TOTORO BUTTER COOKIES WITH MATCHA LEAVES

SO, this is me lesson prepping for tomorrow's Creative Writing 11 Book Chat tomorrow.  I had my students select a Canadian Novel for an independent project which culminates in a Tea 'n Cookies Book Chat with their peers.

Silly me...I asked what they'd like me to bake and they said "Totoro Cookies!"  

I don't know why I was hoping they'd all say "CAKE!" --but they didn't.  

Ah well.  They're not for me to eat anyway!

I used matcha powder to create tiny leaf cookies to rest on Totoro's head.  With the leftover matcha dough I made some larger leaf cookies 'cause I didn't want to make any more of those time-consuming tiny leaves anymore 🤣

I added black sesame paste to a blob of cookie dough in order to make the tiny black sesame sprites. They were so cute but something about grey cookies is so unappealing to many people.  I guess they don't look appetizing being the colour of soot!

Raw cookie dough is so tasty-looking to me.  I prefer how it looks to the baked product because you can see the crisp lines and Totoro's cute expression very clearly.

In case you want to make these with a totoro cutter, be aware that they cost $$$.  All you have to do is google it and you'll find plenty of styles of Totoro cutters to buy.  Before I bought a cutter, I used a cardboard template that I cut out.  I traced the cookies with a knife and they were tedious but they turned out well.  Alternatively, if you're crafty you can cut up an Arizona Tea can and create your own personalized cookie cutter.  I have a pusheen one that I made like that because I'm too cheapie to pay money for more cutters.  

Totoro Vanilla Butter Cookies 

• 2 Cups unsalted butter, softened (2 sticks)
• 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 Large egg 
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 5 Cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp teaspoon coarse salt
• OPTIONAL: 1 teaspoon matcha powder (for the matcha leaves)
• OPTIONAL: 1 teaspoon black sesame paste (or ground black sesame seeds) (for the soot sprites)

1. Preheat oven to 350degrees F.
2. Put butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in whole egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour and salt and mix until combined.
3. Halve dough; shape each half into a disk. Place one disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate. You can use the other half for the optional coloured decorations or soot sprite cookies.  Continue making cookies with the remaining refrigerated dough.
4. Roll out dough and cut with a template or cutter.  Transfer cookies to parchment-lined cookie sheet.
5. OPTIONAL LEAVES & SOOT SPRITES:  take a handful of dough and add 1 teaspoon of matcha powder to it, kneading until thoroughly combined. Roll out and cut into tiny leaves to decorate Totoro's head.  Take a handful of dough and knead in 1 teaspoon black sesame paste and knead thoroughly until combined.  Roll out and cut into soot sprites.
6. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until lightly browned (Totoro's ears will get brown first, so watch them)  The soot sprites will take only 10-12 minutes and the tiny leaves take 7 min.
7. Let cool on wire racks. Store in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.

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A Very Merry Totoro Christmas to You!

I regret that for the majority of my life I had not watched the movie My Neighbor Totoro (となりのトトロ) the 1988 Japanese animation written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, and produced by Studio Ghibli.  Just last year my kids and I watched it at home and thereafter I was smitten.

My kids love all things Totoro (and I do too)!  The storyline of the mythical cat-like ginormous creature that befriends the children in the animation had us wanting more Totoro.  I've bought a few items for my kids and I have attempted to make Totoro baked goods (like everyone else on Instagram!)

The thing is, I am kind of cheapie when it comes to shelling out mucho $$ for a cookie cutter. Today I decided I was going to make my own cookie cutter using pliers and sheet metal. My hubby said no way; that his scraps from work are industrial and heavy gauge so I won't be able to bend it.  I thought of using a tin tuna can or a pop can but I don't have any pop in the house...just homemade kombucha!  So I just drew a totoro outline and cut it out on a scrap piece of paper.  Then I traced over the dough with a knife; cutting out the totoro shape.  

My Totoro Cookie consists of the following elements:  Black Sesame Butter Cookie body, Vanilla Butter cookie tummy, Matcha Butter Cookie leaf, Dark Chocolate fur and White Chocolate eyeballs.  Everything is natural in colour; coming from the different ingredients I used.  The cookie base I used was my trusty ol' Vanilla Butter Cookie dough and I just tossed in the natural flavourings: ground black sesame & matcha powder.

Unfortunately, the totoro cookies don't bake evenly because the ears stick out and are a little more brown than the rest of the body but that's okay. I actually like brown cookies because they're tastier--that's caramelization, folks!

The most difficult part of the totoro cookie decorating experience is those dang whiskers and fur chevrons.  I contemplated using a fine round tip for my piping bag. Then at the last minute I decided to do everything by hand and a toothpick.

This one turned out the best I think. He's a cutie! The matcha leaves melded onto the Totoro foreheads no problem as they baked.  I'll be giving away one Totoro Cookie away with each gift bag of cookies I'm making this year.  Each bag will consist of tiny round sparkly butter cookies in each flavour: Matcha, Black Sesame & Vanilla.

I have plans for this Copper Snowflake cutter I recently bought on sale at WS.  It's resting on a log of my Vanilla Butter Cookies that are waiting to be cut and baked off.

I was pretty handy this Christmas and made everything by hand...even my Christmas Cards. This is my LawnFawn stamps & die cut set employed in my butter cookie packaging frenzy

The little penguin throwing a snowball at his deer friend is a so cute!

See those vanilla butter cookies? Those cookies are the base recipe that all my flavoured cookies evolve from: toss in flavourings and you will have delicious cookies in no time. Easy-Peasy Christmas Cookies!

Here is my trusty Vanilla Butter Cookie Recipe once again:

VANILLA BUTTER COOKIES

• 1 Cup unsalted butter, softened (2 sticks)
• 3/4 cup organic evaporated cane sugar (or granulated sugar)
• 1 Large egg
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 Cups sifted all - purpose flour (or gf flour blend)
• 3/4 tsp teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/2 Cup fine sanding sugar or extra organic evaporated cane sugar for rolling cookie logs

FLAVOUR VARIATIONS:  

MATCHA:  add 1 tablespoon matcha powder (1 tsp if you don't like matcha flavour)

BLACK SESAME:  add 2 tablespoons ground black sesame

1. Put butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in whole egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour and salt and mix until combined.
2. Halve dough; shape each half into a log. Place each log on a 12-by-16 inch sheet of parchment. Roll in parchment to 1 ½ inches in diameter, pressing a ruler along edge of parchment at each turn to narrow log. Transfer to paper towel tubes to hold shape, and refrigerate until firm or freeze until firm, about 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Roll log in extra evaporated cane sugar or sanding sugar. Cut into ½-inch thick rounds. Space 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment. Bake until edges are golden, 18 to 20 minutes. (cakebrain note: ensure the cookies are golden brown and they'll taste much more flavourful as well as have a better crunch). Let cool on sheets on wire racks. Store in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.

TOTORO COOKIES:

1. Divide batch of dough into 3 bowls (pull off one handful to colour green with matcha, 1/3 should be vanilla and 2/3 should be black sesame).  Add various flavourings: matcha, black sesame and keep one plain vanilla.  Roll out black sesame cookie to an even thickness.  Roll the vanilla dough into a log shaped to the size of Totoro's tummy.  You will slice off thin pieces to place on the black sesame totoro.  

2.  Using a paper template as a guide for Totoro's body.  Trace with a knife with the black sesame dough.

3. Slice off a thin piece off of the vanilla dough log.  Place it on Totoro's tummy area.  

4. Take a tiny piece of matcha dough and cut out a leaf shape and place on top of Totoro's head.  

5. Bake the cookies, keeping a close eye on the ears so they don't burn.  I started checking the cookies at the 10 minute mark.  Depending on the thinness and size of your cookies, it'll take from 10-18 minutes.  Just keep an eye on those ears!

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