The Perfect Hedgehog Cookies Ezhiki (Great for Easter!)
Need a beautiful dessert for this coming Easter? Why not make these egg-like Hedgehog Cookies Ezhiki? Not only do they look great but they also taste amazing!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword Hedgehog Cookies
Prep Time 45 minutesminutes
Cook Time 25 minutesminutes
Total Time 1 hourhour10 minutesminutes
Servings 115hedgehogs
Author Valya's Taste of Home
Ingredients
For the Dough:
5large – egg yolks
½cup– sour cream
4oz.- butter
1tsp.- baking soda
2tsp.– vinegar
2cups– all-purpose flour
For the Filling:
I like to use home frozen cherries. You may use anything you like; chocolate chips, raisins, cranberries, blueberries, frozen or dried fruit, etc.
1pack – colorful circular wafers (available at any European Stores)
½pack – strawberry flavored wafers
½pack – vanilla flavored wafers
½pack – lemon or orange flavored wafers
4 -gallon size – Ziploc bags
Instructions
How to Prepare the Coating
Start by hard-boiling 5 large eggs. While they're cooking, we'll prepare the wafers for coating.
Put the following flavor and color combinations on separate large plates:
1 ½ white round wafers, 1 pink round wafer, and ⅓ pack strawberry-flavored wafers.
1 ½ white round wafers, 1 orange round wafer, and ⅓ pack vanilla-flavored wafers.
1 ½ white round wafers, 1 green round wafer, and ⅓ pack lemon or orange-flavored wafers.
1 ½ white round wafers, 1 blue round wafer, and ⅓ pack lemon or orange-flavored wafers.
Next, place the white and strawberry wafers in a gallon-size Ziploc bag. Using a dough roller, finely crush the wafers and shake the bags to mix them well. You can alternatively use a food processor as well to crush them.
When they're well mixed, transfer the crushed wafers back to the plate.
Repeat the same process with each plate of wafers, using a new Ziploc bag each time to avoid mixing colors.
How to Make Hedgehog Cookie Dough
First, remove the yolks from the hard-boiled eggs. Put them in a large mixing bowl and beat them with a paddle attachment.
Use a spoon to mash the yolk crumbs as much as possible. You won't be able to get a perfectly smooth texture, but keep mashing until there are only tiny crumbs left.
Add sour cream and keep mixing and mashing the yolks with sour cream until smooth. (This is where you'll be able to break down most of the yolk crumbs best. I first use a spoon, then a hard rubber spatula.)
Next, put the bowl back under the stand mixer and attach the paddle. Add the softened butter and beat on high for 1 minute.
Scrape down the dough off the sides of the bowl with a spatula, and beat again for a minute.
Mix the baking soda and vinegar in a separate bowl, then add the mixture to the butter. Beat for 30 more seconds or until it's well combined.
Continue beating while adding flour gradually, around ½ cup at a time, until the dough is formed.
It should be smooth and soft and not stick to the sides of the bowl.
How to Shape and Bake Hedgehog Cookie Dough
Preheat your oven to 350 ℉, then transfer the dough onto a working surface and knead it into a large ball.
Shape dough to form bite-size balls from the large one, about ½ inch in diameter, and flatten them down. You can also use a small cookie scoop to scoop cookie dough.
Place the filling in the center, seal them, then shape them back into balls.
Place the balls onto a parchment-lined or greased baking sheet. Keep making and filling dough balls until all the dough is used.
Bake the balls in the preheated oven for 20 -25 minutes or until light golden brown. The frozen filling will leak a little, but that's ok.
Remove them from the oven and let them cool completely before applying the coating.
How to Coat and Assemble Hedgehog Cookies
While the dough balls are baking, we can prepare the chocolate coating. I use chocolate ganache; I've found that a melted chocolate bar holds the dough together better than a glaze made with powdered cocoa.
Let the chocolate ganache cool until it's warm but not hot, then dip one ball in at a time. Place the dipped balls on the plates with wafer crumbs.
Coat them carefully and thoroughly, making sure the chocolate doesn't stay behind on the crumbs. Keep dipping and coating the balls until you've used them all.
Spread out all the coated and crumbed hedgehog cookies on a wire rack to let them dry and set completely. You can save excess coating and remaining melted chocolate ganache for cakes or other desserts.