Raya’s Hat Cookies Inspired by Raya and the Last Dragon

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Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon is such a good movie! To me, every Disney movie means themed treats. I just love these cookies inspired by Raya’s hat.

“Raya and the Last Dragon” takes us on an exciting, epic journey to the fantasy world of Kumandra, where humans and dragons lived together long ago in harmony. But when an evil force threatened the land, the dragons sacrificed themselves to save humanity. Now, 500 years later, that same evil has returned and it’s up to a lone warrior, Raya, to track down the legendary last dragon to restore the fractured land and its divided people. However, along her journey, she’ll learn that it’ll take more than a dragon to save the world—it’s going to take trust and teamwork as well. 

Raya’s Hat Cookie Recipe and Instructions

In the movie Raya and the Last Dragon, Raya wears a beautiful wide-brimmed conical hat. These types of hats are traditional and common in many Asian countries, as they’re ideal for keeping the sun and weather out of the wearer’s eyes.  These cookies are inspired by the unique shape, while the caramel drizzle mimics the bamboo weaving of Raya’s hat. These cookies are great served on their own, with caramel for dipping, or alongside a bit of vanilla ice cream! This recipe will yield about 2 dozen hat cookies. 

What Ingredients are Needed to Make Raya Inspired Cookies?

Most of the ingredients in this recipe are pantry baking basics that you probably already have on hand. You may need to just pick up some caramel syrup.

• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ⅔ cup powdered sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 3 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2-6 teaspoons cold water
• Caramel Syrup

How to Make Cookie’s Inspired by Raya’s Hat

Sift the flour, confectioners’ sugar, and salt into a large bowl and set aside.

In a separate small bowl, whisk the egg whites, vanilla, and melted butter. 

Add the wet mixture into the dry mixture, whisking until all ingredients are combined and you have a thin and smooth batter

Cover the batter and place in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours. 

While the batter is chilling, work on making your hat form. This is what you will drape the cookies over later in order to give them a conical shape. Use aluminum foil to make a volcano-shaped mound. Continue adding foil, shaping as you go, until you have a form that is about 2” tall and about 3” in diameter. Don’t worry if it isn’t perfect! The idea is just to give your cookies a pointy tip with a flared-out brim. 

When you’re ready to remove the batter from the refrigerator, preheat the oven to
400°F. The batter will thicken in the refrigerator, so check the consistency and add cold
water 1 teaspoon at a time, whisking, until the batter is once again thin. The consistency
should be similar to a crepe batter or a runny pancake batter.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat. Drop 2 teaspoons of batter in an evenly spaced manner on the baking sheet. I suggest that you only bake about 4 cookies at a time, as they must be shaped on the form immediately after removal from the oven. 

Use a small rubber spatula or a thin metal cake spreader to smooth the batter out into a 3”- 4” circle. The batter should be fairly even and nearly see-through. 

Bake for about 4 – 5 minutes, until the edges of the cookies just start to turn golden brown. 

Working quickly, use a small metal spatula or thin knife to help peel each cookie off the parchment and place it over your foil hat form. Use your hands to gently shape the cookie into a conical shape. The cookie will harden quickly as it cools, and once it does so, you can gently transfer it to a wire rack to continue cooling. Repeat with the remaining cookies. If the cookies on the baking sheet begin to harden before you can shape them, return them to the oven for 15 seconds to make them pliable once again. 

*Tip: Run the baking sheet under cold water and dry (or use a second baking sheet if you have it) between batches, as spreading the batter onto a warm sheet will cause the batter to cook incorrectly. 

Once all the cookies are baked and shaped, place the wire rack over a baking sheet, foil, or wax paper to help with cleanup. Drizzle with caramel syrup, first making horizontal strokes, then going back in a perpendicular direction to mimic the woven fibers in Raya’s hat. 

Serve these cookies on their own, with additional caramel sauce for dipping, or with vanilla ice cream for an extra special treat!

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