Vegan Cookie Cats

Steven Universe, the wonderfully queer animated show, features a fictitious ice cream sandwich treat called Cookie Cat (shown below.) I attempted to make them. The result was pretty well received. This is how I went about it.

Making a Cookie Cat Cookie Cutter

First I needed a Cookie Cat shaped cookie cutter. I bought a large round cookie cutter for a dollar, then took pliers to them to shape them into the Cookie Cat shape.

Making the Cookie Cats

Then I needed a vegan ice cream sandwich recipe. I went with this one from So Delicious, doubling the amounts. This recipe makes 18 cookie cats.

• 1L Vegan Ice Cream
• 2 Cups Flour
• 1 Cup Cocoa Powder
• ½ Tsp Baking Soda
• 1 Tsp Salt
• 1 Cup Vegan Butter, Room Temperature
• ⅔ Cup Sugar
• 1 Tsp Vanilla
• 4+ Tbsp Water

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.
2. In a large bowl, cream the butter, sugar, and vanilla.
3. Add ½ cup of the flour mixture to the creamed butter and mix to combine.
4. Add the rest of the flour mixture to the creamed butter and mix until crumbly.
5.  Add the water, a table spoon at a time, until the mixture comes together.
6. Make two balls of dough from the mixture. Wrap them in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.
7. Preheat the oven to 325 °F.
8. Take the balls of dough out of the fridge. Place a ball between two sheets of parchment paper. Press them down into a square, then roll them out with a rolling pin until the dough is ⅛ to ¼ inch thick.
9. Cut out the cookies using the Cookie Cat cookie cutter. Place them on a cookie sheet that’s lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat (eg. silpat).
10. Bake for 6 minutes.
11. Roll out the second ball of dough, cut out the cat shaped cookies, and place them on a cooled cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Bake them for 6 minutes as well.
12. Let the cookies cool completely before removing them from the cookie sheet.
13. Once the cookies have cooled, place a dollop of ice cream between two cookies and sandwich them together to make the cat-shaped treat. I had the side of the cookie that was against the cookie sheet face outwards in the sandwich, as it was flatter and made them look more professional.
14. Put the individual completed cookies in the freezer as soon as you make them, or otherwise do what I did and work in a garage in -20 °C weather while questioning my life choices. You just don’t want the cookies to melt away like you hopes and dreams. It’s good to line the container you put them in with parchment paper or something, as the cookies might otherwise stick to the bottom of the container.