French Butterfly Cookies Papillons Recipes

BUTTERFLY COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat cream cheese in a large microwave safe bowl for 1 minute on 80 percent power in microwave to soften. Add sugar cookie mix, 1/4 cup flour, egg and extract. Stir with wooden spoon until dough is well combined and forms a ball.
• Sprinkle a flat rolling surface with 1 tablespoon flour. Divide dough in half and roll out onto lightly floured surface using a rolling pin. Roll the rolling pin back and forth, turning the dough as needed so it does not stick. Roll dough to 1/4-inch thickness.
• Take cookie cutter and dip cutting edge into a shallow bowl of flour. Then press cookie cutter into rolled out dough. Begin cutting out shapes at the center of the dough and work your way towards the edge, cutting shapes as close together as possible. Once the entire slab of dough is cut, use a small spatula to remove cookies from rolling surface and place on un-greased cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining half of dough.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Decorate each cookie by pressing mini candies into dough. Refrigerate cookies for 15 minutes to prevent spreading while baking.
• Using oven mitts, place cookies in oven on top rack. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven using mitts and let cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute before moving them to cooling rack.

FRENCH BUTTERFLY COOKIES (PAPILLONS)

Steps:

• Sprinkle 1/2 cup sugar on work surface. Place dough on top and sprinkle with 1/2 cup sugar; press to adhere. Roll out dough into a 16-by-12-inch rectangle, about 1/8 inch thick.
• Position dough so that one long side is parallel to edge of work surface. Fold each of the long sides of dough towards the middle to meet one another without overlapping. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar. Then fold one of the short sides over to meet the opposite short side. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar. Finally, fold one long side in half to meet the opposite long side. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Firmly press down on dough with your hands, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate at least 1 hour or preferably overnight.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lightly spray a rimmed baking sheet with water. Place more sugar in a shallow bowl. Trim ends of chilled dough, then cut crosswise into 3/4-inch-thick slices. Dip cut sides of slices in sugar, then transfer to prepared sheet, spacing about 3 inches apart.
• Bake until sugar is golden and caramelized, 10 to 12 minutes. Using a wide spatula, carefully flip each cookie, then return to oven and continue to bake until deep golden brown, about 6 minutes more. Transfer cookies to a wire rack; let cool completely. Repeat with remaining slices. Cookies are best eaten the day they are made but can be stored in an airtight container, between sheets of parchment, at room temperature up to 1 day.