Chick Cookies

• NOTE: It takes 30-45 minutes to shape and decorate these chick cookies, so wait to preheat your oven until after you've made the cookie dough.
• In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat 1/2 cup or 1 stick (113g) unsalted butter and 1/4 cup (56g) cream cheese on medium speed with a hand mixer until smooth.
• In a separate bowl, add 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar and the zest of a large lemon (about 6g). Use your fingertips to massage the zest into the sugar. The rubbing action releases the natural oils from the lemon zest, intensifying the citrus flavor throughout the sugar.
• Add the lemon sugar into the butter/cream cheese mixture and mix on a medium-high speed for a couple of minutes, until the mixture becomes lighter in color.
• Add in 1 egg yolk (20g),1 tsp (5g) vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract, and a generous squirt of yellow gel food coloring. You can also leave the remaining dough uncolored if you want to make white chicks. Mix on a medium speed until incorporated. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
• Then, add 2 cups (260g) of flour, 2 tsp (6g) of cornstarch, 1/2 tsp of fine salt, and 1/4 tsp of baking powder to the butter mixture and mix at a low speed until it is JUST incorporated. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to make sure everything is properly mixed together.
• At this point, the dough should still be pretty sticky. Scoop about 1 Tbsp of the dough into a separate bowl and color it orange with gel food coloring.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C and line a large baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Set aside.
• Use a 3 Tbsp cookie scoop to scoop out 12 scoops of yellow dough (each dough ball should be about 50g). You should have about 2 Tbsp of yellow dough left to shape the wings. Roll the cookie dough into balls, then place them about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Use your palm to gently flatten the dough into a flattened circle (see pics above).
• Use the orange cookie dough to roll out 24 balls that are about 3/4 cm in diameter. Place two at the bottom of each cookie to be the chick's feet. Use your finger to gently flatten them and stick them into place.
• Then use about the same amount of dough that you used to make each foot to make each chick's beak. Place these in the center of each cookie.
• Gently press two round, black sprinkles (I used 4mm black sugar pearls) into each cookie to be the chick's eyes.
• Then roll out 24 balls of yellow cookie dough that are about 1 cm in diameter. Use your fingers to flatten them a bit and shape them into an upside-down teardrop. Press 2 of these onto the sides of each cookie to be the chick's wings. The closer in towards the eyeballs/beak you place these, the lower the chance you have of them sliding off while the cookies bake.
• The last step is to make 12 tiny tufts of feathers to place on the top of each chick cookie. Use a scribe or toothpick to make a line down the middle of the dough to give it more dimension.
• If you have the time and space in your fridge or freezer, chill the cookies (pan and all) in the fridge for 15 minutes or the freezer for 5 minutes to help them keep their shape as they bake.
• Bake one sheet of cookies at a time for 15-17 minutes on the middle rack of your oven. Rotate the pan halfway through to help them bake more evenly. Keep a close eye on the cookies and be sure to pull them out before the edges start to brown. If any of the wings do slide off the sides, carefully press them back into place right when the cookies come out of the oven and are still hot. Let the baked cookies cool fully on the pan, then enjoy!