How to Make Owl Cookies
Look for owl or tulip cookie cutters., Make owls from round objects instead., Make your own cookie cutter., Cream the butter and sugar., Beat in the egg and vanilla extract., Mix in dry ingredients at low speed., Refrigerate the dough., Preheat the...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Look for owl or tulip cookie cutters.
Owl-shaped cookie cutters do exist, but they’re not easy to find.
Tulip cookie cutters are much more common, and their three pointed petals look just like an owl’s head and ear tufts.Look for them at your nearest baking supply store, craft store, or department store.
Heart shaped cutters make a more stylized owl shape. -
Step 2: Make owls from round objects instead.
Egg-shaped or oval cookie cutters work best, but you can use an egg ring, biscuit cutter, or round cookie cutter.
You can even cut the top off a metal can and clean it thoroughly.
Once you’ve picked the tool of your choice, make two owls at once as follows:
Press one oval or circle onto the rolled-out dough.
Press a second oval or circle overlapping the first by a small amount.
If using an oval or egg-shaped cutter, overlap both smaller ends.
Remove the small piece of dough caused by the overlap.
You now have two owls, each with two pointy ears. , The other methods are fine, but can they capture the essence of the ideal owl? If you have high standards or twitchy craft fingers, make the cookie cutters yourself out of an aluminum lasagna pan.
Read the full instructions, or follow the quick version here:
Cut a long strip from the bottom of the pan, at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide.
Trace an owl shape on a piece of paper.
Bend the strip to mold it in the shape of your design.
Close the cookie cutter with staples or strong glue.
File down the rough edges. , Beat the butter until soft and lighter in color.
Gradually add sugar and continue beating until it has grown significantly in volume., Mix until well combined., Gradually add flour, salt, and baking powder.
Beat on low speed until well combined.
Scrape down the side of the bowl periodically., Pat the dough into a large, thick rectangle and wrap it in plastic wrap.
Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes or up to 2 hours.
This will make teh dough easier to roll out and shape., Set it to 375ºF (190ºC).
Move one oven rack to the top position and one to the bottom., Sprinkle a clean surface with powdered sugar to prevent sticking.
Roll out the dough to ¼ in (6 mm) thickness., Using one of the methods described above, cut out the owl shape.
Remove the extra dough in between owl shapes.
Roll this out again, cut out more owls, and repeat until all dough is used., Place the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet, optionally covered with parchment paper.
Bake for about 10 minutes or until cookies are lightly brown.
Let sit for a couple minutes, then transfer to a wire rack for cooling.
Let cool completely before you decorate., Royal icing dries to a hard, opaque shell.
These characteristics make it excellent for decorating cookies, but it can take a little practice to get right.
Make thick icing using this full guide or follow these quick instructions:
Wipe a mixing bowl and mixer with lemon juice.
Whisk two medium egg whites until frothy.
Gradually add 3 cups (376 grams) icing sugar and whisk quickly until combined.
Whisk while adding 2 tsp (10 mL) lemon juice and whisk until stiff peaks form. , You’ll want several colors of icing to decorate your owls.
Divide the icing into three or four bowls, or however many different colors you'd like to use.
If you plan on using icing to make the eyes, set aside two additional small cups to make white and black icing.
You'll probably want a small cup of yellow icing to make the beak. , You can mix in regular food coloring, but it can take a surprising number of drops.
Paste or powdered icing color will make a more vivid color, without thinning your icing.
Dip a toothpick into the icing color through the foil lid, then stir the pick into the icing.
Repeat as necessary, using a fresh toothpick each time.If your icing becomes watery, mix in more icing sugar. , Piping bags allow for even, controlled decoration.
If you don't have one already, make it yourself out of a resealable plastic bag or a square of parchment paper.
Spoon two or three spoonfuls of icing into the bag, leaving the rest in the bowl.
Squeeze it down to the tip, so you can pipe the icing through the hole in the tip.
Use a clean piping bag for each color of icing.
If you've never piped icing before, practice on a plate first. , You can make this pattern with just one bag of icing.
Pipe a row of dots on the body of the owl, near the edge.
Use a butter knife to drag the center of each dot toward the middle of the cookie.
Repeat with additional rows of dots, creating a pattern of overlapping "feathers."
The next few steps show you how to make a solid color cookie.
This is easier than the feather decoration, but requires more time and a couple bags of icing.
To start with, pipe a complete outline around each cookie, with no gaps.
The first border should finish setting by the time the last cookie is piped., Mix in a little water or milk to make the icing thinner.
This works best if you use a spray bottle.The icing is ready when it drips in long strings from a fork., Pipe the thinner icing into the center of your cookies.
The icing should flow across the cookie and stop at the hard outer border.This technique makes impressively smooth, vivid cookies.
Use icing the same color as the border to make the border invisible. , Adding candy eyes is the easiest option, but you can use icing instead.
Use your thick icing and pipe a dot of white icing, topped with a dot of black icing.
To make the beak, draw a short triangle with yellow icing. -
Step 3: Make your own cookie cutter.
-
Step 4: Cream the butter and sugar.
-
Step 5: Beat in the egg and vanilla extract.
-
Step 6: Mix in dry ingredients at low speed.
-
Step 7: Refrigerate the dough.
-
Step 8: Preheat the oven.
-
Step 9: Roll out the dough.
-
Step 10: Cut out the owl shape.
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Step 11: Bake the cookies.
-
Step 12: Make royal icing.
-
Step 13: Separate the icing into several portions.
-
Step 14: Color each bowl of icing.
-
Step 15: Make piping bags.
-
Step 16: Consider a feather pattern.
-
Step 17: Pipe borders on the cookie instead.
-
Step 18: Thin some of the icing.
-
Step 19: Flood the cookies with the thinned icing.
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Step 20: Add eyes and a beak.
Detailed Guide
Owl-shaped cookie cutters do exist, but they’re not easy to find.
Tulip cookie cutters are much more common, and their three pointed petals look just like an owl’s head and ear tufts.Look for them at your nearest baking supply store, craft store, or department store.
Heart shaped cutters make a more stylized owl shape.
Egg-shaped or oval cookie cutters work best, but you can use an egg ring, biscuit cutter, or round cookie cutter.
You can even cut the top off a metal can and clean it thoroughly.
Once you’ve picked the tool of your choice, make two owls at once as follows:
Press one oval or circle onto the rolled-out dough.
Press a second oval or circle overlapping the first by a small amount.
If using an oval or egg-shaped cutter, overlap both smaller ends.
Remove the small piece of dough caused by the overlap.
You now have two owls, each with two pointy ears. , The other methods are fine, but can they capture the essence of the ideal owl? If you have high standards or twitchy craft fingers, make the cookie cutters yourself out of an aluminum lasagna pan.
Read the full instructions, or follow the quick version here:
Cut a long strip from the bottom of the pan, at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide.
Trace an owl shape on a piece of paper.
Bend the strip to mold it in the shape of your design.
Close the cookie cutter with staples or strong glue.
File down the rough edges. , Beat the butter until soft and lighter in color.
Gradually add sugar and continue beating until it has grown significantly in volume., Mix until well combined., Gradually add flour, salt, and baking powder.
Beat on low speed until well combined.
Scrape down the side of the bowl periodically., Pat the dough into a large, thick rectangle and wrap it in plastic wrap.
Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes or up to 2 hours.
This will make teh dough easier to roll out and shape., Set it to 375ºF (190ºC).
Move one oven rack to the top position and one to the bottom., Sprinkle a clean surface with powdered sugar to prevent sticking.
Roll out the dough to ¼ in (6 mm) thickness., Using one of the methods described above, cut out the owl shape.
Remove the extra dough in between owl shapes.
Roll this out again, cut out more owls, and repeat until all dough is used., Place the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet, optionally covered with parchment paper.
Bake for about 10 minutes or until cookies are lightly brown.
Let sit for a couple minutes, then transfer to a wire rack for cooling.
Let cool completely before you decorate., Royal icing dries to a hard, opaque shell.
These characteristics make it excellent for decorating cookies, but it can take a little practice to get right.
Make thick icing using this full guide or follow these quick instructions:
Wipe a mixing bowl and mixer with lemon juice.
Whisk two medium egg whites until frothy.
Gradually add 3 cups (376 grams) icing sugar and whisk quickly until combined.
Whisk while adding 2 tsp (10 mL) lemon juice and whisk until stiff peaks form. , You’ll want several colors of icing to decorate your owls.
Divide the icing into three or four bowls, or however many different colors you'd like to use.
If you plan on using icing to make the eyes, set aside two additional small cups to make white and black icing.
You'll probably want a small cup of yellow icing to make the beak. , You can mix in regular food coloring, but it can take a surprising number of drops.
Paste or powdered icing color will make a more vivid color, without thinning your icing.
Dip a toothpick into the icing color through the foil lid, then stir the pick into the icing.
Repeat as necessary, using a fresh toothpick each time.If your icing becomes watery, mix in more icing sugar. , Piping bags allow for even, controlled decoration.
If you don't have one already, make it yourself out of a resealable plastic bag or a square of parchment paper.
Spoon two or three spoonfuls of icing into the bag, leaving the rest in the bowl.
Squeeze it down to the tip, so you can pipe the icing through the hole in the tip.
Use a clean piping bag for each color of icing.
If you've never piped icing before, practice on a plate first. , You can make this pattern with just one bag of icing.
Pipe a row of dots on the body of the owl, near the edge.
Use a butter knife to drag the center of each dot toward the middle of the cookie.
Repeat with additional rows of dots, creating a pattern of overlapping "feathers."
The next few steps show you how to make a solid color cookie.
This is easier than the feather decoration, but requires more time and a couple bags of icing.
To start with, pipe a complete outline around each cookie, with no gaps.
The first border should finish setting by the time the last cookie is piped., Mix in a little water or milk to make the icing thinner.
This works best if you use a spray bottle.The icing is ready when it drips in long strings from a fork., Pipe the thinner icing into the center of your cookies.
The icing should flow across the cookie and stop at the hard outer border.This technique makes impressively smooth, vivid cookies.
Use icing the same color as the border to make the border invisible. , Adding candy eyes is the easiest option, but you can use icing instead.
Use your thick icing and pipe a dot of white icing, topped with a dot of black icing.
To make the beak, draw a short triangle with yellow icing.
About the Author
Emma Russell
Experienced content creator specializing in crafts guides and tutorials.
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