The SHORTCRUST MUSHROOM COOKIES are cheerful and fun cookies, tasty and very scenic, which can be made for many occasions: to serve after a meal with a cream or for an afternoon snack with tea, especially in the autumn season when mushrooms are already on our tables. They are really very simple to prepare and, as you will discover, also very easy to decorate, for the pleasure of both the palate and the eyes.
Making these little cookies does not require any special doughs or long times: just make a slightly elastic shortcrust pastry (for this I use less butter and a little yogurt), pay close attention to shaping and baking and the trick is done. All that remains is to dedicate yourself to the decoration, using a very simple sugar syrup and cocoa, to surprise kids and friends, who will not fail to compliment you while they quickly make your artistic creation disappear enjoying the deliciousness of these treats.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 25 Minutes
- Portions: 14 mushrooms
- Cooking methods: Oven, Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 160.66 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 24.39 (g) of which sugars 12.01 (g)
- Proteins 2.85 (g)
- Fat 6.53 (g) of which saturated 4.10 (g)of which unsaturated 2.32 (g)
- Fibers 0.86 (g)
- Sodium 33.63 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 33 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 7 tbsp butter (soft (about 3.5 oz))
- 1 egg (medium at room temperature)
- 3.5 tbsp nonfat Greek yogurt
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
- 5 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar (about 70 g)
- 2 tbsp water
- 2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp water (to add to the cocoa syrup)
- 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
WHAT YOU’LL NEED FOR THE SHORTCRUST MUSHROOMS
- 1 Bowl
- Parchment paper
- 1 Baking tray
- 1 Small saucepan
- 1 Small bowl
PREPARATION OF THE SHORTCRUST MUSHROOMS
Making the SHORTCRUST MUSHROOM COOKIES is very easy and the result will be surprising.
In a bowl, or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, place the soft butter, yogurt, sugar, the egg and a pinch of salt. If you like, you can flavor the pastry with some lemon or orange zest or with a little cinnamon.
Work everything until you obtain an almost creamy texture. Add the sifted flour and baking powder and incorporate them well with the other ingredients. The shortcrust pastry should be fairly soft but not sticky; if necessary add a little more flour.
Once you have a smooth, homogeneous dough, wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour or in the freezer for 20 minutes.
After resting, take the dough and make 14 balls weighing about 0.7 oz (20 g) (for the caps) and 14 balls of about 0.4 oz (12 g) (for the stems).
FOR THE CAPS: form the balls and place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Slightly flatten the balls to give the mushroom caps a more realistic shape. Put a small ball made of parchment or foil at the center of each ball to create holes where you will insert the mushrooms’ “stems,” and turn them so that the hole faces the bottom of the tray.
FOR THE STEMS: shape the 12 g dough pieces to create the mushroom stems. You should obtain cones with a fairly thin tip.
Bake in a preheated conventional (static) oven at 374°F for 16 minutes until they take on a golden color. Remove the bits of parchment or foil from the caps and let the stems cool completely.
In a small saucepan combine the granulated sugar with the water and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat for about 5 minutes then remove from the heat. Dip the tips of the stems into the hot syrup, press them lightly into the cap hole and wait a few seconds for the parts to stick together.
Add the cocoa powder and 1 tbsp of water to the remaining syrup, stir until you obtain a homogeneous mixture, and cook over low heat for 2 minutes.
Dip each mushroom cap into the cocoa glaze, let it drain and place it on a plate. Transfer to the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
Once the syrup on the surface has hardened, roll the bottom of the stems in the unsweetened cocoa powder to simulate soil.
When all the shortcrust mushroom cookies are ready, place them on a tray or in a basket as if you had just picked them in the woods, and enjoy them.
