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Fun to make dragon cookies by piping butter cookie dough. All the tips you need to know to make this successfully. The cookies are naturally gluten-free.
This year is not a dragon year, but the year of the ox. Nevertheless, I made these dragon cookies because I had some leftover yolks and this was sort of a long-overdue little project I’ve been wanting to do even before Game of Throne ends a few years ago! If you watch Game of Throne you know there were dragons in there. Anyway, after few years of delays, so here I am LOL!
The recipe rundown
Taste: They are like butter cookies. Sweet (though my kids said could be sweeter) and buttery
Texture: Crisp on the edge and soft inside
Level: Medium
Pros: They are fun to make and you don’t need kitchen gadget like a mixer
Cons: Getting the right dough consistency can be the challenge here. I have failed 3 times before I figure it out
So, I failed three times before this
The dough consistency is important here. The right balance between the butter, the cornstarch, the sugar, and the egg yolks,hey.. pretty much the entire recipe 🙂
My first attempt: the cookies literally melt into large thin butter cookies during baking LOL! The dough is too fluid and soft.
My second attempt: the cookie dough was almost impossible to pipe through the nozzle. I literally squeeze SOO..HARD…and it’s like the dough is constipated. I just threw the whole thing away
My third attempt: the cookie dough was more manageable but the taste was off. It tasted so starchy (too much cornstarch)
My fourth attempt (the photos you are seeing here): The cookie dough is soft enough to pipe with a bit of resistance, but it should be pipeable without having to squeeze so hard! It tastes the best among all, probably can be a bit sweeter? but this is subjective I suppose!
How To Make Dragon Cookies
1. Soften the butter at room temperature. I cut it intso smaller pieces and leave it out for about 30 minutes.You should be able to easily mash it with a wooden spatula or the back of a spoon
2. Mash the butter and then add icing sugar and combine until the icing sugar is no longer visible
3. Add vanilla and egg yolks (I highly recommend you actually weigh the egg yolks as this determines the consistency of the cookie dough) and stir again to combine until creamy
4. Sift in the dry ingredients. Combine until you get a soft dough and slightly sticky. The dough needs to be soft enough so you can pipe through the nozzle
5. If you want to color the dough, divide the dough into two and put a small drop of color on one of them and knead the dough to even out the color
6. I use Wilton 1M tip because I think it makes rougher scales(more “crackly”) compared to when I use Wilton 4B. My son said it looked more like a dragon (though he still thinks it’s more like a snake than dragon LOL). Anyway, it’s up to you
Wilton 1M tip
7. Pipe almost like an “S” letter. You don’t want to pipe too long as it will look more like a snake. You can pipe about 1/2 inch apart, the cookie spread a little but not a whole lot. After you are done piping, chill the whole tray inside the freezer (yes,freezer) for at least 30 minutes. This helps to maintain their shapes
8. 15 minutes before the end of time, preheat the oven to 320 F (160 C). Put the tray in the middle of the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes
9. The cookies shouldn’t brown much, just slightly golden brown at the bottom
10. Remove from the oven and let them cool on the tray for 10 minutes
11. Transfer to a cooling rack to let them cool down completely. Dip the blunt tip of a toothpick in a red food coloring to dot the eyes
So the family agrees that this version tasted the best and looked the best as they can be (though not perfect!).
Tips for success
1. Make sure you use durable piping bag. A quality that you know won’t burst easily if you squeeze
2. I recommend using Wilton 1M or something similar from another brand versus Wilton 4B, but it’s a personal preference
3. I recommend weighing the egg yolk for precision if possible, as this affects the consistency of the dough
4. You need to chill the piped cookie dough in the freezer for at least 30 minutes
Did you make this recipe?
I love it when you guys snap a photo and tag to show me what you’ve made 🙂 Simply tag me @WhatToCookToday #WhatToCookToday on Instagram and I’ll be sure to stop by and take a peek for real!
Easy Dragon Cookies
Ingredients
- 60 gr butter salted or unsalted, softened
- 60 gr icing sugar
- 36 gr egg yolks from 2 large egg yolks (18 grams each)
Dry ingredients:
- 100 gr cornstarch
- 10 gr milk powder
- ⅛ tsp salt omit if using salted butter
If you want to color the dough:
You will need:
- Wilton 1 M nozzle
- Piping bags
Instructions
Prepare the cookie dough:
- Soften the butter at room temperature. I leave it out for about 30 minutes. You should be able to easily mash it with a wooden spatula or the back of a spoon
- Mash the butter and then add icing sugar and combine until the icing sugar is no longer visible. Add vanilla and egg yolks (I highly recommend you actually weigh the egg yolks as this determines the consistency of the cookie dough) and stir again to combine until creamy. Sift in the dry ingredients. Combine until you get a soft dough and slightly sticky. The dough needs to be soft enough so you can pipe through the nozzle
- If you want to color the dough, divide the dough into two and put a small drop of color on one of them and knead the dough to even out the color
Pipe the cookies:
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Make sure you use a durable piping bag. I use a reusable piping bag like this. It's very sturdy. The cookie dough is not as fluid to pipe, but it should be pipeable with a slight resistance but not super hard to pipe. It shouldn't be too fluid (it will lose its shape during baking)
- If it is too hard to pipe, like you have to really squeeze and still can't come out, the dough is too hard. Add a bit more egg yolk, teaspoon by teaspoon and combine well until you get the dough consistency that is soft enough to be pipe
- I use Wilton 1M tip because I think it makes rougher scales(more "crackly") compared to when I use Wilton 4B. My son said it looked more like a dragon (though he still thinks it's more like a snake than dragon LOL). Anyway, it's up to you.
- Pipe almost like an "S" letter. You don't want to pipe too long as it will look more like a snake. You can pipe about 1/2 inch apart, the cookie spread a little but not a whole lot
Chill in the freezer:
- After you are done piping, chill the whole tray inside the freezer (yes,freezer) for at least 30 minutes. 15 minutes before the end of time, preheat the oven to 320 F (160 C). Put the tray in the middle of the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes. The cookies shouldn't brown much, just slightly golden brown at the bottom
- Remove from the oven and let them cool on the tray for 10 minutes before you transfer to a cooling rack to let them cool down completely. Dip the blunt tip of a toothpick in a red food coloring to dot the eyes
Store:
- They can be kept in air-tight cookie jar or container for weeks at room temperature
RECOMMEDED TOOLS
*Nutrition facts are just estimates and calculated using online tools*
2 comments
Your cookies look really cute and as this year is the Year of the Dragon, I would like to make them but I don’t have milk powder, is there a substitute for milk powder or can I leave it out?
Hi Nancy, the milk powder is more for flavor. You can omit and replace with same amount of cornstarch