Chocolate-Pecan Hedgehog Cookies

Name: Chocolate-Pecan Hedgehog Cookies
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 16 cookies.
Ingredients: 1/3 cup butter, softened; 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar; 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract; 2/3 cup all-purpose flour; 2/3 cup ground pecans; 1/8 teaspoon salt; 1/2 cup 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate baking chips; 1/4 cup chocolate sprinkles

Unlike the real woodland creatures, these chocolate-coated hedgehogs dwell on snack plates and cookie trays. The little guys are fun to make and eat. —Pamela Goodlet, Washington Island, WI

Ingredients

1/3 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup ground pecans
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate baking chips
1/4 cup chocolate sprinkles

Directions

Preheat oven to 325°. In a small bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Combine flour, pecans and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Shape 1 tablespoon of dough into a ball; pinch the dough to form a face. Repeat. Place 2 in. apart on a greased baking sheet.
Bake 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Let stand 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
In a microwave, melt chocolate; stir until smooth. Holding a hedgehog cookie by the nose, spoon chocolate over the back (leave the face uncovered). Allow excess to drip off. Place on waxed paper; immediately coat the wet chocolate with sprinkles.
With a toothpick dipped in chocolate, make two eyes and a dot on the nose. Let stand until set. Store in an airtight container.

Test Kitchen Tips

Cookies can be made ahead and frozen. Just thaw and decorate.

To encourage the kids (or the kid in you) to flex some creative muscles, supply white chocolate and colored sprinkles. Who says a hedgehog can't be rainbow-colored?

Nutrition Facts

1 each: 114 calories, 8g fat (4g saturated fat), 10mg cholesterol, 46mg sodium, 11g carbohydrate (6g sugars, 1g fiber), 1g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 1 starch, 1 fat.

Originally published as Hedgehog Cookies in Country Woman August/September 2009

Reviews

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Babsy_Boop

Dec 18, 2016

So easy to make, and the cookies are delicious!! Thank You
ubu

Nov 20, 2016

My husband loves Groundhog Day, so I make these every year and tell him they are the best I can do for groundhogs. I even added them to my Christmas cookie platter one year and brought a smile to everyone's face. The cookies melt in your mouth.
amidesfees

Jan 31, 2015

So adorable! Easy to make vegan by just subing out Earth Balance for the butter. Even the adult "kids" loved them. Wouldn't they be great for a baby shower with pink or blue sprinkles?
LABailey

Feb 21, 2013

These cookies were a HUGE hit!!!! Not only cute but delicious too!