Embark on a galactic baking adventure with these showstopping wookie cookies! These aren’t your ordinary gingerbread men—they’re a creative twist that brings the beloved Star Wars character Chewbacca to life in cookie form.
These cookies not only recreate the classic gingerbread flavors of molasses, ginger and cinnamon, they’re also adorned with creative chocolate detailing that includes Chewbacca’s signature utility belt, bullets and dark beaded eyes.
While crafting these furry friends may require a bit more patience than your average holiday cookie, the results speak for themselves. This wookie cookie recipe results in edible works of art that bring the taste of a faraway galaxy right to your table.
Ingredients for Wookie Cookies
- Butter: Softened butter adds richness and creates a tender texture in these Star Wars-themed cookies.
- Brown sugar: Packed dark brown sugar adds a deep, caramel-like flavor to the cookie dough, complementing the rest of the spices.
- Molasses: Molasses gives these cookies their distinctive gingerbread flavor and chewy texture. Here are the main differences between blackstrap, light and dark molasses.
- Egg: One large room-temperature egg helps moisten the dough and bind all the ingredients together.
- Vanilla extract: Just 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract enhance the overall flavor of these wookie cookies.
- Flour: All-purpose flour forms the base of the cookie dough, giving it structure.
- Spices: A blend of ground ginger, cinnamon and cloves gives the cookies their characteristic warm and spicy flavor.
- Baking powder and baking soda: These two leavening agents help the cookies rise and achieve the signature gingerbread texture.
- Chocolate chips: Melted semisweet chocolate chips and white baking chips are used to create the wookie’s distinctive features.
Directions
Step 1: Start the cookie dough
Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, five to seven minutes. Beat in the molasses, egg and vanilla extract until well combined.
Step 2: Combine the dry ingredients
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and cloves. Gradually incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until a cohesive dough forms.
Step 3: Chill the dough
Divide the dough in half and shape each portion into a disk. Cover the disks with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about an hour or until the dough is easy to handle.
Step 4: Roll and cut the cookies
On a lightly floured surface, roll out each portion of dough to 1/4 inch thick. Use a floured 3-inch gingerbread man cookie cutter to cut out the wookie shapes.
Step 5: Bake the cookies
Place the cutouts 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets. Use the tines of a fork to press lines into the dough to create the appearance of fur. Bake the cookies until the edges are firm, seven to nine minutes. Transfer the cookies to wire racks and let them cool completely.
Editor’s Tip: Keep a close eye on the wookie cookies when they’re in the oven to prevent overbaking—this can make the gingerbread cookies too crisp.
Step 6: Melt the chocolate chips
Melt the semisweet chocolate chips and white baking chips separately in microwave-safe bowls. Transfer each to a piping bag or zip-top bag with a small corner snipped off.
Step 7: Decorate the cookies
Pipe the melted semisweet chocolate to create the eyes, noses and utility belts for the wookie cookies. Then, use the melted white baking chips to add the mouth and bullets. Allow the chocolate to set completely before serving or storing.
Wookie Cookie Variations
- Add more chocolate: For a chocolaty twist to these wookie cookies, add 1/4 cup of cocoa powder when combining the dry ingredients.
- Make things nutty: Finely chopped pecans or walnuts can be added to the dough to give these cookies an extra crunch.
- Amp up the spice: Double the amount of ground ginger and cinnamon to give these cookies a more intense gingerbread flavor. You can also add a pinch of nutmeg to the dough for a more pronounced holiday flavor.
How to Store Wookie Cookies
Once they’re completely cooled, these wookie cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. They’ll keep for up to two months when stored in the fridge. Make sure to place parchment paper between the layers to protect the decorations and prevent the cookies from sticking to each other.
Can you freeze wookie cookies?
Yes, you can freeze wookie cookies for up to eight months. Place the undecorated cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze them until solid. Transfer the frozen cookies to a freezer-safe container or zip-top bag. Thaw the cookies at room temperature, and decorate them before serving. Alternatively, you can freeze the cookie dough and bake it at a later date.
Wookie Cookie Tips
How do you prevent wookie cookies from spreading too much during baking?
To maintain the signature gingerbread man shape, make sure your baking sheets are chilled before placing the cutout cookies on them. Freezing the cutout cookies for 10 to 15 minutes before putting them in the oven will also help them retain their shape. Here are a few other reasons why cookies turn out flat.
Can you use a different type of sugar?
While dark brown sugar adds a deep, rich flavor, thanks to its additional molasses content, you can swap it out for light brown sugar. The resulting wookie cookies will have a milder taste and color.
How can you make the wookie cookies chewier?
Underbaking the cookies slightly by reducing the baking time will result in chewier cookies. The cookies will continue to set as they cool.
How do you get clean edges when cutting out wookie cookies?
For clean edges on these gingerbread men, make sure the dough is properly chilled in the fridge before you begin cutting out the shapes. Dipping the cookie cutter in flour between each cut will also result in clean edges, as it prevents the dough from sticking to the shape.
