Sierpinski Triangle Fractal Cookies

Sweet, buttery, dark and minty, these cookies are more than just fabulously nerdy.

A few years ago, I was inspired by some fractal cookies on Evil Mad Scientist.  I decided to make a triangular version.  I wasn't an instructables member back then, so I didn't think of taking pictures of the step by step process.  I did upload pictures of my cookies to our flickr stream, though.

Now that it's holiday cookie season, I figured it was time to make another batch.

I'm particular about cookie recipes.  I won't use shortening or artificial flavoring.  This recipe is adapted from Alton Brown's sugar cookie recipe.

You will need:

1 C plus 2 T butter
1 C granulated sugar
1 egg
3 C flour
3/4 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1 T milk
1-3 t vanilla extract
1-2 t peppermint mint extract
1/2 C powdered sugar
1/2 C cocoa powder (I used the extra dark)
a few drops green food coloring

Step 1 Cream butter and sugar

Soften the butter if you haven't already.  Melting the butter would change the texture of the cookies.  Don't do that here.

Beat 1 C of the butter until it becomes fluffy and lighter colored.  Add the granulated sugar and keep beating.  The sugar granules cut air pockets into the butter, which helps make a nice structure for the cookie and helps incorporate the other ingredients evenly.

Add the egg and beat more.  The dough usually gets gooey and then fluffy again when you add the egg.

Comments

[Draconian1]

I wonder if you could create more triangles in it...

[aramanthe]

These are gorgeously, awesomely nerdy and I <3 them.

[RTD1954]

As an math teacher these are AWESOME!! How long does it take to make and mold the dough? Seems like a bit of a process.

[supersoftdrink]

It is a bit of a process, smoothing the dough out into a longer triangular log without cracking the dough. Most of the time when working with sugar cookies, you don't want the dough to get soft from the heat of your hands, but this is one case that helps. It's best to have the dough soft when lengthening it, but less soft when slicing. I didn't chill the dough before slicing or anything... just the slight difference from working with the dough to lengthen it and letting it sit for a minute while finding the knife seemed enough.

It would probably help to have a triangular pan and something flat that squished the log into a 60 degree crevice to lengthen it...

I considered using an extruder with an equilateral triangle opening to make lots of very thin, long triangle logs and assembling a cookie cane that way, but I couldn't find the plastic play doh accessories I wanted to modify to use for that.

[RTD1954]

Much appreciate the response. I took a look at some rectangular Fractal cookies that seem like they could be a bit easier to make. That said, when I have the time I will be sure to make these Sierpinski Triangle cookies. They are so cool and, I'll say it again, awesome!

[supersoftdrink]

I realized I didn't actually answer your question... sorry. I'm terrible with estimating time, but I think it took 20 minutes to shape the dough from coloring to baking.

[zombiecow]

My mind went to nerdier things it puts me in mind of the triforce from zelda lol

[Penolopy Bulnick]

What an awesome cookie! I remember doodling these all the time in my math notebooks! I love this Sierpinski Triangle! Great looking cookie!

[mikeasaurus]

nerd love.

[Teeeppl522]

looks appetizing