You know those people who blog about stupidly complicated recipes with 59 steps and 26 different ingredients? Those people? Well today I’m one of
them.
Ever since I visited London's Cinnamon Tree Bakery I've had their famous shortbread on my mind, so for my friend
Dana’s birthday I thought what the heck, let’s go crazy. Let’s make some wicked little owl cookies.
It was a long and annoying process, and I cursed my
plan after all of eight minutes. I
made the dough, rolled it into a log, froze it, cut it, rolled out some more
dough, dusted it with cocoa powder, cut out the eyes, put two on each cookie,
finished the eyes with tiny chocolate chips, chopped almonds in half for the
beaks, added slivered almond horns, made patterns on their bellies with the tip
of a paring knife, baked them, cooled them, packaged them, then transported
them to Dana’s house, anxious the entire way they’d fall and be ruined. They survived the journey, however, and were received with much enthusiasm.
It took a few re-designs to get them right (phase one creatures
resembled muppets, not owls) but by the end they were sufficiently
wise-looking. I don’t suggest you
make them yourself because frankly you probably have better things to do with
your time, but here's the shortbread recipe I used, which is actually quite simple. Eat them plain, dip them in dark chocolate, or by all means, turn the little suckers into owls if you want. Just don't say I did warn you.
Hoot.
