Dalmation Cookies

Dalmations are our favorite black and white spotted dog! We were looking for a sweet finish for our Doggie Appreciation Dinner and thought we would use our basic sugar cookie recipe to make some dog-shaped cookies we could eat.

In order to get the extra-white frosting we used shortening and clear imitation almond extract. Regular vanilla or almond extract will actually change the color of the frosting slightly.

Makes 1 frosting recipe

You'll need:

• 1 recipe of our basic sugar cookie dough
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 2 cups of powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons of water
• 1/2 teaspoon of clear imitation almond extract
• Dark chocolate - chocolate chips
• A little adult help

Equipment:

• A dog-shaped cookie cutter
• A large bowl
• A hand mixer
• A cooling rack
• A butter knife

1. Roll out the cookie dough the way you always would. Cut the dough into dog shapes and bake.
2. As the cookies are baking, put the shortening in the bowl start to mix. Add the powdered sugar and the water a little at a time. We learned the hard way when we just put the shortening and the powdered sugar in the bowl and turned the mixer on. We had an explosion of powdered sugar!
3. Let the cookies cool until they are easy to handle.
4. Use the butter knife to lay a thin, even layer of white frosting on the dog-shaped cookie.
5. Add your chocolate chip spots.
6. Let the frosting harden before serving. These cookies are doggone good!