It’s magical May & Spring is finally here! Delicate, dainty blossoms adorn the trees, hedgerows have sprinklings of fragrant pretty flowers & blue skies are back with a passion. It’s almost as if the garden is glowing with new life & loveliness.
It’s also that time of year when the geeks amongst us celebrate too – May The Fourth, also known as Star Wars Day. As a child, I remember visiting the cinema to see the very first Star Wars film, absolutely mesmerised & never moving from my seat. I also remember asking my Mum to style my hair like Princess Leia for weeks afterwards (she did a fabulous job & thankfully, there are no photos). Nowadays, we celebrate Star Wars Day at home with a film & a few treats, which is where my inspiration came from for these cute cookies.
A long time ago, in a kitchen far far away …. there was a freshly baked batch of my cute chocolate Wookiee Cookies for celebrating Star Wars Day. These fun treats are perfect for your little Jedis to enjoy & they will think Yoda best parent ever!
The cookie recipe is really easy to make, but you could always buy ready-made plain ones to decorate. There’s no fancy equipment needed either, you won’t need your lightsaber or the Force, just a little imagination & some patience. If you have a Rebellion on your hands, get the little ones involved in making these too. I’ve even added a template for the shape at the end if you don’t have a gingerbread man cookie cutter. Ready to bake it happen? Han’s washed & aprons on, here we go! (The jokes won’t get any better, but the cookies will).
What you need:
For the Cookies:
4oz Self Raising Flour
3oz Salted Butter (room temperature)
2oz Light Muscovado Sugar
1oz Custard Powder or Corn Flour
1/4 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
For the Wookiees:
50g White Modelling Chocolate
150g Milk/Dark Modelling Chocolate
2 tablespoons cold Water (for sticking everything together)
1 Gingerbread Man Cookie Cutter (optional, as I’ve given you a template below)
A Fork or an Open Star Piping Nozzle or a Dresden tool (to make texture)
A thin/small Paintbrush with a thin rounded handle
A large fluffy Brush & a small amount of Corn Flour (for dusting your work surface if it gets sticky)
What to do:
First, let’s make the chocolate wookiee cookie toppers, then these can be setting while you’re baking the cookies.
Place the modelling chocolate on a sheet of greaseproof paper & place a layer of clingfilm loosely on top. The clingfilm keeps your rolling pin from sticking to the chocolate (trust me, it can get rather messy). Make sure you save the clingfilm for wrapping up any leftover modelling chocolate (even though we all know leftover chocolate is a myth).
Roll out to about half a centimetre thick, remove the clingfilm & then cut out the bodies, leaving a small gap between each. Remove the excess modelling chocolate carefully, squish it together & wrap in the clingfilm. If you’re using the cookie cutter, move the legs together, so there’s less of a gap – they don’t have to be exact, they just have to be hairy.
Use the fork (Luke) to make texture on the chocolate bodies, giving them a hairy/furry appearance. If you’re using the open star nozzle, pop it on the end of your finger to give you better control. Make short squiggles around the body, including the edges.
Now the bodies are made, time to add the details. For the face, roll two dark balls of modelling chocolate to make eyes. Make two indentations in the face (either using a balling tool or the end of your small paintbrush), then dab a tiny bit of water in each hole & place the chocolate eyes.
Roll two teeny tiny balls of white modelling chocolate to make a dot in each one – dab with a little water & press them on the eyes gently to stick.
To make the nose, roll two small balls of the dark modelling chocolate (about half a centimetre). If they’re not sticky enough, dab a tiny bit of water on the backs of each & place on the wookiee’s face together, just under the eyes. Give them a bit of texture & blend the edges into the rest of the face.
Make a smaller ball in the dark chocolate & pop that at the top of the two larger ones, to make a tiny nose.
To make the little mouth, roll another small ball of chocolate & stick under the nose. Make an indentation in the middle, with the end of the small paintbrush or a balling tool, giving it a smile. Again, add furry texture as before & shape it to the face.
Next, we need to make the bandolier & bag (the bandolier is a sort of tool belt strapped across the body). Cut a thin strip of the dark chocolate & lay it across the body, cutting the end at an angle so it fits over his shoulder & under his arm.
Cut small rectangles of different sizes from the white modelling chocolate & attach these to the bandolier, with a little space between each.
Make a slightly larger rectangle from the dark modelling chocolate to make the bag, attaching it the same way as above.
Then make a very thin strip of chocolate & lay it down the centre of the bandolier, over all the little white chocolate blocks. Using your paintbrush, poke it into the gaps & tuck in the ends where the belt finishes.
When you’re happy with your cookie toppers, set them aside on a tray to set Important – do NOT put them in the fridge, as they will sweat & turn very sticky.
Now the easy bit, making the cookies! Pre-heat the oven to 190*C & line a baking tray with a sheet of greaseproof paper.
Tip all the cookie ingredients into a bowl & squish everything together to form a soft dough.
Roll out to about half a centimetre thick & cut out your wookiees, either using the template or a gingerbread man cookie cutter. Remember to shape the legs together, as we did for the cookie topper.
Place on a lined baking tray & bake for about 8-10 minutes, until golden.
Transfer carefully to a cooling rack & allow to cool completely.
Take one of your wookiee cookie toppers & brush a little water on the back, then place it onto a cookie. Gently press to make sure it sticks. Repeat with the rest of your cookies.
That’s it, your cute wookiee cookies are ready to eat!
Whether a celestial celebration or galactic gathering, these chocolate-topped cosmic cuties are the perfect treat (they would also make fabulous favours at a May the Fourth themed wedding).
May the Fourth be with you, my friends & next time you’re having a Star Wars style celebration, come to the dark side – we have Wookiee Cookies! Watch out though, they’re a bit Chewie. Stay hungry! Aimee 😉 x
PS: Here’s the template for cutting out the body shape (excuse my drawing, it’s a bit wonky, but it works). Resize, then print, cut it out & have fun! Aimee 😉 x
