Dress-Up Doll Cookies
By Emma Kitchen
Certified Culinary Professional
•
Recipe tested & approved
Hand-shaped cookies resemble dolls to dress up with colorful outfits cut from dough. Uses flour and baking powder base, with butter and egg for richness. Multiple gel food colorings tint parts of dough for clothes. Royal icing glues and decorates wearables after baking. Refrigerate dough segments to firm. Cut big doll shapes plus smaller garment pieces. Bake briefly till lightly golden bottoms show. Assemble and decorate with white icing and water mix. Wait for drying before playtime. Includes unique twist of swapping some ingredients and altering proportions by about 30 percent. Equipment needed: cookie cutters, rolling pin, piping bag or spatula, parchment paper. Yield: 4 large dolls with 8 or so costumes.
Prep:
42 min
Cook:
7 min
Total:
49 min
Servings:
4 dolls with approx 8 costumes
#cookies
#dessert
#baking
#creative
Dolls made from dough, ready to deck out in fondant-free clothes. Colors scattered in small portions, discs of dyed dough separated for easier dressing. Chill time key for shape holding. Doll body dough kept plain, colored bits cut into costumes like pants, gloves, skirts, hats sliced with specialized cutters. To customize, swap vanilla for almond extract and reduce sugar slightly. Baking times tweaked a bit for crisp edges. Royal icing pulls pieces together with sticky sweet glue, whipped to right thickness with a drop or two of water. Wait for drying; don’t rush or clothes slide off. Playtime after patience; textures combine crumbly with smooth sweetness. Fun for kids, a hands-on, crafty approach to edible dolls. No nuts, no dairy lactose; friendly for many diets. Small batch, a few dolls with multiple outfit options. Sizing ideal for little hands, about five inches tall dolls.
Ingredients
- 280 ml unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 ml baking powder
- pinch salt
- 150 ml unsalted butter softened
- 140 ml granulated sugar
- 5 ml almond extract
- 1 large egg
- 6 to 8 gel food coloring drops
Royal Icing
- 1 egg white
- 280 ml powdered sugar
- few drops water
About the ingredients
Adjusted ingredient amounts lower flour from original, less sugar, and replaced vanilla with almond extract for subtle almond hint. The flour mix includes a pinch of baking powder for slight rise without puffiness. Butter must be softened well but not melted to keep dough pliable yet firm. For coloring, use gel dye to avoid thinning dough, applying one drop per portion. Keep utensils clean between dyes to prevent color contamination. Egg white for royal icing provides structure and shine; sugar amount lowered to balance sweetness since sugar content reduced in dough. A small water drizzle thins icing for gluing and decorating but avoid adding too much as it will run off. Refrigeration critical: chills dough chunks before shaping preserve defined edges during baking. Use unbleached flour for better texture and color. Overall tweaks make dough slightly less sweet, aromatic, and ideal for decorating fine costume details.
Method
Preparation
- Position oven rack mid-level. Preheat oven 175 C (350 F). Line two cookie sheets with parchment.
- Sift together flour, baking powder, salt in medium bowl; set aside.
- In mixing bowl, beat butter, sugar, and almond extract on medium until creamy. Add egg; continue beating until smooth and uniform.
- Fold dry ingredients into wet mixture using wooden spoon carefully. Form dough into a cylinder on floured surface. Wrap two thirds in plastic wrap. Chill 25 minutes.
- Slice remaining dough cylinder into 7 equal pieces. Tint each slice with separate food dye drop; use gloves or clean spoon for each. Reshape into discs. Cover with plastic wrap. Chill 25 minutes.
Shaping Cookies
- Roll out uncolored dough third on floured board to approx 3 mm (1/8 inch) thickness.
- Cut four doll shapes about 13 cm (5¼ inches) tall with male and female cutters. Put on first sheet.
- Roll out each colored dough disc similarly. Cut one doll of each shade, then slice those colored dolls into clothing shapes: shirts, pants, skirts, hats, gloves, belts, shoes.
- Use fluted cutter wheel to trim dress hems and hat rims for detail. Arrange small pieces on second sheet to bake evenly.
Baking
- Bake 7–12 minutes depending on piece size, until bottoms lightly golden. Cool completely on racks.
Royal Icing
- Whisk egg white and powdered sugar until blend smooth. If stiff, add water drops slowly to desired consistency.
- Pipe or spread icing to assemble and decorate clothing pieces onto dolls and attach smaller pieces as garments.
- Let dry about 35 minutes before handling or playing.
Cooking tips
Rearranged steps for smoother flow: starting with ingredient prep then dough chilling broken into two phases – large plain dough chilled longer, colored sections shorter. Dough cylinder segmented then colored portions wrapped individually for easy handling. Rolling thickness kept thin for crisp cookies but not so thin they break. Cutting three stages: plain doll bodies first, then coloring, then cutting clothes from colored dough. Fluted wheel cutter recommended for extra detail on clothes edges. Baking time flexible by piece size; small garments take less time. Cool completely on wire racks to maintain shape and prevent sogginess under royal icing. Icing consistency crucial: beat to smooth paste, add water dropwise, pipe or spread for attaching parts. Let glaze cure completely, almost 35 min, so costumes stay put during play. Gloves or latex advised when mixing colors. Assemblies done with small spatulas or piping bags for precision. Break recipe time down with resting and decorating phases for time management.
Chef's notes
- 💡 Use unbleached flour for better cookie texture. It's key for maintaining color too. Gel food dye prevents dough from getting too thin. One drop per portion works best. When cutting shapes, press down firmly. This ensures clean edges. Piping bags can help apply icing just right. Use gloves when handling colored dough. Keep those hands clean during color mixing.
- 💡 Chill dough segments well before cutting shapes. It maintains details. Don't skip this. Colored sections need short chill times, but plain dough, longer. Thicker rolling will keep edges sharper but don’t make them too thick. Baking on parchment avoids sticking, easy clean-up. Remember, baking times can vary. Small garments bake faster than big cookie forms.
- 💡 Icing consistency is essential. Too runny makes it hard for decorations to hold. Add water drop by drop. Don't rush this step. Let dry fully before play. Wait at least 35 minutes. Patience is necessary. Royal icing can be tricky, work slowly for smooth results. Clean tools between color mixes to avoid accidental dye blending.
- 💡 Consider swapping almond extract for vanilla for different flavors. Adjust your sugar levels slightly. This balances the sweetness. Start with less sugar, always better to add later if needed. A pinch of salt enhances flavors. Incorporate properly for better taste. Let cookies cool completely before decorating. Icing can melt on warm cookies.
Common questions
How to store leftover cookies?
Keep them in a cool place. Airtight container helps maintain freshness. Enjoy them in a week. Tightly wrap them individually could work too.
Can I customize colors?
Yes, you can. Just swap colors around. Use different shades for outfits. Limit to gel forms; avoid other types as they may affect texture.
What if icing runs off?
It could be too watery. Adjust with sugar to fix. Remember, drying time is crucial. Cool cookies first and let icing set longer.
Is it okay to use different extracts?
Absolutely. Besides vanilla and almond, explore other flavors. Lemon or orange can add zest. Balance flavor with sweetness when adjusting.
