These mushroom cookies are so fun to make and are super cute! The dough is made with dried candy cap mushrooms, which have a nice maple flavor. I use maple sugar in the dough and maple syrup icing that is so easy and delicious. Mushroom cookies are perfect for the holidays or any time of year!
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Candy Cap Mushrooms in Cookies
Yes, you heard me right, there are actual mushrooms in these cookies!
Candy cap mushrooms have a maple syrup-like flavor and aroma, especially when dried. They are often used in sweet or dessert recipes for this reason!
I had candy cap mushroom ice cream once and it was incredible, so I had to try them in these cookies. They turned out amazing!
I also added candy caps to my foraged simmer pot and they were an excellent addition.
It’s important to use dried candy cap mushrooms, not only because their maple flavor is more enhanced, but it’s easier to grind them up to add them to the cookie dough.
I got the dried candy cap mushrooms from Far West Fungi.
Of course, if you’d rather not add the candy caps, you can leave them out. The recipe will work just the same either way!
Related: 5 Easy to Identify Edible Mushrooms
How to Make Mushroom Cookies
These mushroom cookies are pretty simple to make! The dough does need to chill in the refrigerator for a bit, so plan that into your cooking time.
Grind the Candy Cap Mushrooms
The first thing that needs to be done is to grind up the candy cap mushrooms. I do this in a mini food processor, but a regular food processor or blender will work too.
Pulse them until they are in small pieces, or you can also grind them to a powder if you prefer.
Make the Cookie Dough
Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and ground candy cap mushrooms in a medium bowl.
In a large bowl combine the butter and maple sugar until it is creamy. Stir in the egg and vanilla.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until it comes together into a dough. If the dough is sticky you can add a little more flour as needed.
Divide the dough into two halves and roll each one out onto a lightly floured piece of parchment paper until it’s about 1/4 inch thick.
Place one rolled-out dough on parchment on a sheet pan, then put the second rolled-out dough on parchment on top of the first. Then cover the top dough with plastic wrap or beeswax wrap.
Refrigerate the rolled-out doughs for at least 1-2 hours or overnight.
Cut and Bake the Mushroom Cookies
Once the dough has been chilled, preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Pull one rolled-out dough out of the refrigerator.
Use mushroom shaped cookie cutters to cut the dough into mushroom shapes (or whatever shapes you like). When you’ve used all the dough you can re-roll the scraps to cut more shapes.
Here are the mushroom cookie cutters I used:
- Mushroom cookie cutter
- Toadstool cookie cutter
- Mini mushroom cookie cutter
- Morel mushroom cookie cutter
Put the cut out mushrooms onto the baking sheet with an inch or two in between them. Bake for 11-12 minutes or until the edges are just starting to turn brown.
Let the cookies cool on the sheet pan for several minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.
Repeat with the remaining dough until all the cookies are baked.
Let the cookies cool completely before icing them.
Simple Maple Cookie Icing
Once the cookies are completely cool you can ice them, which is the most fun part in my opinion.
I really love using maple syrup icing for these mushroom cookies, I think the maple flavor mixed with candy cap mushrooms is so good!
This maple icing is quick and easy to make. It will set on the cookies after several hours too!
Melt the butter and maple syrup together, either on the stovetop or in the microwave. Then whisk in the sifted powdered sugar and a pinch of salt. Simple as that!
Decorating Mushroom Cookies
To decorate the mushroom cookies you can either leave the icing the color that it is, which is a light tan due to the maple syrup, or you can add some natural coloring.
A piping bag and tips are helpful for cookie decorating, but you can always improvise with zip top bags (cut a corner off for piping) or even condiment bottles.
Of course, red with white dots Amanita muscaria cookies (also called fly agaric) are fun to make and are a hit with everyone! They are also traditionally associated with Christmas and Santa, believe it or not.
If you have other types of mushroom cookie cutters you can get creative with different colors and decorations. I really enjoyed making these morel mushroom cookies!
Related: Foraging for Morel Mushrooms
These mushroom cookies were truly so fun to make and they are also incredibly yummy. I may give these as gifts if my family doesn’t eat them all up first!
I had never considered adding mushrooms to cookies until I learned about candy cap mushrooms. I’m completely won over and love the way these turned out.
I hope that you make these delicious and adorable cookies! They are a fun addition to holiday cookie making, or just because you feel like some mushroom cookies. I mean really, who wouldn’t?
These are great for kids to get their hands in the process too. My 4-year-old thinks that these are the coolest cookies ever, and I don’t disagree!
More Foraged & Herbal Cookie Recipes
Here are some more fun cookie recipes with foraged and herbal ingredients!
- Conifer Needle Shortbread Cookies
- Calendula and Thyme Shortbread Cookies
- Meyer Lemon and Rosemary Shortbread Cookies
- Lemon and Lavender Shortbread Cookies
- Acorn Flour Cookies
- Pine Needle Cookies
Mushroom Cookies with Maple Icing and Candy Cap Mushrooms
Equipment
Ingredients
Mushroom Cookies
- 1/2 cup dried candy cap mushrooms optional
- 2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup butter
- 2/3 cup maple sugar or brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Maple Icing
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 cup powdered sugar sifted
- pinch salt
Instructions
Mushroom Cookies
- Pulse the dried candy cap mushrooms until they are in small pieces, or you can grind them to a powder if you prefer.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and ground candy cap mushrooms in a medium bowl.
- In a large bowl combine the butter and maple sugar until it is creamy. Stir in the egg and vanilla.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until it comes together into a dough. If the dough is sticky you can add a little more flour as needed.
- Divide the dough into two halves and roll each one out onto a lightly floured piece of parchment paper until it’s about 1/4 inch thick.
- Place one rolled-out dough on parchment on a sheet pan, then put the second rolled-out dough on parchment on top of the first. Then cover the top dough with plastic wrap or beeswax wrap.
- Refrigerate the rolled-out doughs for at least 1-2 hours or overnight.
- Once the dough has been chilled, preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Pull one rolled-out dough out of the refrigerator.
- Use mushroom shaped cookie cutters to cut the dough into mushroom shapes (or whatever shapes you like). When you’ve used all the dough you can re-roll the scraps to cut more shapes.
- Put the cut out mushrooms onto the baking sheet with an inch or two in between them. Bake for 11-12 minutes or until the edges are just starting to turn brown.
- Let the cookies cool on the sheet pan for several minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.
- Repeat with the remaining dough until all the cookies are baked. Let the cookies cool completely before icing them.
Maple Icing
- Melt the butter and maple syrup together, either on the stovetop or in the microwave.
- Whisk in the sifted powdered sugar and a pinch of salt.
Notes
- If you’d rather not add the candy caps, you can leave them out. The recipe will work just the same either way!
- To decorate the mushroom cookies you can either leave the icing the color that it is, which is a light tan due to the maple syrup, or you can add some natural coloring.
- A piping bag and tips are helpful for cookie decorating, but you can always improvise with zip top bags (cut a corner off for piping) or even condiment bottles.
- The maple icing will set on the cookies after a few hours.
This sounds wonderful, I will definitely be giving it a try. Thank you.
I’ve made these quite a few times since finding this recipe. I have substituted powdered lion’s mane, turkey tail, chaga and other beneficial mushrooms in place of candy caps amd I’m obsessed. They are so delicious and super cute.
Hello thanks for your recipe. I was wondering if dried mushrooms go bad. I bought some about a month and half ago and put the ones i didnt use in a glass covered jar. I dont know how long they are good for. i would sure appreciate it if you would let me know if you know about this. Thanks so much, Linda
Hi Linda. Dried mushrooms will last indefinitely in an airtight container.