Smily face cookies

These are fun to prepare and tastes good, and more interesting thing is you will get a different smile on each smiley face :) 

                

Preparation time : 2 hours approx

Makes : 30 approx

Ingredients :

Unsalted butter at room temperature : 1 cup

Sugar : 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup ( i felt 1/2 cup little less)

Vanilla extract : 1 tsp

Salt : 1/4 tsp

All purpose flour / maida : 2 3/4 cups

Unsweetened cocoa powder :  2 1/2 tbsp

Method :

Take a bowl, add butter, sugar and cream them together until well blended and fluffy.

Add vanilla extract and salt, mix it once.

Now slowly incorporate the flour into this mixture (with an electric whisk in low speed)

The dough will be loose and crumbly.

Turn dough out onto a floured work surface. 

Lightly kneed the dough just until texture is evenly distributed..

Divide dough into 1/3 and 2/3 portions.

Chocolate dough : Sprinkle cocoa powder over the 1/3 portion. Knead until cocoa has been fully incorporated. ( We use this dough for making smile and eyes )

Remaining 2/3 portion of the dough will be used for making face.

Now, make eyes and smile with chocolate dough.

For eyes, take some chocolate dough (say 40 %) and roll into 2 thin strips.

For smile , take some chocolate dough (say 60 %) and roll it to 2 inch wide piece.

For face you need : Take the white dough, divide it into 1/3 and 2/3

Roll 2/3 dough into a rectangle shape ( same length as smile)

Take that 1/3 dough divide it into half,with first half make 3 thin strips and roll the second half to 2 inch wide.

Now assembling face : 

Place white rectangle shape thing on work surface.

On top of it place chocolate smile that we rolled, placing it at the edge of the long end.

Add that rolled white one (that we made from 2nd half of white 1/3 dough)

Now place chocolate eyes dough ( 2 thin strips) on filling the every space with a strip of white dough 

( w c w c w , place strips in this order on top)

Finally, roll up the entire layer and shape the dough into long log.

Wrap the dough tightly with a cling film and chill in fridge for at least 30 minutes before baking.

(Cookie dough can be stored in fridge for few days or in the freezer for months)

Preheat oven to 350 F or 175 C. 

Slice cookie dough into 1/4 inch thickness and then lay them on a cookie sheet or baking tray.

Bake for 12 to 15 mins or until the edges are slightly brown. 

Cool cookies on a rack.

Store them in a tight container.

I prepared these by seeing a video from you tube and here is the link for it and you too can check it for a detailed understanding of this recipe http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dksRSsfYo34
She adopted it from this blog http://khern.wordpress.com/2009/07/28/smiley-face-ice-box-cookies/

Enjoy your cookies :)

Thank you, do post your comments !!!