Mask-shaped carnival cookies: the recipe for decorated shortbread cookies

I Mask-shaped carnival cookies they are delicious and scenographic sweets, perfect for the most colorful and fun party of the year. Cheerful and original, these carnival masks they are made with a crumbly shortcrust pastry flavored with vanilla, then decorated with melted chocolate e sugar nuggets colored.

Their preparation is very simple: just put flour, eggs, softened butter, icing sugar, vanilla extract and a pinch of baking powder in a mixer, mixing for a few seconds, just long enough to mix the ingredients. Then you will need to let the dough rest in the refrigerator for an hour, so that it has the right consistency and is easier to spread.

To obtain the masks you will not need any special cookie cutters: all you have to do is print the chosen model on a sheet and cut out the shape on the shortcrust pastry. The presence of icing sugar makes the soft and elastic dough, so the cookies will keep their shape perfectly even after baking. Before putting them in the oven, you can also make two small holes on the sides of the masks: this way you can hang them at home using string or ribbons.

Perfect for a buffet carnival candies or for a Party birthday, carnival mask cookies are also great for breakfast oh snack: they will delight the children, whom you can also involve in the preparation and, above all, in the decoration. Find out how to prepare them by following our quick and easy recipe step by step.

If you’re looking for more ideas for colorful treats to make at Carnival, try harlequin cookies and Carnival cupcakes; if, on the contrary, you prefer traditional desserts, discover our recipes for chiacchiere and castagnole.

How to make carnival mask cookies

Start preparing the carnival mask cookies from the shortcrust pastry: pour the flour, icing sugar, eggs, vanilla, baking powder and a pinch of salt into a mixer. Then add the soft butter cut into pieces 1. Mix everything quickly, just long enough to obtain a smooth and homogeneous paste. 2. Transfer the dough to the floured work surface and knead it for a few moments to give it a rounded shape. 3then wrap it in a transparent film and let it rest for an hour in the refrigerator.

After the rest time, take the bread again and roll it out with a rolling pin to a thickness of 4-5 mm 4. At this point, place the paper model on the sheet of dough 5 and cut out the shape with a cutter or a small knife, then also make the eyes with a wooden toothpick. Choose a pattern of no more than 10-12 cm wide, so that you get about 30 cookies that are not too big. Also re-knead the scraps by putting the broken dough that you do not use in the refrigerator so that it is always very cold. Gradually place the masks on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper, spacing them a few cm apart. 6, then put them back in the fridge for 30 minutes before putting them in the oven: the cold/hot thermal shock will ensure they stay in perfect shape. Finally, cook them at 180°C for about 15 minutes, they should lightly brown on the surface.

After a quarter of an hour, take the masks out of the oven and let them cool on a cake rack. Then dip them in the melted chocolate. 7 and immediately add the colored vermicelli 8. Let the chocolate dry completely, then serve your cookies in the shape of a carnival mask 9.

Advice

If you prefer, you can use it caster sugareven if in this case the shortcrust pastry will be a little less soft.

You can flavor the masks with orange peel grated and a teaspoon of honeyedthey will be even tastier.

Depending on your preference, you can dip the cookies in sugar frosting or use a White chocolate oh with milk instead of black. To decorate the surface, you can also choose pistachio kernels or hazelnuts or coconut grated.

storage

Carnival cookies in the shape of a mask can be stored at room temperature, in a food bag, for a maximum of time. one week. They can also be frozen for 1-2 months.