Recipe 399 - Night Before Christmas Mice Cookies

Christmas cookie making time!!!!

We each got to choose 1 type of cookie to make. These were The Dragon's choice :)

The only think I changed was to use lemon extract (because I had another cookie using almond). The Dragon carefully put most of the ears in and he did ALL the tails :) The Husband helped with the eyes and nose.

These were a tasty and fun cookie! They looked so cute on the plate and The Dragon was pretty pleased with himself. They were a bit more work then some of the other cookies but still very straight forward.

We got the recipe in a book we have but this recipe here is similar. The big tip with all these cookies is to really cream the butter/sugar. I will turn on the mixer and let it do it's thing as I am getting other things ready. I cream until it is really white and fluffy (could be as much as 10 minutes)

Night Before Christmas Mice

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon extract
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup sliced natural almonds
• 4 30” black licorice laces, cut into 3-inch lengths

Whisk to combine flour and salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until creamy (about 2 minutes). Add sugar gradually, beating until mixture is pale and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Beat in extract, then egg. Reduce speed to low, and add one-third flour mixture. Gradually add remaining flour mixture, beating just until blended. Halve dough and shape into disks; wrap each in plastic, and chill for 2 hours or up to 1 day.

Preheat oven to 350°. Roll about 1 tablespoon of chilled dough between your palms to form 1-1/4 inch to 1-1/2 inch-long oval shapes. Slightly elongate one side to form face. Gently pinch bridge of nose to form eye sockets. With a paring knife, make 2 small slits at top of each shape for placement of ears. Place 2 sliced almonds into slits. Place shapes on parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart.

Bake, rotating sheets halfway through until cookies are light golden brown on bottom and around edges and tips of ears are golden brown (about 20 minutes.) Transfer sheets to wire racks, and immediately insert a wooden skewer about /2 inch into mouse’s rounded end. Remove skewer and insert curved length of licorice for tail. It should adhere to the still-warm cookie. Let cookies cool completely on wire racks.

Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a pan of simmering water. Turn off heat; keep chocolate warm until ready to use, stirring occasionally Place melted chocolate in a parchment cone or a resealeable plastic bag with a tiny hole cut in one corner. Pipe chocolate in tiny dots to form eyes and nose. Chill until chocolate is set, about 20 minutes.

Cookies can be stored in a single layer in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.
Yield: About 3 dozen