Cookie Monster Muffins

Remember the Baking Club @ Work that I´ve told you about? Well, it was my turn once again, and I wanted to do something out-of-the-line because by now, the expectations have grown - actually, I wouldn´t dare to bring just your ordinary sponge cake, to be honest ; )

So I decided to go for these fancy, cute little buggers:


Yes, you´re right, it´s the Cookie Monster! They are almost too cute to be eaten. Actually, three of my co-workers couldn´t thrust themselves to eating them, and took them home for their significant others (who apperantly didn´t have that much of a conscience, and send thank you´s for the taste).

The dough is really simple, just like any other muffin dough. The work starts with the decoration. Not that it is complicated, it just takes more time than I would have imagined. The marzipan eyes are easy. Dying the coconut flakes for the "fur" is easy, too - just take a stainless steel bowl, put on some gloves and knead in the food coloring. It will turn out a mess for sure, but hey... I found blue coconut flakes days later in my kitchen. No idea how that could have happened.

Then you make a frosting from confectioner´s sugar by slowly adding water until you reach the consistency you desire. Should be relatively firm so it doesn´t drool down your muffin tops.
Coat the muffins, dunk into blue coconut flakes, and be patient for it to set. Glue on the eyes with the frosting. And then comes the tricky part: you have to cut in a slot for the "mouth" you want to stick the halved cookie into. Don´t cut too close to the rim of the muffin, because else the muffin edge will crumble off. Either cut way up, or cut right in between the top and the base of the muffin - depends on the muffin shape you´ve made. But you´ll figure it out quite fast, I am sure.


Those little monsters are a safe bet for lots of compliments. And they are great to do with kids, too - but be sure your kitchen will look like hell when you´re done. But it´s totally worth it.

Recipe for Cookie Monster Muffins (appr. 15)

Ingredients

200g butter
200g sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla sugar
3 eggs
350g flour
3 tablespoons baking powder
milk as needed
200g coconut flakes
200g marzipan
confectioner´s sugar
chocolate chips
water
lots of blue food colouring
15 American Cookies, homemade or storebought

Preparation

1. Mix butter and sugar until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time.
2. Combine flour and baking powder in a bowl. Sift. Add to the butter-sugar-mix, alternating with milk, until you get a firm, not too thin dough.
3. Preheat oven to 190°C. Line muffin sheet with paper cups, fill with dough and bake for 15-20 minutes.
   
4. Remove from the oven, let cool for 5 minutes. Take out of the baking sheet, place on a cooling rack and let cool completely.
5. Mix marzipan with enough confectioner´s sugar to make it formable. Form balls.
6. Push in chocolate chips as eyes. Remember, the Cookie Monster doesn´t look straight.
7. Dye coconut flakes with blue food coloring. USE GLOVES. Unless you like it messy.
8. Make a frosting from confectioner´s sugar, water and blue food coloring.
9. Dip muffins - top first - into the frosting. Cover with blue coconut flakes, shaking of the excess. Let dry.
10. Use the rest of the frosting to glue the prepped marzipan eyes to the muffins.
11. Cut or break cookies into half, cut a slot into the muffins and push in a halved cookie.

Guten Appetit! Enjoy your meal! Bon Appétit!