Hedgehog Cookies with Chocolate and Almonds
These adorable hedgehog cookies are made from soft almond flour cookies, melted chocolate, and chopped almonds. Their little faces and spikes are just too cute! Best of all, the cookie dough doesn't need to be chilled and these cookies stay soft for up to a week!
Ingredients
COOKIES
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup almond flour
- ⅓ cup cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt (use table salt or fine sea salt)
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened (2 sticks)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg (at room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
DECORATION
- 4 ounces semisweet baking chocolate (or ½ cup chocolate chips)
- ½ cup chopped almonds (or substitute other nuts like pecans, walnuts, or hazelnuts)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk the all purpose flour, almond flour, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
- In a separate mixing bowl, use a hand mixer or a stand mixer to beat the softened butter and granulated sugar until it’s pale yellow and fluffy, after a few minutes.
- Add the egg and vanilla and beat again until it’s creamy and fluffy, after another minute.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir with a large spoon until it forms a crumbly dough. (The dough will be kind of dry at first. Keep mixing until it holds its shape when you squeeze it in your hand.)
- Shape the cookie dough into round tear-drop shapes for the hedgehog bodies.To make the shapes, gently press the dough into a ball. Place it on the baking sheet to flatten the bottom, then use your fingers to press one end to a rounded point for the nose. Use your index finger to press down above the nose to flatten the face. Place the shaped cookies on the prepared baking sheets spread out at least 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the cookies are dark golden on the very bottom edges. Don’t try to remove them from the baking sheet right away, since they’ll still be soft. Allow the cookies to cool for about 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer them to a cool rack to finish cooling fully.
- Once the cookies are cool, melt the chocolate either on the stove with a double boiler or in the microwave in 20 second bursts, stirring after each interval.Use the back of a spoon or a pastry brush to brush the bodies of the hedgehog cookies with the melted chocolate. (Don’t brush chocolate on what will be their faces, at the front tip.)Sprinkle the chopped nuts onto the melted chocolate to make the hedgehog spikes.Dip a toothpick into the remaining melted chocolate to dot on the two eyes and nose on each hedgehog’s face.
- Allow the chocolate to cool and harden on the cookies (this usually takes mine around 2 hours), then enjoy!!
Notes
- Decorating: The placement of the eyes makes all the difference in how cute your baby hedgehog cookies turn out. Play around with yours until you get it just right. I found that placing them slightly closer together amps up the cuteness level.
- Sliced Almonds: You can use sliced almonds to make hedgehog spikes, but I found my cookies looked more like mice or porcupines that way.
- Other Toppings: Instead of chopped nuts, you can use shredded coconut or chocolate sprinkles for the spikes.
- Storing: Store decorated cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. If you live in a hot or humid region, store them in the fridge to avoid the chocolate from softening and melting.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cookieCalories: 247kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 4gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 37mgSodium: 38mgPotassium: 80mgFiber: 2gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 332IUVitamin C: 0.002mgCalcium: 26mgIron: 1mg
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