These charming Hello Kitty cookies combine a tender butter-based dough with a gentle crunch from milled cereal. By baking at a low oven temperature, you preserve the pale, pastel hue of the Kitty’s face instead of letting them brown too much. The fun comes not only from the taste but also from shaping — you can use Hello Kitty cutters or even coffee-cup–style notched cutters to make cookies that hang on a mug rim. Felt like making something “kawaii”? These cookies hit the spot.

Key Ingredients: What You’ll Need

125 g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature — the base of your buttery cookie dough.
50 g icing sugar (powdered sugar) — for a smooth, sweet texture.
125 g all-purpose/plain flour, sifted — gives structure to the dough.
75 g potato starch — helps with a delicate, melt-in-the-mouth texture.
50 g milled cereal, such as ground cornflakes — adds a slight crunch and subtle texture variation.
Heart-shaped decorative sugar (large) — used for Kitty’s bow.
Round decorative sugar (small) — for eyes and nose details.

These simple pantry staples combine to make a soft, yet stable dough that holds its shape beautifully when cut.

How to Make the Dough and Cookies

1. Preheat and Prepare

Begin by preheating your oven to about 130–140 °C (266–284 °F). A lower temperature than usual helps keep the cookies light in color. Meanwhile, line a baking tray or sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking and ensure even baking.

2. Cream the Butter and Sugar

In a roomy mixing bowl, combine the softened butter with the icing (powdered) sugar. Use a hand mixer or a wooden spoon to beat them until smooth and fluffy — this creaming stage is essential for a light, tender cookie.

3. Incorporate the Dry Ingredients

Sift together the plain flour and potato starch (this ensures no lumps and a silky dough). Gradually fold these sifted dry ingredients into the butter-sugar mixture. Once mostly combined, add in the milled cereal (your choice — cornflakes or other ground cereal work well) and mix until evenly distributed.

4. Form the Dough

Turn the rough dough out onto a clean, lightly floured surface (or a clean tabletop). Use your palms to gently knead it just enough for it to come together as a cohesive ball. Avoid overworking the dough — you want it smooth but not greasy.

5. Roll Out the Dough

Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out to about ¼-inch (about 6 mm) thickness. Try to keep the thickness uniform so the cookies bake evenly.

6. Shape the Cookies

Choose a Hello Kitty-shaped cookie cutter (or any shape you like). Cut out your Kitty shapes carefully. If you have a stamp cutter, you can press in Kitty’s facial features (eyes, whiskers, etc.). Additionally, if you want to make cup-hugging cookies, use an over‑the-rim (notched) cutter to create a little notch or “hook” on the side so the cookie can hang on a coffee mug. If you don’t have a notched cutter, you can carefully cut the notch with a sharp knife.

7. Decorate Before Baking

Once the shapes are cut, gently place large heart sugar decorations where Kitty’s bow would go, and small round sugar sprinkles for the eyes and nose. The sugar accents naturally stick a little if the dough is slightly soft; you don’t necessarily need extra “glue” if the dough is moist enough.

8. Arrange on Baking Sheet

Carefully transfer your shaped and decorated cookies to the parchment-lined tray. Leave about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of space between each cookie so they have room to expand (if they expand).

9. Bake

Slide your tray into the preheated oven and bake for 30–35 minutes. Because the oven temperature is on the lower side, you’re looking for a gentle bake — the cookies should be cooked through but still very light in color.

10. Cool Down

Once baked, remove the cookies from the oven and gently slide the parchment paper (with cookies) out. Let them cool completely on a wire rack. This cooling step ensures they firm up and maintain shape without breaking.

11. Storage

After they’ve cooled fully, store the cookies in an airtight container. This keeps them crisp (or slightly tender, depending on your preference) and ensures the decorative sugar stays in place.

Why Bake at Low Temperature

Baking at around 130–140 °C allows the cookies to solidify and dry out gently rather than brown. This is especially helpful for delicate, pale sugar cookies or butter cookies — ideal when you want that cute, pastel, light-colored Hello Kitty face. If you bake at too high a temperature, they may turn golden brown, losing the soft look.

Tips & Tricks for Success

Softened Butter Matters: Make sure your butter is truly at room temperature (not melted or cold) to cream smoothly with the icing sugar.
Even Rolling: Use guides (such as chopsticks or rolling pin rings) to help roll out the dough evenly.
Decorating While Soft: Press sugar decorations gently when the dough is still soft and cut — they adhere better than when pressed after baking.
Custom Cutters: If you can’t find a Hello Kitty cutter or a notched cup-hugging cutter, you can carefully make notches with a sharp paring knife.
Oven Calibration: Every oven is different. Use an oven thermometer if possible, so you can trust that you’re really at 130–140 °C.
Cooling Matters: Cooling fully on a rack helps cookies firm up and maintain detail.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Q1: Can I substitute the milled cereal with something else?
Yes — while milled cornflakes are used in this recipe, you can substitute with other finely ground cereals or even leave it out for a more classic butter cookie texture. Just note the texture may change slightly.

Q2: Why potato starch? Can I skip it?
Potato starch helps create a soft, melt-in-your-mouth crumb. You can try replacing it with cornstarch or more flour, but it may alter the texture (making it slightly less tender).

Q3: Do I need to chill the dough before rolling?
In this recipe, chilling isn’t strictly necessary because the dough is fairly firm after kneading. However, if your kitchen is warm or the butter becomes too soft, chilling the dough for 15–20 minutes can make rolling and cutting easier.

Q4: Can I use this dough for other shapes besides Hello Kitty?
Absolutely! This is a versatile sugar-butter dough. Use any cookie cutters — stars, hearts, animals — it will work beautifully.

Q5: How do I make sure the sugar decorations don’t fall off?
Press them lightly into slightly soft dough before baking. If you feel they might fall off, you can “glue” them with a tiny drop of water or a mixture of icing sugar and water, but for the best look, applying before bake works well.

Q6: Why are these cookies baked at such a low temperature?
To keep the cookies pale and avoid browning. Low-temperature baking helps maintain a soft, light color and ensures the texture stays delicate.

Q7: How long will these cookies stay fresh?
Stored in an airtight container at room temperature, they should stay fresh for up to a week. For longer storage, you can refrigerate or freeze them (place parchment between layers to prevent sticking).

Hello Kitty–style cookies

Yield: Makes about 22 adorable Hello Kitty–style cookies
Prep Time: ~15 minutes
Bake Time: ~35 minutes
Total Time: ~50 minutes

Ingredients:

125 g unsalted butter, room temp
50 g icing sugar
125 g plain flour
75 g potato starch
50 g milled cereal (e.g., cornflakes)
Large heart-shaped sugar decorations
Small round sugar decorations

Method:

Preheat oven to 130–140 °C; line a baking sheet with parchment.
Cream butter and icing sugar until fluffy.
Sift and add plain flour and potato starch to the butter-sugar mix, then mix in milled cereal.
Knead dough gently on a surface until smooth.
Roll dough to ¼‑inch thickness.
Cut out Hello Kitty shapes (or other shapes) using cookie cutters. For cup-hanging cookies, use a notched cutter or carve a notch.
Decorate immediately: press large heart sugar for the bow, round sugar pieces for eyes and nose.
Place cookies about 1 inch apart on the baking sheet.
Bake for 30–35 minutes until set and pale.
Cool completely on a wire rack, then store in an airtight container.