Tomorrow, (more than) a boatload of midshipmen will graduate from the Naval Academy and sail off into the sunset… or at least into the Navy and Marine Corps. That clearly calls for cookies.

The Naval Academy’s mascot is Bill the Goat, so I’ve been looking for a goat cookie cutter for ages. I finally found one at Annapolis Cake and Candy Supply (which is approximately 8 feet by 8 feet but somehow contains every cookie, candy and cake making supply you can possibly imagine).

Obviously the real Bill the Goat, and the costumed Bill the Goat, is white. But we were having a Mexican-themed party (I know, shocking), so I made the chocolate-cinnamon cookies I had used for the cherry blossoms. So, this was Guillermo el macho cabrío.

I’m not sure if I just didn’t bake them quite long enough or what, but a few of the goats lost their heads. I also tried the royal frosting from Bake at 350, but it never really got as stiff as it was supposed to.

Regardless, I think they looked pretty cute. I didn’t thin any of the icing — just mixed in food coloring gel to two bowls of royal icing and used small tips to pipe the little blanket outline, N, eye and striped horns. And I threw in a few stars, for variety.

Another note — if you don’t have four hours to chill the dough, stick it in the freezer. It will be solid enough in an hour or two. Then just proceed as normal. And let me know if you try these cookies!

Congrats and good luck to all the new ensigns and 2nd lieutenants (my second-favorite rank)!

Chocolate-cinnamon roll-out cookies (Adapted from Dorie Greenspan via Epicurious)
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Sift first 6 ingredients into a medium bowl. Melt chocolate in a double boiler or metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring until melted and smooth. Remove chocolate from heat and allow to cool slightly.

In large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add sugar and cream together until mixture is pale and fluffy. Add egg and beat until well blended.
Reduce speed to low and beat in vanilla and chocolate. Add half of flour mixture, beat on low to barely combine and then add remaining flour mixture. Beat on low speed just to blend.

Gather dough into a ball and divide in half. Form each half into a ball and flatten in a disk. Wrap disks in plastic and chill until firm, at least four hours in the refrigerator (or about two in the freezer).

Allow dough to sit at room temperature about 15 minutes before rolling.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or baking sheet liners.

Using one disk at a time, roll out dough on a sheet of waxed paper or a non-stick mat (if the dough sticks to the rolling pin, put another sheet of waxed paper on top of the dough and roll over that). Do not add flour.

Cut out cookies with cookie cutters. If the dough gets too warm as you’re cutting the cookies, place the dough in the freezer for a few minutes.

Transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheets, leaving about an inch between the cookies. Gather the scraps, roll out dough and cut out more cookies. Continue with the rest of the dough.

Bake cookies one sheet at a time until cookies are firm on top and slightly darker around edges, about 8 minutes for small cookies and up to 12 minutes for larger cookies. Replace parchment paper as needed.

Cool cookies completely before decorating.

Royal Icing (From the Gourmet cookbook)
1 pound powdered sugar
4 teaspoons powdered egg whites (not reconstituted)
1/3 cup water
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
Food coloring gel

Beat ingredients (except food coloring) together in a large bowl with an electric mixer (use the whip attachment if using a stand mixer) at medium speed until just combined. Then increase speed to high and beat icing, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally, until icing holds stiff peaks (this will take about 3 minutes in a stand mixer or 10ish with a handheld). Mix in food coloring or separate into different bowls to color.

If not using immediately, cover the surface of the icing with a damp paper towl, then cover bowl with plastic wrap. If you need to set down the piping bag for a while but will need to use it again, set it in a glass or cup with a small amount of water at the bottom (you can also tie the ends of the bags with twist-ties so the icing doesn’t spill all over the place). Test a little out on a napkin or plate before continuing.

To thin icing for spreading: Color icing to desired shade, then add water about a teaspoon at a time, stirring to combine, until consistency is correct.