Jungle Themed Cookies

image of jungle themed sugar cookies that have been made for a baby shower

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4.97 from 27 ratings

Jungle Themed Cookies

These adorable jungle-themed cookies bake up soft and chewy and are decorated with royal icing.

Prep Time30

Cook Time13

Additional Time1 30

Total Time2 13

Course: Cookies

Cuisine: American

Servings: 24

Calories: 283kcal

Author: Chelsey White

Ingredients

Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 170g
1/2 cup or 4 oz. full fat cream cheese, room temp 113g
1 1/2 cups Domino® Granulated Sugar 300g
1 large egg, room temperature 56g
2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 8g
1 tsp almond extract, optional 4g
3 cups + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour 400g
1 Tbsp cornstarch 8g
1 tsp fine salt 6g
1/2 tsp baking powder 2g

Royal Icing (adapted from Wilton)

7 1/2 cups powdered sugar 904g or a 2 lb. bag
1/3 cup meringue powder 55g
1/2 cup water, room temp 120g
2 Tbsp clear vanilla or almond extract 24g
Additional water to bring to a flooding consistency

Additional Supplies

Instructions

Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies

In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat 3/4 cup butter and 1/2 cup cream cheese on medium speed with a hand mixer or whisk attachment until smooth.
Next, add 1 1/2 cups Domino® Granulated Sugar and mix on a medium-high speed for a couple of minutes, until the mixture becomes lighter in color.
Add in 1 egg, 2 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract, and 1 tsp almond extract (optional). Mix on a medium speed until incorporated.
In a separate bowl, whisk together 3 cups + 2 Tbsp flour, 1 Tbsp cornstarch, 1 tsp fine salt, and 1/2 tsp baking powder.
Mix the dry ingredients into the butter mixture on a low speed until it is JUST incorporated. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula between additions.
At this point, the dough should still be pretty thick and sticky. Divide the dough in half and wrap each portion of dough in a piece of plastic wrap. I like to flatten the dough out into a rectangle that's about 1/2 inch tall to make it easier to roll out once it's chilled.
Chill the dough in the fridge for about 2 hours or in the freezer for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 F / 175 C for about 30 minutes before you plan to roll out the dough, and line two large baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Set aside.
Take one piece of dough out of the fridge, leaving the other in there to continue to chill. Unwrap the cookie dough and lay the plastic wrap out flat on your counter. We will be rolling out the cookie dough on the plastic wrap to make cleanup a breeze and to make it easier to cut out the cookies. Dust both sides of the cookie dough and your rolling pin with flour.
Roll the chilled dough to be 1/4 inch thick and cut out shapes with a flour-dusted cookie cutter. I used cookie cutters that are 2 ½ to 3 inches wide. Use a kitchen brush to brush any excess flour off the cookies and place them on the prepared baking sheets. The cookies don't spread much as they bake, so you can place them about 1 inch apart.
Chill the cut-out cookies one more time 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. Bake for 12-15 minutes on the top rack of your oven (bake time will vary based on the size and shape of the cookies). Keep a close eye on the cookies and be sure to pull them out before the edges start to brown.
Let the baked cookies cool on the pan for about 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
While the first batch bakes and cools, knead together the cookie dough scraps and rewrap them in plastic wrap. Pop them back in the fridge to chill.
Pull out the 2nd chilled portion of dough and repeat steps 9-11. Then repeat with the chilled dough scraps.

Royal Icing

While the cookies cool, make the royal icing. Whisk together 7 1/2 cups of Domino® Powdered Sugar and 1/3 cup meringue powder in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.
Add 1/2 cup water and 2 Tbsp clear vanilla or almond extract. Mix on a low speed with a whisk or paddle attachment at first to incorporate the liquid, then increase to a medium speed and mix until stiff peaks form. This usually takes me about 3 minutes with a hand mixer or 2 minutes with a stand mixer. Scrape around the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to ensure everything is properly mixed together.
Next, mix in additional water 1 Tbsp at a time until a soft peak consistency is reached. I used about 2 Tbsp of water, but it can vary from batch to batch. To test the consistency, dip the spatula into the icing and focus on the way it curls at the end of the spatula. It should curl back onto itself but still be able to keep its shape (see picture in post above).
Then it's time to thin and color the icing. You should have roughly 38 ounces of icing. Scoop 1.5 ounces of the uncolored, soft peak consistency icing into a small piping bag and seal the top. Set aside. Next, scoop 3.5 ounces of icing into a separate small bowl. Add water, 1/2 tsp at a time, until the icing reaches flood consistency. To test the consistency, the icing should be able to run off the spatula in a thick stream, and you should be able to draw a figure 8 with the run-off icing. It should settle back into the bowl of icing within 8 seconds. Once the icing is thinned to this stage, pour it into a piping bag, and seal the top. Set aside.
Add 5 ounces of icing into the same small bowl. Use a small squirt of brown gel food coloring to color the icing beige. Scoop 1.5 ounces of the soft peak consistency icing into a small piping bag and seal the top. Set aside. Thin the remaining beige icing to a flood consistency, then place it in a separate small piping bag and set aside.
Repeat step 5 to create bags of brown, light green, and dark green icing in both soft peak and flood consistency. You will have a bit of leftover white icing, which I recommend covering and setting aside in case you need any additional icing.

Decorating These Jungle-Themed Cookies

When you're ready to decorate the cookies, cut the tips of the piping bags to create a very small opening (1-2 millimeters). You can always cut the opening wider, but you can't make it smaller once you cut it. I find it's a lot easier to control the icing as you decorate the cookies if you have a small opening.
Outline the cookies with the soft peak consistency icing and let them dry for 5-10 minutes before flooding the cookies with the flood consistency icing as shown in the pictures above or this tutorial video.
Let the initial layer of icing firm up before adding on the next layer of icing or the fine line details with the soft peak consistency icing (unless you are using a wet-on-wet technique as shown on the onesie and rattle cookie).
Then let the cookies dry for a few hours or overnight until the icing is firm to the touch. Then use a fine point edible marker to sketch jungle animals onto the white rectangular cookies. These cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to two weeks at room temperature or up to 3 months in the freezer.

Video

Notes

Substitutions and Swaps

Please refer to the substitutions and swaps section in the post above for all the ingredient variations that can be used in this recipe.

How Many Cookies Does This Recipe Make?

This recipe can be used to make about 24, 3-inch cookies. The yield and bake time will vary based on the size and shape of the cookie cutter(s) you use.

This recipe can be halved to make fewer cookies (use half a scrambled egg in the dough), but I don't recommend doubling it unless you have a commercial (8 qt.) stand mixer.

Making These Jungle-Themed Sugar Cookies in Advance and Storage Tips

You can store decorated cookies in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks at room temperature or for up to 3 months in the freezer.

If you want to stack the cookies on top of one another, I recommend adding a layer of parchment paper between them.

This cookie dough can also be frozen for up to 1 month if wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and stored in an airtight container. I like to move the cookie dough to the fridge the night before I plan to roll it out and bake the cookies.

Baked, un-iced cookies can also be frozen! These cookies last for up to a month if frozen in an airtight container. I recommend waiting to decorate them until they’ve thawed to room temperature.

Move them to the fridge the day before you plan to eat them, then let them sit out at room temperature for a few hours before icing them.

Tips for Making the Best Jungle-Themed Cookies

Really cream together the butter, cream cheese, and granulated sugar in the first step of this recipe. It helps incorporate air into the dough which makes fluffy and soft cookies.
Don’t overwork the cookie dough! It can overwork the gluten and result in tough, dense cookies.
Roll the cookie dough out to a consistent thickness of 1/4 inch. If some are thicker or thinner than others, they may over- or under-bake in the oven.
Take the time to chill the cookie dough. It helps prevent your cookies from spreading while they bake and helps them bake up with a soft texture.
Liberally flour your counter before you roll out the cookie dough and move the dough around while you roll and cut the cookies.
Don’t overbake your cookies. Err on the side of underbaking your cookies and remember that the cookies continue to bake for a few minutes once they’re out of the oven.

Avoid leaving the icing uncovered for long periods of time or it will crust! Either use it immediately or cover it with plastic wrap.
Make and color the icing right before you plan to decorate the cookies. Otherwise, the icing can separate!

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