Hedgehog Cookies with Chocolate and Coconut

These adorable hedgehog cookies are topped with chocolate coconut spines, and will be sure to delight kids and adults alike.

Course Dessert

Cuisine holiday

Keyword cookie the hedgehog, easy hedgehog cookies, hedgehog cookie recipe, hedgehog decorated cookies

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 30

Total Time 1

Servings cookies

Calories 86kcal

In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and almond flour.
150 g all purpose flour, 40 g granulated sugar, 30 g almond meal/flour
Add the melted butter and the milk, and stir with a spatula to combine.
Use your hands to fully combine, and then squeeze it together into one solid ball.
60 g unsalted butter, 2 Tbsp milk

Place the ball on a sheet of plastic wrap, wrap it up, and shape into a log.
Squeeze it tight while you shape it, so the dough sticks together and doesn't crumble.
Cut the log in half (2 pieces), cut the two pieces in half again, and then cut the pieces in half again.
You should now have 8 pieces.
Now take each piece and cut it into thirds, to get 24 pieces.
Take each piece, and using your palm and fingertips, shape into a teardrop shape (see pictures above), with a point that will be the hedgehog's nose.
Don't worry too much about how pretty the back looks, as it will be covered with coconut.
Shape the nose to point up a little bit, for a cuter face.
Flatten the bottom just a little, so it won't roll on the cooking sheet.
Place on the cookie sheet and start the coconut mixture.

In a small saucepan, add an inch of water and bring to a simmer.
In a glass, heat safe bowl, combine the egg white, sugar, and cocoa powder with a whisk.
1 large egg white, 50 g granulated sugar, 2 tsp cocoa powder
Place the bowl over the small saucepan (the bowl needs to be bigger than the saucepan so it won't fall in).
Whisk continuously until the mixture is no longer gritty and the sugar has fully dissolved.
Remove from heat and add the unsweetened shredded coconut and mix to fully combine.
80 g unsweetened shredded coconut

Take about 1.5-2t of the coconut mixture and place on the palm of your hand, or your fingers (see pictures above), and gently press until you form a little coconut "blanket".
Drape the blanket over the hedgehog body, and using your fingertips to pack and form the coconut around the body, leaving the face and nose uncovered.
Note: don't leave too much of it uncovered, or else the proportions will not look right. See photos above to get an idea of how much should be covered.

Bake in the oven on the middle rack for 25-30 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool completely before touching them.
The coconut can be quite soft until it fully cools.

When the cookie cools, mix a pinch of sugar with an equal amount of water in a very small dish, and stir until combined.
sugar water
Place some black sesame seeds in the sugar water (this is to help it stick to the cookie).
black sesame seeds
Using your fingertip, take a sesame seed and place it on the face portion of the cookie.
I used a toothpick to help get it off of my fingertip, and to push the seed into the correct place.
Place two sesame seeds for eyes, and one for the nose.

Adapted from Cookpad (Japanese).