Cow-Patterned Cow Cookies

What does the cow say?

Moo~~ Moo~~!

I have to say I'm not much of a cookie person, but lately I'm all about cookies because:

1. It's fast to whip up 

(especially to entertain little ones, when they want hands on)

2. Its fast to bake

(it's summer, my AC is not working, the kitchen is hot, faster baking = better)

3. Lazy & tired

(want to make something but don't want to be complicated)

This recipe is from a book called 每天是饼干日

It all started when I saw some pictures of cow shaped cookies on Google, I thought it looks cute and it seems like it doesn't need any royal icing! I love how cookies look decorated all nice in royal icing but I just don't like the sweetness with all that food coloring.   So out of curiosity I took a glimpsed at the recipe and I found that it was so simple!  Cookies mainly made of butter, condensed milk and flour.  

Condensed Milk had my attention.

Condensed Milk is just sooooo good.  I remember when I was a kid, my brother and I love to just eat it straight from the can with spoons.  We'd also smothered our toast with it or pour some hot water in a cup with a few spoons of the gooey goodness and we have an awesome cup of milk. Oh yeaaa Asian style!

Overall, I think the cookies are good, but not flavorful enough, maybe the absence of eggs?  I felt like they are similar to sugar cookies.  Its a fun recipe, I'll definitely play with this recipe next time.  

Recipe for Condensed Milk Marble Cookies 
 – adapted from 每天都是饼干日
Yields 20 cookies, depending on the size of cookie cutter

60g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
100g condensed milk, room temperature
1 gram (1/4 tsp) salt
3 grams (1/2 tsp) vanilla extract
170g plain flour, sifted
3-4 grams (1 tbsp) Cocoa powder

1. In the small mixing bowl, whisk to cream softened butter. 
2. Add condensed milk and salt.  Whisk to combine.
3. Add vanilla extract.
4. Pour sifted flour into the mixture, stir with metal teaspoon to form dough ball
5. Pinch out 50g of the dough, add cocoa powder slowly to it to form a cocoa dough. Stop adding when the dough starts to feel dry.

I used a little less that 3 grams of cocoa and I feel that too much will also make dough bitter.

6. Roll out the plain dough on a floured surface or Silpat.  Tear up cocoa dough into pieces randomly place them on top of the flatten plain dough.

7. Roll out with pin again to flatten (to 0.4cm)
E is doing such a good job of helping me roll it out! Great activity to do with kids.

8. Cut into desire shapes and arrange on a baking tray
9. Bake in a preheated oven at 170C/325F  for 10minutes till cookies are done, but not brown.
    Cool completely on rack before storing in air tight container.

Note:
- I want it more cow cookies so I piece the leftover pieces together as best as I could but don't mix.  I roll it out again and punch out as many cow shapes as I can.
- With the final leftover dough I just roll in balls and press down with thumb as discs.