Mini Cheeseburger Cookies

Picture from Betty Crocker - recipe is a little different then the one here.

Cream Puff Murder

DO NOT preheat oven—these cookies don't need to bake.

#### For the Hamburger Patties

* approximately 3 dozen slightly larger round chocolate-covered cookies (I used 2 packages of Keebler Fudge Shoppe Caramel Filled Cookies—18 cookies to a package)
	+ Keebler also makes Fudge Shoppe Grasshopper cookies in a 10-ounce package (mint—40 cookies), Keebler Fudge Shoppe Fudge Filled Cookies in a 9.5 ounce package (18 cookies), and Fudge Shoppe Peanut Butter Filled Cookies in a 9.5-ounce package (18 cookies.) Any of these cookies will work, but if you use the peanut butter cookies, make sure none of your guests have a peanut allergy.

#### For the Shredded Lettuce

* 1/2 cup shredded coconut (pack it down when you measure it)
* green food coloring

#### For the Cheese and the Ketchup

* 1/2 cup salted butter (1 stick, 4 ounces, ¼ pound) at room temperature
* 1/4 cup milk (2 ounces)
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 16-ounce (1 pound) box powdered sugar (approximately 3½ cups)
* yellow food coloring
* red food coloring

#### For the Top of the Bun

* 1/4 cup sesame seeds
* 1 egg white

### Directions

* DO NOT preheat oven—these cookies don't need to bake.
* Prepare your shredded "lettuce" first. It will need time to air dry. Dump the coconut into a large plastic Ziploc bag. Hold the bag open and add three drops of green food coloring to the coconut. Squeeze out some of the air and seal the bag.
* Toss the coconut around inside the bag. Squeeze it, play catch with it, roll it around on the counter, whatever. The object is to evenly color the coconut. Once it's a uniform color, decide if it's the color of lettuce. If it's too light, add a few more drops of green food coloring and repeat the mixing process until you think it's right.
* Line a cookie sheet with wax paper and dump out the green-coated coconut. Use a spoon to spread it out as evenly as you can. Let it sit out on the counter to dry, stirring it around every so often.
* Once the coconut is dry, it’s time to assemble your cookies.
* Line another cookie sheet with wax paper. Lay out 40 vanilla wafers, rounded side up.
* In the bowl of a stand mixer or simply in a medium-size mixing bowl, combine the softened butter, milk, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar. If you're using a stand mixer, beat on LOW for 2 minutes. If you are using a handheld mixer, beat on LOW for 3 minutes. If you are mixing by hand, use a wooden spoon and beat like crazy for 4 minutes, or until the frosting is smooth, with no lumps.
* Divide the frosting into two parts, using your own original bowl and another bowl. Add three drops of yellow food coloring to the first bowl and mix it in thoroughly. If it's not bright yellow, add a few more drops of food coloring, mixing them in until it is. This frosting will be the cheese for the Mini Cheeseburger Cookies.
* Add three drops of red food coloring to the second bowl and mix it in thoroughly. If it's not bright red, add a few more drops, mixing them in until it's the color of ketchup.
* With a rubber spatula or a frosting knife, spread the curved side of a vanilla wafer with red frosting. Pile it up around the rims of the wafers so it will form flat beds for the "hamburgers."
* Place a chocolate-covered cookie, faceup, on top of the red frosting on the wafer. Press the chocolate-covered cookie down slightly so it’ll stick to the frosting.
* Frost the top of the chocolate-covered cookie with yellow frosting. Use just a bit too much so it’ll drip over the sides of the "hamburger" like melted cheese.
* Sprinkle on some green coconut "lettuce." It’ll look more realistic if you let a few strands stick out on the sides.
* Clamp on the second vanilla wafer, rounded side up. Now your Mini Cheeseburger Cookie is complete, except for the sesame seeds on the bun.
* Whip up the egg white in a small bowl. Use a pastry brush to brush the tops of the vanilla wafers. Sprinkle on a few sesame seeds and you’re finished.
* Let the cookies dry thoroughly. Once dry, they will keep just fine in a loosely covered container until ti's time to serve them.

## Conversion Charts

See Baking Conversion Chart for non-USA baking conversions.