Carnival mask cookies are Carnival sweets that are very simple to prepare and very beautiful to look at. They are classic shortbread butter cookies, cut out with a mask-shaped cutter (you’ll find the link to the ones I used in the tools section) and then simply decorated with colorful sprinkles.
I chose a very simple decoration because my daughters helped me make these cookies, but you can also choose to use different decorations, for example with white or dark chocolate, or you can also cover them with fondant or colored icing.
To prepare these cookies, you can use mask-shaped cutters, but if you don’t have them or can’t find them, it’s not a problem. You can simply take one or more pieces of cardboard, draw different mask shapes, and cut them out, or you can always search for shapes online, print them, and cut them out.
These Carnival cookies are perfect for making your children happy, they’re quick to prepare and perfect for birthday buffets or costume parties.
You can also prepare them in advance, store them in a tin box, and decorate them at the last moment.
For these cookies, I used my easy shortcrust pastry, but you can also use another butter shortcrust pastry or a cocoa shortcrust pastry. The important thing is to use a shortcrust pastry without baking powder, as the baking powder would not allow the cookies to maintain their shape during baking.
Well, now let’s get to the recipe and see how to prepare these delicious Carnival mask cookies, but first, I’ll leave you the links to some other delicious Carnival sweets that you absolutely must try!
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Rest time: 2 Hours
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 18 Pieces
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Carnival
Ingredients
- 2.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 5.3 oz butter (lactose-free works too)
- 3.9 oz powdered vanilla sugar
- 1 egg (medium)
- 1 packet vanillin
- 1 tbsp honey
- to taste colored sprinkles
Tools
- Cookie Cutter mask-shaped
- Rolling Pin with thicknesses
- Parchment Paper
- Brush
- Baking Sheet
Steps to Prepare Carnival Mask Cookies
Let’s see together how to prepare these delicious Carnival mask-shaped cookies.
Let’s start first with the preparation of the shortcrust pastry. I recommend taking the butter and the egg out of the fridge at least an hour before starting.
You can prepare the shortcrust pastry by hand or with the Bimby. I used the latter for convenience.
Put the flour, powdered sugar, and vanillin in the bowl.
Add the room temperature butter cut into pieces.
Mix for a few seconds until you get a grainy mixture.
Add the egg and mix for about a minute until all the ingredients are combined.
If making by hand, mix quickly without warming the dough too much.
Transfer the dough onto a pastry board.
Quickly knead it with your hands until you get a smooth dough.
Flatten the shortcrust pastry with your hands, then wrap it in plastic wrap. Place it in the fridge and let it rest for at least 1-2 hours. If in a hurry, put it in the freezer for half an hour.
After the shortcrust pastry has rested in the fridge, take the dough out. I recommend using a rolling pin with thickness guides or side thickness guides, which guide the classic rolling pin: this way, the cookies will have the same thickness and a more uniform baking. The links are in the “Tools” section.
Use a parchment paper sheet or slightly flour the work surface and roll the pastry to a thickness of about 1/8 inch.
To facilitate the creation of cookies, before starting to cut the cookies, dip the cutter in flour.
Make the cookies, taking care to extract them from the cutter.
Knead the scraps again and roll the pastry to a 1/8 inch thickness again. If, in the meantime, the shortcrust pastry has warmed, wrap it in plastic wrap and place it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes. To speed up making the cookies, I recommend dividing the dough in two, so while you work with one, the other remains in the fridge.
As you make the cookies, place them on a parchment paper-covered baking sheet.
Chill the cookies in the fridge for at least half an hour before baking.
After the chilling time, preheat the oven to 340°F static and when it reaches the temperature, bake them for 9-10 minutes. Adjust the baking time according to your oven: as soon as they start to slightly brown, take them out and let them cool completely.
Now move on to decorating the Carnival mask cookies.
Place a tablespoon of honey in a small bowl. If the honey you have is a bit crystallized, simply heat it slightly in a bain-marie or put it in the microwave for a few seconds.
Set a parchment paper on the work surface and arrange the cookies: this will allow you to collect the leftover sprinkles after decorating the cookies.
Lightly dip a kitchen brush in the honey.
Brush the parts where you want the colored sprinkles to stick.
Sprinkle the colored sprinkles over the areas where you have brushed the honey.
Make sure to cover every spot well. Don’t worry about overusing the sprinkles: you can collect the leftovers later.
Continue this way for all the cookies. At the end of the process, place the cookies on a serving plate and collect all the leftover sprinkles remaining on the parchment paper.
Store your shortcrust mask cookies in a tin box or a well-sealed container.
Variations
– Instead of honey, you can use melted dark, milk, or white chocolate and then cover it with sprinkles. Another option for decorating them is to use white chocolate, color it with food colorings, and decorate the cookies as you like.
– A cute idea for making Carnival mask cookies is to divide the shortcrust pastry dough into 2 or 3 parts and color each piece with a few drops of food coloring of your choice. Once baked, you can also decorate them.
– If you don’t have a mask-shaped cutter or don’t want to buy them, an economical solution is to print mask shapes from the internet onto sheets or cardboards, cut them out, place them on the shortcrust pastry, and cut the shapes with a knife.
FAQ
Can I use oil-based shortcrust pastry to make these Carnival cookies?
I don’t recommend it: these cookies need a smooth shortcrust pastry that holds its shape well during baking, which only butter shortcrust pastry can provide.
Can I flavor the cookies in another way?
Of course, you can use lemon or orange zest.
