Hot Dog Cookies

Happy first week of 2011! I'm back from my post Christmas baking break. I've just taken down my Christmas baking timetable off the fridge (seriously I made a timetable) and am ready for a new year of baking and blogging.

I am so happy with how these cookies turned out! They look adorable.
These were a birthday treat for one of the guys at work, he is a big hot dog fan and loved the cookies.

Happy Birthday Scott.


I had originally intended to make hot dog sugar cookies but was so very very glad to find this recipe, it was way to hot to be rolling dough. These tasty shortbread were quick and easy to make, the only time consuming part was chilling the dough.

The original recipe said that this mix makes 17, I only got 14 but my cookies may have been a little larger. Instead of using bought icing, I used royal icing for the sauce and mustard and left out the green coconut (coloured coconut weirds me out)


Hotdog Cookies (Recipe from Taste of home)

For the cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
red food colouring

To make the cookies- Cream together butter, confectioners sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl until light and fluffy. Stir in the flour until dough is smooth.

Remove one third of the mixture into a second bowl, add a little red food colouring at a time until the desired sausage colour is achieved.


Cover both bowls of dough and refrigerate for 1 hour.

line a cookie tray with baking paper. Preheat oven to 180 degrees c.

To make the sausages divide the red dough into 14 portions. Roll each piece into a 3 inch long sausage shape.


To make the buns, divide the white dough into 14 portions and shape into 3 inch rolls. Press center of buns with the handle of a knife to create the slice for the sausages. Gently place the dough sausages into the open dough buns.


Move the cookies to the baking tray, spacing them 2 inches apart. Bake cookies 12-15 minutes, until firm and lightly golden.


Allow cookies to cool on trays before piping on the ketchup and mustard icing.

For the Icing

1 cup icing sugar
1 tablespoon meringue powder
water
red food colouring
yellow food colouring

To make the Icing- In a small bowl mix together icing sugar, meringue powder and a little water at a time to form a think paste. Continue mixing until icing is smooth.

Divide the icing into two bowls, colour one half red and one half yellow.


Using a fine piping tip, pipe a zigzag of red and yellow icing onto each hotdog cookie, allow to set.