8 Crazy Legs

December 21, 2019 4:51 PM

I'm baking cookies for a Chanukah party. I have a dreidel cookie cutter, a 6-pointed snowflake cookie cutter that looks enough like a star that I'm going for it, and this octopus cookie cutter. My original idea was that it would be hysterical to just use it and say, hey, it's got 8 legs! But then I started thinking: is there a way to turn it upside down and decorate it in a way that looks like a menorah? Kind of like how Fudgie The Whale is also Santa?

I realize this is possibly not possible. I realize her little legs are all pointing in completely wrong directions. I recognize that whatever design works will likely be wonky as hell. But what if? WHAT IF??? I have multiple colors of sprinkles, candy eyeballs, food coloring and the ability to make royal icing, but limited artistic skill. Any visual direction would be welcomed.

Possibly important small print - We are Orthodox Jewish, this is a family party, no one's pearls will be clutched over Squidward Maccabee, no octopi will be harmed, etc etc...

posted by Mchelly to Food & Drink (15 answers total)

Best answer: yellow and orange for the leg tips
posted by brujita at 4:54 PM on December 21, 2019 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Do you have birthday candles? Googling octopus menorah, I found several pictures where the octopus legs were holding candles. Thick buttercream frosting can work as candle holders if you have a piping tip.
posted by FencingGal at 5:22 PM on December 21, 2019 [2 favorites]

could you say the candles melted whacky?
posted by gaybobbie at 6:22 PM on December 21, 2019

What would you think of using that octopus with a partition right down the middle, halved, to make cookie versions of the little chocolate gelt coin mesh bags? The four legs making the top of the pouch (icing tie closure), the rounded blobby octopus head as the curve of the pouch, and a flat-line where the pouch "sits" on a surface?
posted by Iris Gambol at 6:31 PM on December 21, 2019 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Can you make the cookie as normal but then have some sort of cookie decoration make the little flames? Redhots? Sculpted candy corns? Circus peanuts? Just make sure it's blue and white and put a chai (חי) on the body part so it's at least somewhat clear what you're up to? I like the idea.
posted by jessamyn at 6:32 PM on December 21, 2019 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I think you could either (1) ice the body of the octopus in one color, color the legs white, and and then put yellow dots at the tip, or (2) cut the octopus cookie longitudinally and then put it together again so that you have 4 legs on one side and 4 legs on the other ||||[halfbody][halfbody]||||.

But I'm worried about the missing shamash.

I like Octo-menorah, though. I think it's even funnier than just the octopus.
posted by leahwrenn at 6:44 PM on December 21, 2019 [3 favorites]

Best answer: I'd manually cut and add a candle in the middle, which, if it were an octopus, would be kind of suggestive, but it's a Hannukkah menorah.
posted by theora55 at 7:05 PM on December 21, 2019 [1 favorite]

I'm not seeing it. But you could put little tallises around the octopus' shoulder; put a kippah on the heads...
posted by fingersandtoes at 8:08 PM on December 21, 2019 [1 favorite]

I think it would be much easier to make a menorah cookie cutter out of an aluminum pan and scrap the octopus idea. Make a shape that's like a half moon on a popsicle stick, and then draw on the central support, eight branches and shamash with royal icing. Use sprinkles for the candle flames. With all the fussing you'd need to do to make the octopus sort of work you could just DIY to start with a better shape and have an awesome result. You can do it!
posted by Mizu at 3:54 AM on December 22, 2019

Response by poster: These are some great suggestions - thanks! And I love how many of you are taking the question seriously and are trying to help me get true menorahs -- but to clarify a little, I'm not looking for menorah cookies (I can get a menorah cookle cutter pretty easily if I want one).

I just love the idea of bringing in octopus cookies that are clearly octopus cookies but with a plausible-enough menorah-ness to them that I could maaaaybe get away with it. Like once you know that Santa is just Fudgie, you can't unsee him.
posted by Mchelly at 5:30 AM on December 22, 2019 [9 favorites]

Apologies if this is obvious, but if you google candle cookies or menorah cookies, you can see how people decorate to make plausible flames.

I really love this idea.
posted by FencingGal at 6:12 AM on December 22, 2019

I think would cut a strip of dough off the head so it becomes a flat bottom for the menorah. Add the dough to center to become a tall shames. Then color the main part of the leg blue (candle color) and the tip a orange (for the flame) The candles will be pointing every which way but it should still read like a crazy menorah.
posted by metahawk at 2:18 PM on December 22, 2019

Response by poster: I ended up running out of time, so I didn't make royal icing and pipe them, I just threw together some glaze. But I think the results (1, 2) still came out just the right mix of festive and janky. Thanks again for all the suggestions (especially using candy!) - and mostly for helping me believe I could do it. Never give up on your dreams. Happy holidays!
posted by Mchelly at 6:47 AM on December 23, 2019 [4 favorites]

That's funny, they kinda look like moose/reindeer heads upside down! Love the menorahs :)
posted by LKWorking at 8:19 AM on December 23, 2019 [2 favorites]

I think you made the Moosecabees.
posted by fingersandtoes at 4:07 PM on December 23, 2019 [1 favorite]