Dora Starfish Cookies

Using store-bought cookie dough lets you get right to the fun part: decorating! Expand the undersea theme for a swimmingly fun birthday party.

New explorations 6/3 & 6/5 @ 10AM ET/PT on NICK

Ingredients

• 1 roll (18 oz.) refrigerated sugar cookie dough
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 box (16 oz.) confectioner's sugar
• 3 tbsp. meringue or egg-white powder
• Orange, red, yellow, and black food coloring (available in party-supply stores)

Supplies

• 2 cookie sheets
• Parchment paper
• Rolling pin
• Star-shaped cookie cutter
• 6 plastic resealable bags

Directions

1. Step 1

   Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. Step 2

   Knead the cookie dough and flour together on a clean work surface until smooth. Divide the dough in half. Roll out one piece of dough to a scant 1/4-inch thickness.

3. Step 3

   Using a star-shaped cookie cutter, cut out as many star shapes as possible. Transfer to the prepared sheet pans. Repeat with the remaining dough and re-rolling scraps to make about 12 cookies. Bake until the cookies are golden brown, about 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely. Repeat with the remaining cookies.

4. Step 4

   Beat the confectioner's sugar with the egg-white powder and 6 tablespoons of warm water in a medium mixing bowl until thick, about 2 minutes. Tint 1 1/4 cups of the frosting bright orange with the food coloring. Spoon 1/4 cup of the frosting into a resealable bag. Thin the remaining orange frosting with a teaspoonful of water or until the frosting is the thickness of slightly whipped cream. Spoon into a resealable bag. Tint 1/4 cup of the frosting yellow and thin slightly with some water. Spoon into a resealable bag. Divide the remaining frosting into thirds and tint one dark pink, one black, and the third leave the white. Spoon each color into a separate resealable bag.

5. Step 5

   Snip a corner from the bag with the thicker orange frosting. Pipe an outline of frosting on the starfish cookies. Snip a small corner from the bags with the thin orange and yellow frosting. Fill in the outline with the orange frosting. Pipe dots of the yellow frosting all over the cookies. Let the cookies dry about 1 hour.

6. Step 6

   Snip a small corner from the remaining bags with the frostings. Pipe white eyes and fill in with a dot of black. Pipe eyelashes with the black frosting. Pipe a pink mouth. Let the cookies dry completely, about 2 hours.

Nurtition Facts

• Calories: 344
• Total Fat: 8g
• Saturated Fat: 3g
• Trans Fat: 2g
• Cholesterol: 5mg
• Sodium: 141mg
• Total Carbs: 66g
• Fiber: 0g
• Sugar: 50g
• Protein: 3g