RAT COOKIES AKA: Christman Mice Cookies

These little cookies are always a huge hit at any function.  I have named them RAT COOKIES, but they probably were originally Christmas Mice Cookies.  They are rather easy to assemble.

 Ingredients:
Chocolate kisses (1 bag)
Chocolate chips (2 bags)
Almond slices (1 bag)
Chocolate covered graham crackers/cookies (2 bags)
Whole cherries with stems (2 jars)
                                                    Gel frosting (black, red & green)

This made approximately 52/54 mice cookies.  

 

 Drain the cherries well on a paper towel.  I used two jars of cherries, about 52 (there were actually 54 cherries, but two had been separated from the stems so I had to eat those since they couldn't be used).

 Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler.  I used one bag of milk chocolate chips and one bag of dark chocolate.  There was leftover melted chips, but in the past I have only used one bag of chips and it wasn't enough and the chocolate got too stiff before finishing the coating process.   I don't have a real double boiler so I used a 2 qt. sauce pan for the water and placed a 1 qt. sauce inside the larger pan.  It worked well.  Once the chips melted I stirred them well to mix the milk and dark chocolate.  The two bags of chips were sufficient to coat the two jars of cherries. 
 

While the chips are melting assemble the other parts.  Removing the foil from the kisses will be the most time consuming thing you do.  Pour out a pile of almond slices and line up all the cookies for the number of cherries you will coat.

 Dip each cherry into the melted chocolate.

 Immediately place the coated cherry onto the chocolate covered cookie.  I can no longer find Keebler chocolate covered graham crackers, so I resorted to using the small Great Value (Walmart brand) chocolate covered mint cookies.  There are also chocolate covered fudge and peanut butter cookies.  I could never find the chocolate covered graham crackers.  Make sure you use the small cookies.  I have a friend that made these but used a larger cookie.  She said it made the mouse look really small on that large cookie.
  

 Push the chocolate kiss onto the covered cherry while the chocolate is still soft.  When it cools it will stick together very nicely. 

  

Add two pieces of almond slices for the ears.  Push down between the head and body (kiss and cherry).  Set aside to cool.  After assembling several of the mice I place them in the refrigerator so the chocolate will harden faster.  I don't want the head to separate from the body or the ears to sag.
 

  
These are ready to be placed in the refrigerator.





 
 
After the mice have cooled and are firm, using BLACK frosting gel make dots for the eyes and nose.  Test the gel first on a paper towel so the gel will be firm and not runny.  You can use red gel for the nose, but I much prefer the black so it looks like a rat/mouse, it's more disgusting with the black.

They are taking shape looking like little mice.

With GREEN gel add a sprig of greenery (I know that green looks like a little worm) behind the ears (almond slices).

Be sure to test the gel on the paper towel to avoid putting clear runny gel on the mice.  

Using RED gel, place one dot at the center of the green gel.  You are trying to put a sprig of holly on the little guys.


You might have a problem finding the red and green gel around Christmas because of the demand for those colors.  I shop early.

Close up of the decorated mice.





Place in tightly covered container and store in the refrigerator for several hours.  This will allow the chocolate and gel frosting to harden properly.

 

This will be the hit of any party.