Homemade Ladybug Cookies Recipes

LADYBUG COOKIES

Steps:

• In a microwave-safe bowl, melt frosting and chips at 70% power; stir until smooth. Stir in food coloring. Spread over the rounded tops of cookies; place on a waxed paper-lined baking sheet. , For head, insert two pieces of licorice into gumdrops for antennae. With a toothpick, attach a gumdrop onto the side of each cookie. , Use a toothpick or knife to draw a line from the head down the center of each cookie. For legs, insert six pieces of licorice into frosting of each ladybug. Chop remaining licorice into small pieces; place on top for spots.

HOMEMADE LADYBUG COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter, oil and sugars until light and fluffy. Add two eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, cream of tartar and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or until easy to handle., On a floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with a 3-in. round cookie cuter dipped in flour. Place 1 in. apart on lightly greased baking sheets. , In a small bowl, beat remaining eggs. Add red food coloring; mix well. Brush over cutouts. , Bake at 375° for 8 minutes. With a small new paintbrush and black food coloring, paint two lines, forming wings., Arrange four chocolate chips in a half circle on the top third of each cookie. Randomly place 16 chocolate chips on the lower part of the cookie for spots. Return to the oven for 1 minute or until chips are melted. Spread the four chips to form the head. , For eyes, position two white chips, pointed side down, over melted chocolate. Return to the oven for 1 minute or until slightly melted. Place one miniature chocolate chip in the center of each white chip. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

LADYBUG CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Generously grease 2-quart round heatproof bowl with shortening; lightly flour. Make cake mix as directed on box, using water, oil and eggs or egg whites. Pour batter into bowl.
• Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Run knife around side of bowl to loosen cake; remove from bowl to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
• On serving plate, place cake, rounded side up, trimming bottom if needed. In small bowl, mix 1/2 cup of the frosting and the black food color until blended. Mix remaining frosting and red food color until blended. Spread red frosting on two-thirds of cake; sprinkle with red sugar.
• Spread black frosting on remaining one-third of cake for head. Place remaining black frosting in decorating bag fitted with small round tip. Pipe wings and dots on sugared portion of cake.
• Add marshmallow pieces for eyes; pipe pupils with black frosting. Pipe red frosting for mouth. Insert licorice pieces into cake for antennae. Store loosely covered.

LADYBUG CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups.
• Make and bake cake mix as directed on box for cupcakes, using water, oil and eggs. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely.
• In medium bowl, mix frosting and food color. Frost cupcakes. Sprinkle with sanding sugar. Attach small round tip to tube of black decorating icing. On each cupcake, pipe wings and dots on wings. Attach cookie for head. Use black icing to attach candy eyes to cookie. Use red icing for mouth. Insert 2 licorice pieces into each cupcake for antennae.

LADYBUG CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Line a muffin tin with cupcake papers. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Sift the sifted flour with the baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Cream the butter in a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment until soft, then add the sugar and mix. Add the eggs, and vanilla and whip at medium-high speed until light and fluffy. With the mixer running at low speed, add a third of the flour mixture and mix. Then add half of the sour cream and mix. Add another third of the flour and mix. Add the remaining sour cream and mix, then the remaining flour. Give it one last mix to make sure everything is blended in. Pour the batter into the muffin cups, filling them 3/4 full. Bake until firm to the touch in the center, 20 to 25 minutes. Set the pan on a wire rack and let cool. Meanwhile, make the frosting: Put the milk in a saucepan and whisk in the flour. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes, whisking often. Cover and let cool to room temperature. Cream the butter, sugar, and vanilla in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until light and very fluffy. Add the cooled thickened milk and mix until smooth. Add yellow and red food coloring to make a light orange frosting. When the cupcakes have cooled, make the ladybugs. Cut off the top rounded "cap" (like the cap of a mushroom or a muffin) of each cupcake. Spread the rounded tops of each cupcake with frosting. Cut the tops in half. Spread frosting on the cut face of the cup cake. Place two "wings" on top of each cupcake, spreading them apart slightly. Use two pieces of black licorice to make the antennae. Pipe a black section for the head and dot it with white to make eyes. Use black to make the dots on the wings. Place a tiny ladybug on the wings of the big ones. To make the tiny lady bug, pipe red candy coated chocolates with black frosting making a head section, a line down the back to define the wings and polka-dots on the wings

COOKIE LADYBUG

Steps:

• Split large vanilla creme-filled chocolate sandwich cookies, leaving filling on 1 side of each cookie. Cut sides with filling in half to make "ladybug's wings." Spread plain side of each wing with frosting. Press chocolate chips into red frosting for "spots."
• Secure wings, red frosting sides up and rounded edges out, to tops of remaining plain cookie halves with additional frosting, separating wings slightly.
• Attach Mini vanilla creme-filled chocolate sandwich cookies to the bases of the wings with additional frosting for the "heads," standing each Mini OREO on its side. Secure licorice pieces to the heads with additional frosting for the "antennae."

LOVE BUG BISCUITS

Steps:

• Put the flour, butter, sugar, vanilla and egg yolk in a food processor. Dribble in 1 tbsp water and blitz until the mixture comes together to form a dough. Tip onto a work surface and knead briefly to bring together, then wrap in cling film and chill for 20 mins.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Roll out the dough to the thickness of a £1 coin. Use your 8cm heart cutter to stamp out heart shapes - you'll have to re-roll the trimmings to make 20 biscuits. Put the hearts on 2 baking trays and bake for 12 mins, swapping the trays over halfway through, until pale golden and crisp. Leave to cool on a wire rack.
• Dye your lump of icing with red food colouring and wrap in cling film until ready to roll. Mix the icing sugar with enough water to make a thick icing. Dye the icing with the black food colouring. Pour the icing into a piping bag with a small plain nozzle attached (or use a small sandwich bag and snip off the corner). Roll out the red icing to 3mm thick and use your 6cm cutter to stamp out hearts. Stick onto the biscuits with a little of the black icing.
• Use the black icing to give your love bug a head at the pointy end, draw a line down the centre to give it wings, then add spots. Stick 2 pearly balls onto each love bug's head, then leave to set on a wire rack. You can pack your love bugs into boxes or cellophane bags to give as gifts for Valentine's Day.

APPLE LADYBUG TREATS

Steps:

• Slice apples in half from top to bottom and scoop out the cores using a knife or melon baller. If you have an apple corer, core them first, then slice. Place each apple half flat side down on a small plate.
• Dab peanut butter on to the back of the 'lady bug', then stick raisins onto the dabs for spots. Use this method to make eyes too. Stick one end of each pretzel stick into a raisin, then press the other end into the apples to make antennae.

LOVEBUG COOKIES

Steps:

• Mix together 1/2 cup royal icing with the black or brown food coloring until desired shade is reached. Transfer to a small squirt bottle. To create the head of the ladybug, outline the area with black or brown icing (see template). Draw several zigzags across entire surface of the outlined area. If necessary, use a toothpick to spread evenly. Using tweezers, add silver dragees to create eyes. Sprinkle head with black or brown sanding sugar. Let dry.
• Mix together 1 cup royal icing with the red or pink food coloring until desired shade is reached. Set aside 1/4 cup red or pink icing and transfer remaining red or pink icing to a small squirt bottle. To create body, outline the area with red or pink icing (see template). Draw several zigzags across entire surface of the outlined area. If necessary, use a toothpick or offset spatula to spread evenly. Using tweezers, add white dragees to create spots. Let dry.
• To create black or brown spots on cookie, squeeze two 1/2-inch dots of black or brown icing about 1/2-inch apart from one another in the center of the body (see template). If necessary, use a toothpick to spread evenly. Using tweezers, add a heart candy to each spot. To create remaining black or brown spots on cookie, squeeze dots of black or brown icing about the same size as the white dragees over body (see template). If necessary, use a toothpick to spread evenly. Let dry.
• Add more red or pink food coloring to reserved 1/4 cup red or pink icing to create a darker shade of red or pink. Transfer to a small squirt bottle. Using dark red or pink icing, make an outline around the body of the ladybug and down the center (see template). Let dry.