Dragon Cookies

They roar! They fly! They breathe fire! There’s just something hard to resist about dragons. In China, these mystical beasts are symbols of health, strength, and good luck. During Lunar New Year celebrations, dragons are often the star of the party. In some places, you’ll find dragons represented in lanterns, puppets, masks — and even food!

These light and creamy Dragon Cookies are a delicious way to celebrate Lunar New Year at home. The smooth butter cookie base is easy to pipe into all kinds of cool dragon shapes. And the simple vanilla flavor goes great with all kinds of other party treats — like ice cream! Snap a pic of your cool creation and share a photo with us at #kidstir!

Makes:

20 cookies

Hands-on time:

25 minutes

Start-to-eat time:

45 minutes

Ingredients

⅓ cup of butter
½ cup powdered sugar, sifted
1 egg yolk
¾ cup corn starch
¼ cup cake flour
¼ cup milk powder
red food coloring

Kids kitchen skills:

whisking
piping
baking

Tools:

measuring cups and spoons
2 medium bowls
whisk or hand mixer
pastry bag and piping tips (optional)
resealable plastic bag (optional)
baking sheet
parchment paper
toothpick & small bowl
oven mitts

Step-by-step

Grown-up steps

Heat the oven to 325 F, and place the rack on the lowest level in the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and set aside.
In a medium bowl, cream the butter and powdered sugar with a whisk or a hand mixer. Cream until light and fluffy.
Add the egg yolk, and mix until combined.
Add the cornstarch, cake flour, and milk powder to the butter mixture until the dough comes together to form a soft ball.
Place the dough in a piping bag or a large resealable freezer bag fitted with a star tip (#20). Carefully squeeze out the air.
Pipe "S"’ shaped cookies onto the baking sheet, leaving space in between each one. Dip a toothpick into the red food coloring and use it to dot two red eyes on the top of each cookie.
Bake for 15-17 minutes on the lower rack. Cool completely, and enjoy a magical treat!