Friday, August 20, 2010

Dinosaur Cookies


At the end of July, my son and his wife moved to Texas. I know, I know...kids do that. But they took my grandson with them! My only grandchild, who has never lived more than a few minutes away these last 4 years. It has definitely been an adjustment for me.
 

When he called and asked, "Mimi, would you please send me some dinosaur cookies?" I did what any sensible  doting grandma would do. I baked.


 I used my favorite cookie recipe to make these. This is the recipe that I always make when I need cut-outs.  (As evidenced here, here and here!) It's an old-fashioned flavor of cookie that just makes me feel all good inside. I got the recipe in a Creative Ideas for Living magazine back in 1989, and it's been my go-to recipe ever since. It reminds me of the soft fat ginger cookies with pink frosting that used to be in the big jar on the counter of our little country store when I was young.


Grandson loves them too. If he were here, he'd have been helping for sure! He'll have them soon enough- they went in the mail today, and they're supposed to arrive by Monday. I bet he'll eat the red T-Rex first.

                        All boxed up and Texas bound!                                 

Iced Spice Cookies
(printable page)

recipe adapted from Patti Paige, Creative Ideas for Living Jan/Feb '89
2/3 cup shortening (I use butter)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt (I only use 1)
1 large egg (from a happy hen if you can find one-mine aren't laying right now)
3/4 cup molasses
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Directions:
  • Cream together the first six ingredients. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Add the molasses and mix again. Set aside.
  • Sift together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Add to molasses mixture and mix until dough forms.
  • Divide the dough into two balls (flattened), wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least three hours. (I chilled it overnight) This dough is hard to work with unless it's chilled.
  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  • Roll out one ball of dough to a thickness of 1/8 to 1/4 inch. The original recipe calls for rolling the dough out between two sheets of lightly floured wax paper or a floured pastry cloth. I didn't have those so I just checked my dough frequently to make sure it wasn't sticking to my surface.
  • Cut out desired shapes. Gather scraps into a ball and put in the freezer while you repeat with the rest of your dough.
  • Transfer cookies to parchment covered (or greased) baking sheet.
  • Bake for 8-10 minutes, making sure edges don't burn. Cool completely on a rack before frosting. (recipe below) For me this recipe made about 4 dozen small cookies.
Royal Icing
In a large bowl, mix together 1 pound of confectioners sugar, 3 tablespoons meringue powder and about 1/2 cup water. (Reserve a couple of spoonfuls of the water-wait and see if you need it. Royal frosting is kind of tricky in that it depends on the humidity as to exactly how much water you'll need.) Mix until soft peaks form. (I did mine about 8 minutes.) Use this "stiffer" frosting to outline your shapes in whatever colors you want. (I colored my frosting with gel food color and used a Wilton #3 tip to pipe the frosting around the edges.)

After the edges are set, thin the remaining frosting (a few drops of water at a time) to a pouring consistency. Use this thinner frosting to fill in your outline. You can put this thinned frosting in a freezer baggie with the corner cut off to drizzle onto the outlined cookie. Your set edges will keep the frosting where it should be. For the dinosaurs, I filled in the base color first. While the frosting was still wet I piped on the designs and details with contrasting colors. The thinned frosting sort of "melts" into the background color. Let your frosted cookies dry overnight.

I'm posting this to Foodie Friday, on Designs by Gollum.

79 comments:

  1. How totally adorable are these?! I love their cute expressions and the bright colors!

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  2. Those are WONDERFUL! Nicer than any I've ever seen come from a bakery. Your grandson is a very lucky little guy to have Gramma send him such a care package. Thanks for sharing the recipe, I'll be giving it a try.

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  3. So cute!! Great job on these, Betty! Your grandson is going to love these adorable cookies... No wonder he specially requests them!

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  4. Beautiful cookies! I'm always on the look out for a great cut out cookie recipe! What a wonderful job you did icing them too, he'll be thrilled:@)

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  5. Your cookies are soooo ciute :) I did not have children yet but I want just feel like a kid again for cook them for myself !
    I hope my english it's "ok"... :)

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  6. Oh my gawsh...they are soooo adorable! The kiddos are gonna go crazy when they open them =)

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  7. Can my two boys adopt you??? These are incredible looking, you could sell them, they are so gorgeous! Amazing !!!

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  8. OMG...these are too cute to eat. You sure are a very dedicated Grandma. These must have taken you forever to make.
    Wonderful creative treats...lucky little guy ;o)

    Have a great weekend,
    Claudia

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  9. you did such a great job with these cookies!!! they are adorable! My girls would love these!

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  10. They are absolutely beautiful. I agree with Susi, my kids would love them as well. They look like store bought.

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  11. What a wonderful grandmother you are! Where in Texas are they? My parents miss me and my husband too, but thankfully we don't have any children yet. I must say that I would be thrilled to receive a package like this from my mimi...they look professional!

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  12. What a lovely gift! I know your grandson will miss you...

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  13. Your cookies are absolutely adorable! I don't mind receiving it myself! Your grandson is indeed lucky to have you for a grandma. You must be missing him terribly!

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  14. These are adorable ;)

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  15. Hi, I hope you are well.
    I understand you completely, it is so hard to live apart. Your grandson is going to love these adorable cookies.
    You must be missing him a lot.
    Wishing you a great week ♥

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  16. I have three boys who would love these!

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  17. So sorry to hear that your 4 year old grandson moved away :( You rock for making him these gorgeous dinosaur cookies! I bet the spice flavor is really nice too.

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  18. Betty, these are absolutely gorgeous!!!!! You are a precious grandmother, and I bet Laz is going to be filled with glee when he receives these!

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  19. Ah! Dino cookies! They're adorable! Might I suggest a game of edible Godzilla? You'll need a sizable lego city for the cookies to tromp through, but a few glasses of milk might suffice as well, just don't forget to do the voices. It's more fun that way. Even over the phone.

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  20. Oh my gosh, those cookies are adorable!

    I know what it's like being away from the only grandchild. Fortunately mine is only three hours away, but it's still WAY to far to suit me.

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  21. Oh WOW! These are absolute works of art. I would have a hard time letting anyone eat them they are sooooo adorable. What a great grandma you are, and what a lucky guy! I don't think mine could ever look so perfect, each one is just unique and eye catching!

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  22. OMG these are absolutely adorable! I'm bookmarking this page for next time I'll bake with kids

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  23. Adorable! I want to request a box of these too :) Right now, my husband and I are living way across the country from our parents. I have a feeling we'll have kids before we have the chance to move back, which will be a whole new long distance struggle. Best of luck adjusting! I hope you kept a few of these for you as a cheer up when you miss the family! :)

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  24. Fabulous and vibrant...a real triumph!

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  25. Those are SO cute! What a lucky grandson you have.

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  26. Umm wow, they are just perfection - lovely job

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  27. I love it!I can just imagine the big smile on his face when he sees this!

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  28. These cookies are so bright and cute I can see why your grandson asked specifically for them! I wish someone would show me how to make cookies like this, I know my grandsons would adore them. I feel for you, my daughter, son in law and three grandchildren live in my same town, I don't take it for granted that's for sure. Thanks for sharing your recipe:-)

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  29. These are the cutest dinosaur cookies I have ever seen. Your grandson must have loved them.

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  30. my goodness these are so adorable!! my daughter would love these!!! all of this is so new to me in regards to baking and decorating like this - you have such a talent!!! I would be so nervous to make these unless I had some instruction, maybe you can post a video of you doing it? I love your cooling rack too!!! LOL

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  31. These are unbelievable. So sorry your grandson moved away. I could make myself cry just imagining my only grandson moving away. Hopefully, these cookies will help him feel close to you. Can't wait for my grandson to be old enough to help me bake.

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  32. These cookies are adorable! Almost look too good to eat...but I know my grandkids would eat them with gusto! So sorry your grandson moved away. I feel your pain-most of mine are on the east coast and I'm out in AZ. :(

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  33. Wow!! Such lovely iced cookies!!!! Love them!

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  34. I'd really like you to send me a box of the dinosaur cookies as well. They are wonderful looking!!!!! I'll have some milk chilled just in case!

    Best,
    Bonnie

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  35. How cute! Kids are going crazy for these festive cookies!
    Good job.

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  36. These look fabulous! Absolutely adorable!

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  37. adorables!very funny for kids!j like very much!good job

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  38. These are awesome. You've inspired me to try my hand at cookie-decorating again. My cookies never look this good!

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  39. These cookies are SO adorable! And I bet they are yummy too!

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  40. I love your little dinosaur cookies! You've decorated them perfectly and they are adorable with all the bright colors. Your recipe sounds great and it will be the one I use the next time I make decorated cookies. Many thanks.

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  41. Oh my goodness, aren't these the most adorable little creatures. You are very talented :)
    *kisses* HH

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  42. I have those exact cookie cutters. If only I had a special little boy to make these adorable cookies for. I'm glad you do. I'm sure your grandson will be super excited to recieve these cookies, handmade by his Mimi. =)

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  43. Aww you so deserve the best grandma ever award! These cookies all look so incredibly colorful and tasty.

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  44. Beautiful cookies! Your grandson will be so excited when he opens up that package :)

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  45. Oh! These cookies are SO cute...love it! Love the design, love the colors...gorgeous!

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  46. OH GOSH, these cookies are adorable and I will make them with my grands.

    They made me SMILE.

    Cheers,

    Sharon Lovejoy Writes from Sunflower House and a Little Green Island

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  47. I can only imagine how you felt when your grandson moved away (sigh) but, man oh man, is he going to get a wonderful surprise in the mail. These cookies are awesome!!

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  48. These are adorable!!! I don't yet have kids to dote on, but my husbands 30th birthday is right around the corner. I would love to surprise him with these! Yum!

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  49. These are iced so perfectly! You should go into business! I hope they stay cool enough during shipping. What a terrific Mimi you are! ;)

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  50. Wow, these look GREAT! I think my boyfriend would love them too! ;)

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  51. What a wonderful grandmother! those cookies look fantastic; you are a realy pro when it comes to making cookies. I know exactly what it feels like when the grandchidren move away.; i feel for you.
    Rita

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  52. These are adorable! And I love how smooth your royal icing came out. The one I time I ventured into royal icing realm, my cookies came out all lumpy. But these, they are utter perfection :)

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  53. These are beautiful cookies... Just dropped my youngest at college over the weekend (a boy). He was a dinosaur lover when he was four, too. Wonder what he would do if I baked up a batch of these and sent them off...!!! (Why do those kids have to move away???) Know you will be making a trip down here to Texas soon!

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  54. Oh no, I am so sorry! I don't know what I'd do if my grandson moved away. I guess I'd bake adorable dinosaur cookies and send them to him! I can tell you doted over them :)

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  55. Those cookies look absolutely precious. Your little grandson will love them. And thanks so much for stopping by my blog today.

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  56. So cute! Your grandson will love them, for sure. I'm totally envious of your mad decorating skills :)

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  57. Oh my goodness! These make me happy. You're grandson is one lucky little boy!

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  58. The cookies look adorable! Such great shapes and colors. Sorry you're so separated from your grandson. :( That hits home cuz we are actually thinking about moving to Texas, too.

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  59. What smashing cookies! My grandson lives in Michigan...a long way from Florida so I know how you feel. He would love these!

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  60. Those look delicious! And have fun in TX.

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  61. These are the most adorable cookies! My little boy saw me looking at these, and immediately ran over to the computer and said, "Mommy! Make me some of those dinosaur cookies!" Now if I only knew where to buy some dinosaur cookie cutters:)

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  62. poor grandma! i'm sure it's every bit as hard for your grandson as it is for you, but these cookies would act as quite a balm. they're gorgeous--perfectly done!

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  63. These really are darling. Your grandson is going to love them. I love the colors you've used to decorate them. I hope you are having a great day. Blessings...Mary

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  64. Almost too cute to eat. Almost! I am afraid I would have to eat your beautiful cookies, not just look at them.

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  65. Ooh I squealed when I saw these! My friend is after things to make for her boys and they are just perfect! :D

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  66. That is just a whole lotta cuteness right there. What a lucky grandson :)

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  67. Those cookies are the CUTEST I have seen in awhile! You're such a nice grandma! Those cookies sound wonderful, too. =)

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  68. These are so beyond adorable! I'm sure your grandson will absolutely love them!!

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  69. I know that you are busy with the new school term. I have extended an award to you, please do drop by when you can. See you!

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  70. These are so brilliant. So childish with the playful colours and faces but soooo adult friendly too. Hope you got a lot of cuddles for these!

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  71. Oh my goodness - these are seriously the cutest things ever!

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  72. Those cookie are too cute. Your grandson is one lucky little boy.
    Mimi

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  73. I love these! You're a great grandma. Can you ship me a dozen? (=

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  74. the cutest cookies i have seen! i am with lisa.... i wish you could mail some my way!

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  75. Wow, I really admire your work of art here! These are cookies made with love! :)

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  76. Hi. These look adorable! I am wondering where you got the cookie cutters from.

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  77. @ tabbers- Not positive but I think they were a part of a Wilton set- maybe even a box of 100 assorted cutters. Try Walmart or any store where Wilton is sold. Hope you can find them!

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  78. Thanks for the recipe. I will practice making these for my son's birthday party in a couple of months. It would be great if you can do a step-by-step instruction in pictures, too.

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Thanks for stopping by scrambled hen fruit! I appreciate all of your comments and look forward to reading them.

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