Totoro Character Cookies
Adorable Totoro Cookies That Will Steal Your Heart!
Does the title have a bit of clickbait? Haha, well, I’ve recently become obsessed with Studio Ghibli! My absolute favorite is No-Face, but Totoro is right up there too. The warm and beautiful art style of Ghibli animations is truly breathtaking. Lately, it feels like Ghibli-themed items like No-Face phone cases and Totoro diaries are becoming more common around me than Hello Kitty! I saw a Totoro cookie video pop up on a YouTube channel I subscribe to, and I immediately thought, ‘I have to make this!’ So, I watched the video that very evening and made these cookies right away. Because I was short on time, the quality isn’t perfect, but I plan to try again for a more refined look. I’m even considering creating Totoro cookies with this recipe, or perhaps making No-Face cookies using a recipe composed of my other character cookies!
Ingredients (Makes approx. 20 cookies)- 150g Butter, softened at room temperature
- 90g Powdered sugar (confectioners’ sugar)
- 1 Egg, at room temperature
- 270g Cake flour (low-gluten flour)
- 1 Pinch of salt
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- A little black food coloring
- A little dark chocolate (for decoration)
- A little white chocolate (for decoration)
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
In a bowl, cream the softened butter until smooth. Add the powdered sugar and salt, and mix well with a whisk until combined and smooth. Continue mixing until the sugar is dissolved and the texture is creamy.
Step 2
Add the room-temperature egg and mix thoroughly with the whisk until well combined and no longer separated. Aim for an emulsified mixture, like a creamy paste.
Step 3
Stir in the vanilla extract. This will enhance the flavor of your cookies.
Step 4
Sift the cake flour into the bowl 2-3 times. Use a spatula or scraper to gently fold the flour into the wet ingredients, cutting through the mixture. This method prevents the flour from flying everywhere and ensures a smooth blend. Be careful not to overmix; stop as soon as you no longer see streaks of flour, as overworking the dough can make the cookies tough.
Step 5
Divide about one-third of the dough and shape it into a long, cylindrical log. This will be Totoro’s body. Lightly dusting your hands or the work surface with extra flour can help prevent the dough from sticking, making it easier to shape. The dough is naturally a bit soft, so use a little flour as needed. Wrap the shaped dough tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for about 30 minutes until firm. Freezing makes it easier to slice neatly.
Step 6
To the remaining dough, add the black food coloring and mix thoroughly until the color is evenly distributed. (Tip: Add the food coloring gradually, a little at a time, until you achieve the desired shade.)
Step 7
Take a small portion of the black dough (about half a cupped hand’s worth) to use as a base for creating the gray color. If you don’t achieve the exact gray you want, you can adjust it by mixing in a little more of the white dough.
Step 8
Remove the frozen cylindrical dough (body) from the freezer. Gently wrap and press the gray dough around the lower part of the body to form Totoro’s belly. Position it so the belly is at the bottom for a natural look. Next, take the reserved black dough, roll it into two long, thin strips, and attach them to the top of the body (above the gray belly) in a triangular shape to create Totoro’s ears. Once the Totoro shape is complete, re-wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for another hour until very firm. This ensures the cookies will hold their shape when sliced.
Step 9
Take the well-frozen dough logs out and carefully slice them into approximately 0.5 to 1 cm thick cookies using a sharp knife. The dough needs to be solidly frozen for the cookies to maintain their shape. Arrange the sliced cookie dough on a baking sheet, leaving some space between each one.
Step 10
Bake in a preheated oven at 170°C (340°F) for about 12-15 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. For even better shape retention, you can slightly refreeze the sliced cookies before baking. Once baked, remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 11
Once the cookies have cooled completely, melt the dark and white chocolate. Use a piping bag or a toothpick to carefully draw Totoro’s eyes, nose, mouth, and cheeks onto the cooled cookies. Enjoy your adorable Totoro creations!
