These Spiced Mushroom Cookies will add a little rustic forest charm to your holiday table. They’re hand-shaped from spiced cookie dough and decorated with royal icing and chocolate candy coating. A dusting of cocoa powder and toasted kataifi pastry on their stems gives them an earthy, just-foraged appearance.
There’s something especially fun about a cookie that makes people look twice. In fact, that’s kind of what made me fall in love with baking in the first place. It was almost 20 years ago when I whipped up a batch of iced sugar cookies that looked like little pieces of sushi. They were cute and funny, and they seemed to spark joy in others, too. I even took orders for them for a while, but in the end my 9-5 job took precedence. But it wasn’t long before I changed my career path. I discovered that baking was something I could pour all of my creativity into.
These Spiced Mushroom Cookies spark that same joy. This recipe originated in a European pastry course, but I’ve reworked it to be a little friendlier for home bakers. There’s no fussy tempering of chocolate and no specialty molds required. They do take a little work for assembly, but I was completely in my happy place from start to finish. The end result is so worth it and I wouldn’t hesitate to make them again.
Make the Spiced Cookie Dough
I’ve converted the metric ingredients to volume, so they may look a little strange (such as the honey ingredient: 1/4 cup plus 2 1/4 teaspoons). But if you prefer weights, those are included too.
First, whisk cinnamon and ginger together with flour and baking powder. Set aside. Then cream together softened butter, salt, brown sugar, honey, and vanilla bean seeds. Use the paddle attachment and let the mixer run until everything is smooth and consistent. Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture. The dough will look dry and crumbly. You may suspect you’ve done something wrong, but you haven’t. This is exactly how it should look.
Scrape down the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl so there aren’t any hidden pockets of flour. Then, with the mixer running on low speed, slowly pour in cold milk. Almost immediately, the dry crumbs begin to clump together. Keep mixing just until you have a smooth, soft, unsticky dough.
Shape the Spiced Cookie Dough into Caps and Stems
Once the dough is well mixed and cohesive, portion it out for the mushroom caps and stems. I used two different sizes for each, for large and small mushrooms.
- Large caps: 60 grams, or about 1 level 1/4 cup dough
- Small caps: 50 grams, or about 2 1/2 level tablespoons
- Large stems: 30 grams, or about 2 level tablespoons
- Small stems: 25 grams, or about 1 slightly heaping tablespoon
You’ll make four of each size, which gives you four larger and four smaller finished mushrooms.
If you have a kitchen scale, the gram measurements make it easy to pair everything up neatly. If you don’t have a scale, don’t let that stop you. Use the volume measurements as a guide. Real mushrooms aren’t identical, and these don’t have to be either.
To shape, roll the cap portions between your palms until smooth, then flatten one side against the baking sheet so the other side stays rounded and domed. For the stems, roll portions into tapered cones.
Bake, Cool, then Coat the Cookies
Bake the caps and stems separately since the smaller stems finish a little sooner. The cookies will puff slightly in the oven, and you may notice little cracks appearing on the surface. That’s normal. Let the cookies cool on their pans for about 10 minutes before transferring them to wire racks. Once completely cool, it’s time to decorate.
The mushroom caps get a coating of melted chocolate candy. I chose candy coating instead of regular chocolate because it sets beautifully without tempering, which makes this project much more approachable for home bakers.
Insert a toothpick into the flat side of a cap to make dipping and handling easier. Dip the rounded side of each cap into the melted chocolate candy coating and place it flat-side down on the silicone mat (or parchment).
Drying Times
The chocolate-dipped caps set fairly quickly. At room temperature, they should be firm within about an hour, and you can speed things along by briefly refrigerating them if needed.
The royal icing-coated stems need a little drying time. Before icing them, sift a layer of confectioners’ sugar over a parchment-lined baking sheet. Insert a toothpick into the end of each stem to use as a handle, brush the stem with royal icing, and then sift more confectioners’ sugar over the freshly iced surface. Let the stems stand for about 2 hours, or until the royal icing feels dry and firm. Then use a clean, soft pastry brush to gently sweep away the excess confectioners’ sugar. Keep the remaining royal icing covered with a damp towel because you’ll need it again when the mushrooms are assembled.
For a better visual, you can see the dipping, coating, and brushing action in the video just before the recipe card at the end of this post.
Assemble the Spiced Mushroom Cookies
Bunch up a clean tea towel inside a rimmed baking sheet to make a soft surface for the assembled spiced mushroom cookies. It gives you little pockets where you can prop a mushroom on its side if one doesn’t want to stand upright while the coating sets.
Using the tip of a small paring knife, carefully carve a shallow hole in the flat underside of each mushroom cap. Make it just large enough to accommodate the pointed end of the matching stem. Add a little melted candy coating inside the hole, then insert the stem. Some mushrooms will stand upright while they set. If one is wobbly, just nestle it on its side in the folds of the tea towel.
Once the chocolate has secured the stem, turn your attention to the underside of the mushroom cap. Brush on some of the reserved royal icing, making sure it extends around the point where the cap and stem meet. Once dry, this adds another layer of stability. While the icing is still wet, drag a toothpick through it in fine lines radiating outward from the stem to create ‘mushroom gills’.
Finishing Touches for the Spiced Mushroom Cookies
I’m a believer that small finishing touches make all the difference. For the stems, first remove the toothpicks. Then dip the very bottom of each mushroom stem into the remaining melted candy coating. Then press it into toasted shredded kataifi pastry. Kataifi is made from very fine strands of phyllo dough. You may recognize it as the crisp shredded pastry used in the popular Dubai-style chocolate confections.
You can purchase kataifi already toasted and shredded, which is what I used here. It saves a step, and I love the nutty, toasty flavor it adds to the cookies. The irregular strands around the base look a little like roots, dried grass, and bits of forest floor. You can also use toasted coconut in place of the kataifi.
For another layer of faux-finishing, load cocoa powder into a soft dry pastry brush. Tap away almost all of the excess. Then lightly brush cocoa around the caps, cracks, edges, stems, and bases. Just a little bit adds so much dimension. Don’t be tempted to overdo it!
These spiced mushroom cookies are a generous size. The soft, almost cakey centers make them feel more like a pastry. I think they would look beautiful as an edible table favor at Thanksgiving, or displayed on a woodland-themed Christmas dessert table. And if you’re making a traditional Bûche de Noël, they’d be a nice alternative to the usual meringue mushrooms.
How to Store Spiced Mushroom Cookies
Store the finished spiced mushroom cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week. They will keep slightly longer in the refrigerator, but bring them to room temp before serving. The texture and flavors will be best that way.
Despite their rustic appearance, these aren’t hard, crunchy spice cookies. The centers stay pleasantly soft (almost cakey), and the royal icing and chocolate coatings help protect the tender interior. Mine stayed soft enough that I could easily slice one straight down the center to photograph the cross-section.
These Spiced Mushroom Cookies aren’t just about looks – they really deliver on flavor! Soft and spiced inside, with a chocolate cap and slightly crisp royal icing coating – delish. They’re so fun to serve, and I think they’re unusual enough to become a conversation piece. I can’t imagine a cuter table favor for our Thanksgiving feast this year. However, they may end up on top of a cake!
Spiced Mushroom Cookies
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Small kitchen-dedicated art brushes in assorted sizes (2-3)
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Short wooden skewers or toothpicks (8)
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Soft-bristled pastry brush
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Small fine-mesh sieve or dusting wand
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Small paring knife
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Small offset spatula, optional
Spiced Cookie Dough
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1/3 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 7 tablespoons packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup plus 2 1/4 teaspoons honey
- Seeds from 1 vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 1/3 cup whole milk cold
Royal Icing
- 2 tablespoons pasteurized egg whites room temperature
- 1 2/3 cups confectioners’ sugar sifted
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- Up to 1 teaspoon water if needed
For Decorating and Assembly
- 8 oz. chocolate candy coating or melting wafers
- 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup toasted kataifi (shredded filo) ready made
Make the Spiced Cookie Dough
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Whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and ginger. Set aside.
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In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the softened butter, salt, brown sugar, honey, and vanilla bean seeds. Beat on medium speed until well combined and fluffy.
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Gradually add the flour mixture to the creamed butter mixture. Continue mixing until all of the flour has been incorporated. The mixture will look dry and crumbly at this stage. This is normal.
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Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl well to make sure no dry ingredients are sticking to it. With the mixer running on low speed, gradually pour in the cold milk. Continue mixing until the crumbs come together and a smooth, soft, unsticky dough forms.
Shape the Mushroom Cookies
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Divide the dough into four portions of each of the following sizes:• 60g each – or 1 level 1/4 cup• 50g each – or about 2 1/2 level tablespoons• 30g each – or about 2 level tablespoons• 25g each – or about 1 slightly heaping tablespoon
Shape the mushroom caps and stems.
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Roll the 60g and 50g portions between your palms until smooth and ball-shaped. Arrange them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Gently flatten one side of each ball against the baking sheet, leaving the opposite side rounded and domed. These will be the mushroom caps.
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For the stems, roll the 30g and 25g portions between your palms into tapered cone shapes. Arrange the stems on a separate lined baking sheet. You should have 16 pieces total with the caps and stems for 8 mushrooms.
Bake
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Preheat the oven to 325°F.
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Bake the mushroom caps for 17 to 20 minutes, or until puffed and set.
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Bake the mushroom stems for 15 to 17 minutes, or until puffed and set.
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The cookies should puff slightly and may develop small cracks as they bake. This is normal. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 10 minutes, then carefully transfer them to wire racks to cool completely.
Make the Royal Icing
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Sift the confectioners’ sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the room-temperature egg whites and lemon juice.
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Using the paddle attachment, mix on medium speed for about 10 minutes, until the icing is smooth and glossy.
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If the icing is too thick to brush easily onto the cookies, add water a few drops at a time, using up to about 1 teaspoon, until the icing reaches a thick but brushable consistency.
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Use the royal icing immediately.
Decorate the Mushroom Stems
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Line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper. Sift a layer of confectioners’ sugar from the 1/2 cup reserved for decorating over the parchment.
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Insert a toothpick or short wooden skewer into one end of a cooled mushroom stem to use as a handle.
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Using a small pastry brush or a kitchen-dedicated art brush, coat the stem with a thin, even layer of sugar icing.
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Hold the freshly iced stem over the prepared baking sheet and sift additional confectioners’ sugar over it until generously coated. Gently lay the stem in the bed of confectioners’ sugar.
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Repeat with the remaining stems. Let stand at room temperature for about 2 hours, or until the icing is dry and firm.
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Once dry, use a clean, soft-bristled pastry brush to gently remove the excess confectioners’ sugar.
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Cover the leftover royal icing with a damp towel for later use.
Coat the Mushroom Caps
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Melt the chocolate candy coating according to the package directions.
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Skewer the center flat part of the mushroom cap with a toothpick and dip the rounded top into the melted coating. Allow the excess coating to drip back into the bowl, then place the cap flat-side down on parchment paper.
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When the chocolate is dry, lightly sift some of the cocoa powder over the top. This helps soften the shine of the candy coating and gives the caps a more natural appearance. Repeat with the remaining mushroom caps.
Assemble the Mushrooms
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The 60g caps will be paired with the 30g stems, and the 50g caps with the 25g stems, to make 8 mushrooms.
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Using the tip of a small paring knife, carefully hollow out a small opening in the center of the flat underside of each mushroom cap. Make the opening just large enough to accommodate the narrow end of its corresponding stem.
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Spoon or pipe a small amount of melted chocolate candy coating into the opening.
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Insert the stem into the cap. Hold briefly until secure, then repeat with the remaining mushrooms.
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Use a small art brush or toothpick to paint on leftover royal icing on the underside of the cap, and around the point where the stem meets the cap. Drag a toothpick through the icing to create striations that look like mushroom gills. Allow the assembled mushrooms to dry completely.
Finishing Touches
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Rewarm the remaining chocolate candy coating if necessary.
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Working with one assembled mushroom at a time, dip the bottom of the stem into the melted candy coating.
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Immediately roll or press the chocolate-coated portion into the toasted shredded filo. The irregular toasted strands give the base a foraged, dried grassy appearance.
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Place the mushroom on parchment paper and allow the coating to set. Repeat with the remaining mushrooms.
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Place a small amount of cocoa powder on a plate. Dip the tip of a large, clean, soft pastry brush into the cocoa, then tap or wipe away most of the excess.
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Lightly dry-brush cocoa powder over the mushroom caps and stems, concentrating it around cracks, edges, crevices, and the bases. Use a light hand. The goal is subtle shading rather than an even coating.
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Store the finished mushroom cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Use new art brushes that are reserved exclusively for food preparation. Never use brushes that have previously been used with paint, glue, or other art materials.
Use cocoa sparingly.
When dry-brushing the mushrooms, load the brush with cocoa and then tap most of it off before touching the cookie. Build the color gradually for the most realistic effect.
Use toasted coconut in place of kataifi.
Kataifi (shredded toasted filo) can be found ready made at international markets and for purchase online. I love the toasty flavor it contributes to this cookie. However, toasted coconut is a fine substitute.
