Recipe: Cookie Critters (giraffes, snakes, monkeys, using refrigerated cookie dough)

COOKIE CRITTERS

1 cup all-purpose flour, divided use
2 packages (18 oz each) refrigerated sugar cookie dough, divided use
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup assorted miniature candy-coated chocolate baking pieces (such as Mini M&M's)
1/2 cup rainbow jimmies
Assorted cake decors

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In bowl knead 2/3 cup flour into roll of dough until well combined; remove from bowl and set aside.

In same bowl combine cocoa powder with remaining flour; knead in remaining dough.

For animal bodies, shape doughs into balls, cones, ropes and logs.* Assemble animals on ungreased baking sheets, pressing dough pieces onto each other. Decorate with M&M's, jimmies and decors, as desired.

Bake 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned around edges. Cool on pans on racks, 15 minutes. Remove from pans; cool on racks.

*COOKIE SHAPES:

GIRAFFE:
Slightly flatten 2 cones for head and neck and large ball for body. Use ropes for legs and tail; small balls for feet, nose and ear tips, and flatten triangular pieces for spots. For mane and tail, squeeze dough through a clean garlic press, cutting off strands with plastic knife. Use brown jimmies for eyebrows.

SNAKE:
For body, roll one chocolate and one plain dough rope together to create one swirled rope. A cone-shaped ball was used for head. We shaped body with a "wiggle" and inserted jimmies for face features.

MONKEY:
Slightly flatten large oval chocolate ball for body and smaller plain oval ball for tummy. Ropes become tail and arms with small cuts in dough for toes. A flattened chocolate ball forms face and smaller plain balls are used for face features and ears. Decorate with jimmies and cake decors.

Source: Woman's World magazine, June 26, 2001