Penguin, Lion and Panda Icebox Cookies

After I made the panda bread, I always wanted to use the same technique to make cookies. I saw Carman making some panda cookies recently, they looked sooo cute, I saved the idea making them this week so I could give some to Scarlett as a leaving present.

I also realised they are called icebox cookies, because they are made from a dough which has been refrigerated or frozen, typically in a log shape. The freezing or cooling makes the dough stiffer, and ideally suited to slicing into thin rounds for baking. Checkerboard cookies made from refrigerated dough. I was looking for good recipes online, and I found Diamonds for Dessert invented these adorable lion and penguin icebox cookies. Definitely a go to me, although i meant to make a smiley face for the panda, it turned out a sad face..  :-P

Panda Icebox Cookies

recipe adapted from Diamonds for Dessert

Make about 12 cookies, depends on how large you make it and how thick you cut it.
150g flour
115g butter, softened
85g sugar
30g powdered sugar
1 egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla bean paste
1.5 tablespoons cocoa powder

1. Cream butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Add egg yolk and beat until combined. Add the vanilla bean paste and mix.
2. Sift the flour in and stir until just combined.
3. Split the dough into 1/3 and 2/3 portions and put in a separate bowl.
4. The 2/3 portion bowl will be used for the panda face.
5. The 1/3 portion bowl will be used for the panda ears, add the cocoa powder into the bowl and mix until the dough become dark to resemble panda ears.
6. Divide the chocolate dough into 6 with 2 equal larger portions for the ears, 2 equal medium portions for the eyes, then the remaining 2 portions to be the nose and the mouth. Roll or pipe the dough of each portion into a long log.
7. Divide the plain dough into 8 portions like the picture below for the panda face, roll or pipe the dough of each portion into a long log. Carefully wrap the logs accordingly to form the panda face.

8. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes or until firm. After chilling, slice the log dough into 0.3 inch/8mm thick and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
9. Preheat the oven to 180C. Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Penguin Icebox Cookies

Make about 12 cookies, depends on how large you make it and how thick you cut it.
200g flour
115g butter, softened
85g sugar
30g powdered sugar
1 egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla bean paste
1.5 tablespoons cocoa powder
Purple food coloring
yellow and white coloured icing tube and melted chocolate, for decorating

1. Cream butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Add egg yolk and beat until combined. Add the vanilla bean paste and mix.
2. Take about 3/4 of the mixture into one bowl. Add 50g of the flour to it and mix until a dough forms. Remove from the bowl and wrap with cling wrap and set aside.
3. Take the remaining 1/4 of the mixture and mix in the purple food colouring until the desired colour is achieved. Add the remaining 150g of flour and mix until a dough forms. Wrap with cling wrap.
4. To make the penguin shapes, take the yellow dough and roll out into a log about 2cm in diameter. Set aside. Take the purple dough and roll out into 2 rectangle shapes, one as long as the plain log and another one as long as the diameter to wrap the yellow dough. Wrap the purple dough around the yellow dough and seal the edges.

5. Wrap the entire log in cling wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 160ºC and line a cookie sheet with baking paper. When the dough is firm, take the log out of the fridge and slice with a knife into 0.5cm slices. Place the slices onto the lined baking sheet, bake for 12-15 minutes and cool on a wire rack.
6. When the cookies are completely cooled, use piping icing and melted chocolate to pipe eyes, feet and wings onto the cookies.

Lion Icebox Cookies

150g flour
115g butter, softened
85g sugar
30g powdered sugar
1 egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla bean paste
1.5 tablespoons cocoa powder
yellow a icing tube and melted chocolate, for decorating

1. Cream butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Add egg yolk and beat until combined. Add the vanilla bean paste and mix.
2. Sift the flour in and stir until just combined.
3. Split the dough into half and put into two separate bowls.
4. One bowl will be used for the lion face.
5. The other bowl will be used for the lion hair, add the cocoa powder into the bowl and mix until the dough become dark.
6. Roll the plain dough into a long circle log.
7. Roll the chocolate dough into a rectangle shape long enough to wrap around the yellow circle log. Wrap the chocolate dough around the yellow dough and seal the edges.

8. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes or until firm. After chilling, slice the log dough into 0.3 inch/8mm thick and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
9. Preheat the oven to 180C. Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
10. When the cookies are completely cooled, use piping icing and melted chocolate to pipe eyes, noses, mouths and ears onto the cookies.