I made a quadruple batch of chocolate cookies, and added star sprinkles and candy eyes to make them into “Soot Sprites”, inspired by Spirited Away. They were by far the most popular of the cookies I made, and I likely will make mostly those in future years.
Here is the recipe, in case anyone else wants to make them:
(I got it from www.ricardocuisine.com/en)
[ul][li] 1/2 cup (125 ml) cocoa powder, sifted [/li]
[li]3/4 cup (180 ml) unbleached all-purpose flour [/li]
[li]1/4 teaspoon (1 ml) salt [/li]
[li] 1/2 cup (125 ml) unsalted butter, softened [/li]
[li] 1/2 cup (125 ml) sugar [/li]
[li] 1 egg[/li]
[li]star sprinkles[/li]
[li]candy eyes
[/li][/ul]
[ol][li]In a bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder and salt. Set aside.[/li]
[li]In another bowl, cream butter with sugar. Add egg and mix thoroughly. At low speed or with a wooden spoon, add dry ingredients. Shape into a disc with your hands and cover in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour. (Or just leave it in the mixing bowl, and cover that with plastic wrap. That’s what I did.)
[/li]
[li]With the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 180 °C (350 °F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.[/li]
[li]Use a cookie disher or a teaspoon to scoop dough, and roll into 1" diameter balls. Put two star sprinkles onto one side of the cookie. Bake for approx. 12 minutes, rotating the tray 180° half way through.[/li]
[li]Remove from oven and immediately stick two candy eyes into each cookie, while dough is still soft. Let cool on tray for 5-7 minutes, then remove to rack to finish cooling.[/li]
[li]If you wish, package in plastic bags with extra sprinkles.
[/li][/ol]