Circus Animal Cookie Cake

• For the cookie
• 2 1/2 lbs ready-to-bake cookie dough
• For the buttercream
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons fresh strawberry puree (5 chopped strawberries)
• 1 tablespoon strawberry jam
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. To make cookie:
2. roll out the ready to bake cookie dough.
3. place elephant shaped paper template on the flattened dough.
4. cut out the shape, remove the extra pieces.
5. repeat until you have 3 elephant cookies.
6. bake 370F for 10 minutes.
7. To make strawberry buttercream:
8. With a hand mixer or stand mixer, fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter for 2 mins, until smooth & creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beater as necessary.
9. Add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, beating until combined.
10. Add puree, vanilla extract, jam and beat on medium speed until fully combined.
11. Place in a piping bag.
12. To make strawberry puree:
13. place about 5 chopped strawberries in a food processor and blend until pureed.
14. To assemble:
15. placed one baked elephant cookie down.
16. pipe small circular shapes of strawberry buttercream until the cookie is covered; repeat to the next two cookies.
17. once the buttercream layers are added, stack the cookies.
18. sprinkle on candy-coated chocolates on top.

cookie, ready, buttercream, unsalted butter, powdered sugar, fresh strawberry puree, strawberry jam, vanilla

Taken from www.food.com/recipe/circus-animal-cookie-cake-536015 (may not work)