| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 2 hr 45 min |
| Active: | 30 min |
| Yield: | 2 1/2 dozen cookies |
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (1 stick; 113 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup (150 grams) sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice (about 1/4 lemon)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 1/4 cups (320 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- One 12-ounce package pink melting wafers, such as Candy Melts
- One 12-ounce package white melting wafers, such as Candy Melts
- Sprinkles, for decorating
Instructions
- For the animal cookies: In a stand mixer with the paddle, cream together the butter and sugar until just combined; do not incorporate air. Add the egg, lemon juice, vanilla extract and salt and beat to incorporate. Add the flour and mix to form a dryish dough. Turn out onto a piece of plastic wrap and smush the dough together, then flatten into a disc. Wrap tightly and refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes or until you are ready to roll it out.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Roll out the dough on a lightly floured countertop to about 1/4-inch thick. Cut out cookies with your cutter of choice and place on the lined baking sheet. (They will not spread, so you can put them fairly close together.)
- Bake for 12 minutes, rotating halfway through. They should not really take on any color, just a little bit on the bottom. Let cool completely on the baking sheet.
- For the icing and decorating: Place the melting wafers in 2 double boilers and gently stir to melt. Drop in each cookie into one of the icings, top-down. Flip over and remove with a fork. Tap off excess and place on parchment paper. Sprinkle with sprinkles immediately, then allow to set at room temperature, about 1 hour.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature until you have eaten them all.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 30 servings |
| Calories | 172 |
| Total Fat | 7 g |
| Saturated Fat | 4 g |
| Carbohydrates | 28 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 18 g |
| Protein | 2 g |
| Cholesterol | 6 mg |
| Sodium | 52 mg |
Reviews
My first batch of cookie cut outs from scratch with the kids. I was nervous, I’m not a baker. They were DELICIOUS and SIMPLE. I’m a happy Mamma and the rest of the fam is too! Thanks Molly!
I’m sorry but this recipe didn’t work for me. The dough was so crumbly and dry I couldn’t roll it out after refrigerating.
I haven’t made these yet. If I use almond or vanilla extract instead of lemon and used royal icing can these be Christmas cookies? Of course different cut outs. Lol 5 stars because I know I’ll love these and so will everyone else.
Made these today for my grandsons. They are perfect!! Keep their shape when cooking. Candy melts is perfect to ice with. I didn’t use lemon extract, I used vanilla and almond extract. They are a keeper for sure. And if course…I used sprinkles!!!! ❤️
These cookies are delicious and not to sweet. I add apple pie seasoning to mine ❤️
Excellent! One of my new favorites. I use vanilla bean paste to bump up the vanilla flavor in the cookies and they are delicious! Great idea to use candy melts, if you just decorate the tops give them a little swirl when you dip them and it gives you a beautiful finish! Thanks Molly!