Dragon Egg Cookies for "Game of Thrones"

          Surprise your friends with these spicy-peppery cookies designed to look like Khaleesi's dragon eggs from "Game of Thrones"! I made the base pepper cookie dough while working on the recipe for the "Alice in Wonderland" Fiction Kitchen Podcast episode (remember the cook who loved pepper?) and as I was cutting the dough (and repeatedly sampling it) I thought, "hmm, so peppery, so fire–Fire! and that cookie slice looks kind of like an egg!" and you get the idea, it simply developed from there and I'm tickled with how they turned out. The fact that they're cookies and assumedly sweet, but when you bite into them you get pepper and heat, is so intriguing and unique, perfect for our Mother of Dragons and her fierceness hidden within her pretty, petite frame.

Fiery Dragon Egg Cookies

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(based on James Thresher's Three-Pepper Cookie recipe)
Ingredients:
8 Tbsp. Butter, room temperature
1 Cup Sugar
1 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Ground Black Pepper
1/2 tsp. Ground White Pepper
1/2 tsp. Ground Ginger
1/2 tsp. Ground Cloves
1/2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1/8 – 1/4 tsp. Ground Cayenne Pepper
1 Egg, room temperature
1 Tbsp. Milk
2 Cups Flour
Food Color Gel
Red
Brown
Green
Yellow (optional)
3 Tbsp. Water
Gold or Bronze Edible Spray (I used gold)

Important Items:
Parchment Paper
3 Clean Painting Sponges/Sponge Dabbers (clean meaning never been used with paint)

Directions:
1. In a large mixing bowl, mix the butter & sugar until fully incorporated & fluffy. Add the baking powder & spices on low speed & then add in the egg & milk. Next, add in the flour, a little at a time, continuing to mix on low, until everything is incorporated & a nice dough forms.
2. Divide the dough in half &, wrapping both halves in plastic wrap, shape them into chunky logs about 6″ long (If you have an empty paper towel roll/tube, slice it open up one side & place the logs inside; this will help them keep their shape. If you don't have one, no big deal). Chill the dough in the fridge for at least 4 hours or put in the freezer for about an hour & a half.
3. Heat your oven to 375ºF. Stack 2 large trays together (this is to insulate the cookie bottoms so they don't get too dark) & line the top with parchment paper. Remove the dough from the fridge &, using a large sharp knife, cut the logs into 1/4″ thick slices. Shape the slices to look like flat eggs (basically oval discs) & place them about 1″ apart on the tray. Using the non-serrated edge of a butter knife, make criss-cross patterns on the cookie tops, making sure not to press all the way through. My pattern was 4 diagonal lines both ways, making the cookies look kinda' like pinecones. Bake for about 8-9 minutes or until the bottoms are just beginning to brown. Let the cookies cool for a minute & then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
4. Put 1 Tbsp. of water each into 3 little bowls. Into 1 bowl put 2 drops of red food gel & stir with a sponge brush, into another put 2 drops of brown & stir, & into the last bowl put 2 drops of green & likewise stir. Feel free to adjust them as you'd like, such as adding a titch (not a whole drop) of yellow to brighten & warm the colors. Divide the cookies into 3 groups, laying them out flat on a large piece of parchment paper. Pick a color & a cookie group to start with & lightly drag the wetted sponge across the cookies to color them, dabbing slightly if needed. Let the cookies sit for a bit for the color to dry & then spray the cookies lightly with gold or bronze by holding the sprayer about 9"-12" away & moving it back & forth as you spray. Let them dry again & then serve or store in an airtight container.

* For more "Game of Thrones" food, try my Hot Pie Direwolf Bread! *