Name: Mushroom Cookies
Prep time: 75 min
Total time: 85 min
Ingredients: 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 0.5 teaspoon baking soda; 0.75 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 0.5 teaspoon ground ginger; 0.25 teaspoon ground allspice; 0.125 teaspoon ground cloves; 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature; 0.5 cup granulated sugar; 1 large egg, room temperature; 2 tablespoons sour cream; 2 tablespoons unsulfured molasses; 3 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (6 tablespoons); 0.5 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted; 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder; Large pinch of kosher salt; 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature; 0.25 cup heavy cream, plus more if needed; 0.5 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; 2 tablespoons pasteurized egg white (from 1 large); 1.5 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted, plus more if needed; 0.25 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; Ground pistachios or ground freeze-dried raspberries, and poppy seeds (optional)

Mushroom Cookies

5.0

(1)

1 Review

Martha Stewart Test Kitchen

Updated on November 18, 2019

mushroom cookies on white platter — Photo: Pernille Loof

Prep Time:

1 hrs 15 mins

Total Time:

1 hrs 25 mins

Yield:

These fairytale-inspired mushrooms look like they were hand-delivered by Snow White herself. While these adorable treats do take a bit of time and patience to make, just one taste of the tender, warm-spice-scented cookies will confirm that they are well worth the effort.

Ingredients

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons unsulfured molasses

Chocolate Glaze

3 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (6 tablespoons)
½ cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
Large pinch of kosher salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature
¼ cup heavy cream, plus more if needed
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Vanilla Glaze

2 tablespoons pasteurized egg white (from 1 large)
1 ½ cups confectioners' sugar, sifted, plus more if needed
¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Ground pistachios or ground freeze-dried raspberries, and poppy seeds (optional)

Directions

Cookies: Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, and spices. In a stand mixer bowl fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter with granulated sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg; beat to combine. Add sour cream and molasses; beat to combine. Reduce speed to low; beat in flour mixture until fully combined.
Divide dough into 2 different-sized pieces: one piece being two-thirds of the dough, the other being one-third. From larger piece, make "caps": Scoop level tablespoons of dough and roll into balls. Cup each in the palm of your hand and use a finger to make a deep indentation. Place indent-side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spaced 1 1/2 inches apart.
From smaller piece, make "stems": Scoop rounded teaspoons of dough; roll each into a cylinder that's slightly pointed at one end, like a teardrop. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet, spaced 1 inch apart. Refrigerate 20 minutes. Bake until firm, 10 to 12 minutes. (If necessary, use a chopstick or similar-size dowel to reshape indents in caps after baking, so you can insert pointed ends of stems.) Transfer on sheets to wire racks; let cool completely.
Chocolate Glaze: Combine chocolate, confectioners' sugar, cocoa, salt, and butter in a heat-proof bowl. Heat cream in a small pot over medium-high until bubbling around edges, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour hot cream over chocolate mixture; let stand 1 minute. Add vanilla; whisk until mixture is smooth and has the consistency of hot-fudge sauce. (If too thick, whisk in more cream, 1 tablespoon at a time.)
Vanilla Glaze: Whisk together egg white and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Whisk in vanilla; texture should be like thick honey. (If too thin, add more sugar; if too thick, add a tiny bit of water.)
Dip cooled caps in either chocolate or vanilla glaze. Place, glazed-sides up, on wire rack. Sprinkle with pistachios or raspberries. Dip wider ends of stems in vanilla glaze to come about halfway up stems; dip bottoms in poppy seeds. Place, rounded-sides up, on rack; let stand until completely set, about 1 hour for vanilla, 2 hours for chocolate.
Dip pointed ends of stems in vanilla glaze and insert into indents in caps. (If glaze has thickened too much, loosen with a little water.) Return to rack; let stand until completely set. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.