to stick, place the rolled out dough in between the parchment paper in the freezer for 15 minutes to firm up. I had to do this a few times since this is labor intensive cookie project. The face imprints will stick if the dough is at room temperature so keep the dough cold.

Panda Cutter Set, close up

Close-up of Panda Faces, 2 of the Panda Body Cutters

Place cookie sheets in freezer for 10-15 minutes. The cookies hold their shape when you do this.

Bake 8-13 minutes or until the edges have barely browned. My cookies baked in 13 minutes. Keep an eye so they do not over bake and brown. You want the vanilla orange cookies to be as light in color as possible. In my cookies, you can see the orange zest. I like the way that looks, but you can omit this and just add 1 teaspoon of orange extract and reduce the vanilla extract to 1/2 teaspoon.

Wait 5 minutes before transferring cookies on wire racks to complete cooling.

For the Vanilla and Chocolate Cookie Recipe, visit FoodNService:
http://foodnservice.com/panda-cookies-recipe/

Enjoy!

-Sophia/Two Frys