Penguins Recipes

Steps:

• Line 1-quart bowl with plastic wrap. In food processor, place Cheddar cheese, blue cheese, 1 package softened cream cheese, the bacon bits, onions and pepper sauce. Cover and process, using quick on-and-off motions, until thoroughly mixed. Press cheese mixture into bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours but no longer than 48 hours.
• Invert cheese mixture onto upside-down glass plate or pie plate, forming igloo shape. Remove about 2 tablespoons cheese mixture from one side to make 2x2 1/2-inch arched doorway.
• Cut two 3/8-inch slices from end of block of firm cream cheese; reserve. Beat remaining cream cheese and the milk with electric mixer on medium speed until blended and smooth. Frost glass plate and igloo with cream cheese mixture; smooth with spatula. Draw lines across igloo, using toothpick, to look like ice blocks. Cut each reserved cream cheese slice into 4 rectangles. Use 6 to 8 rectangles to form door canopy. Cover loosely and refrigerate until ready to serve.
• To make penguins, cut a slit from top to bottom on each jumbo olive on one side only. Insert about 1 teaspoon cream cheese into olive to fill cavity. Cut carrot into 1/4-inch slices; cut small notch out of each carrot slice to form feet. Press cutout notch piece into center of small olive to form beak (if necessary, pierce olive with small paring knife or toothpick to make a hole). Using a frilled toothpick, stack head (small olive), body (jumbo olive) and feet (carrot slice), adjusting so that beak, cream cheese breast and notch in carrot slice line up. (Penguins will stand better if olives are stacked with larger holes facing downward.)
• To serve, cut flag shape from carrot curl and secure on toothpick; insert into top of igloo. Garnish igloo with rosemary, bell pepper and cream cheese penguins. Serve with crackers.

Steps:

• Make the cookies: Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in 1 egg and the vanilla until incorporated. Reduce the mixer speed to low; add the flour mixture and beat until just combined.
• Turn out all but 1/4 cup of the dough onto a floured surface. Add 3 drops orange food coloring to the dough left in the bowl and mix on low until evenly colored a vibrant orange. Flatten the orange dough into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate until just firm, about 20 minutes.
• Wipe the mixing bowl and paddle clean and add 3/4 cup of the remaining uncolored dough back into the bowl. Add 4 drops black food coloring and mix on low until evenly colored a deep black. Form the black dough into a rectangle, wrap in plastic and refrigerate until just firm, about 20 minutes.
• Make the penguin's body: Roll the remaining uncolored dough into a cylinder 9- to 10-inches long and about 1 1/2-inches wide. Wrap in plastic and set aside at room temperature.
• Divide the orange dough into 3 equal pieces (these will be the feet and the nose). Roll into 3 ropes, 9- to 10-inches long and about 1/3-inch wide. Press one rope into a triangle shape by flattening the sides (a ruler is helpful for this). Wrap the orange pieces separately in plastic and freeze until hard, about 15 minutes.
• Slice through the uncolored cylinder lengthwise to make 2 long half-moons. Brush both halves on the cut side with the egg wash. Press the orange triangle rope down the center of the cut side of one of the halves. Cover with the other half and press together to seal and re-form into a cylinder.
• Make the black part of the penguin's body: On a floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll the black dough into a 1/4-inch thick 9-by-4-inch rectangle, with the long side facing you. Use the rolling pin to flatten each of the long sides out 1 inch more so that the edges are thinner and the rectangle mounds in the center. The rectangle should be 9 by 6 inches. Brush the black rectangle with the egg wash then wrap it around the uncolored cylinder, pushing with your hands to adhere the doughs. There will be a thicker layer of black dough on top of the cylinder (the penguin's head) and a thinner layer on the bottom.
• Adhere the feet: Brush the thinner, bottom part of the black dough with egg wash and press the 2 thin orange ropes along the length of the dough about 1/4 inch apart (these will be the feet). Wrap in plastic and use the heels of your hands to form the log into an egg shape; the head should be the narrow end. Freeze until solid, about 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
• Cut 1/4 inch off each end of the cylinder with a very sharp knife to reveal the penguin face. Slice the cylinder into about 1/4-inch-thick cookies. Arrange the slices about 1 1/2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through, until crisp and just starting to turn brown on the bottom, 10 to 12 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
• Line another baking sheet with parchment. Melt the red candy melts in a small glass bowl in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until completely melted and smooth. Dip the top of each penguin's head in the red candy melts to make a hat; dip the heads slightly off-center for a jaunty look. Put the cookies on the prepared baking sheet. Stick a marshmallow on the center of each hat for a pompom and let the candy melts harden, about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, melt the white candy melts in a glass bowl in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring in between each, until completely melted and smooth. Transfer to a small resealable plastic bag and seal. Cut a very small hole in one of the corners of the bag and decorate the hat as desired. Use the white candy melts to attach 2 mini chips for the eyes. Let the candy melts harden completely before serving, about 15 minutes.

Steps:

• In a microwave, melt milk chocolate chips and shortening; stir until smooth. Cool slightly. Place a small amount of chocolate mixture on top of six marshmallows. Let stand for 1 hour or until set., Warm chocolate mixture. For the penguin bodies, carefully dip sides of the marshmallows in chocolate mixture so three-fourths of the marshmallows are covered, leaving about 3/4-in. vertical strip of white. Let stand on waxed paper until set, about 1 hour., For penguin heads, cut Tootsie Rolls into two-piece sections. Place on a microwave-safe plate; microwave at 10% power for 10-15 seconds or until slightly warmed. Carefully roll each into a ball., With a toothpick, position chocolate chips for eyes. For beaks, cut off yellow end of six candy corn pieces; flatten remaining candy slightly. Press gently into chocolate balls. Reheat chocolate mixture. Dab a small amount onto bottom of each ball; position on penguin bodies. Let stand until set, about 45 minutes., Separate cream-filled cookies; remove and discard cream filling. For wings, cut six cookies in half. Rewarm the chocolate mixture. Spread a small amount on each cookie half; attach to penguins with cut edge facing forward., For bases, attach penguins to remaining cookies using melted chocolate. For feet, remove white ends of remaining candy corn pieces and discard; flatten candy. Attach two candies to each cookie base. Let stand for 45 minutes or until set.

Steps:

• For the penguin heads, attach one olive to the top of each egg with a toothpick. For beaks, cut six carrots 1/2.in from the pointed end; attach the flat side of a pointed piece to the center of each head with half a toothpick., For the feet, make a lengthwise cut through the remaining carrots; place flat side down in pairs (trim carrots if necessary). Place a toothpick in each carrot; press an egg on top of each pair., For flippers, cut the remaining olives lengthwise into quarters; attach one olive quarter to each side of eggs with half a toothpick. Cover; refrigerate until serving.

Steps:

• Cut a slit from the top to the bottom of 12 jumbo olives; set aside.
• In a mixing bowl, combine the next six ingredients; mix well.
• Fill a small heavy-duty plastic bag with cream cheese mixture.
• Cut a small hole in the corner of the plastic bag; carefully pipe mixture into jumbo olives.
• Set aside.
• Cut a small triangle out of each carrot slice; press triangles into small olives for a beak.
• On each notched carrot slice, position a jumbo olive so the white chest is lined up with the notch for the feet.
• Place the small olive, hole side down, over the jumbo olive so the beak, chest and feet are aligned.
• Carefully insert a toothpick through the top of the head into the body and carrot base.
• Wrap a pimento around the neck for a scarf.

Steps:

• Hard boil as many eggs as you would like Penguins.
• Clean a "fat" carrot (first removing the green) and cut about an inch off the carrot from the top.
• Cut a notch (upside-down V,) in front and in back of the carrot . Your carrot now looks like penguin feet.
• After your eggs have cooled, peel the shell off.
• Take a long toothpick and put it into the center of the "feet".
• Slip the cooled hard boiled egg onto the toothpick, wide side down.
• Slip a short toothpick, through the egg. About half way up the egg.
• Cut a "beak" from a leftover piece of carrot
• Make a small nick in the middle of a jumbo pitted black olive and push the carrot (beak) into the olive.
• Place the olive on top of the toothpick, sticking out of the body, he now has a head!
• Get another black pitted olive and cut it in half.
• Place each half onto the "arms" of the short toothpick, penguin flippers!
• They look great in the middle of a plate of Deviled Eggs.
• No two penguins look alike and everyone loves them.
• Get creative, give them a scarf or cut the beak so that it's open".
• (Safety Note) Watch the toothpicks around kids, they will want to eat the penguins.
• (Second Safety Note) Watch the adults too.

Steps:

• For each penguin, form four balls of marzipan: two the size of golf balls, one half that size, and one one-quarter that size. Using blue, white, and black food coloring, tint one large ball blue. Tint the other large ball white. Using red and yellow food coloring, tint medium ball rust-orange. Tint small ball black.
• Break off a piece of blue marzipan, and roll into a 1/2-inch ball for the head; pinch to form a beak. Use black marzipan to make eyes; attach to head. Shape white marzipan ball into a body (about 1 by 1 1/4 inches). Use orange marzipan to make 1/2-inch-long feet. Roll out remaining blue marzipan to 1/4 inch thick. Cut out shape for wings.
• Gently press head onto body, and attach feet. Wrap wings around back; smooth seam at neck.