Tag: <span>picnic ideas</span>

Slow-Cooker Root Beer Brats

Slow-Cooker Root Beer Brats

Move over beer brats there’s a new kid in town! Root Beer Brats are not only delicious but they are so easy to prepare. And since they’re made with root beer rather than beer, they’re family friendly too. Slow-cooking in a sweet root beer marinade […]

Rhubarb-b-q Chicken Drumsticks

Rhubarb-b-q Chicken Drumsticks

Have you ever tried making your own barbecue sauce? Well it’s easier than you think! Rhubarb-b-q Chicken Drumsticks are the perfect place to start. Fresh rhubarb and apricot preserves pair perfectly to create this surprising and unique flavor profile. It’s tangy and sweet, with just […]

Slice and Bake Watermelon Cookies

Slice and Bake Watermelon Cookies

When I think of the Fourth of July, I think of hot dogs and hamburgers cooking on the grill, lots of yummy corn on the cob and tasty pasta salads, and of course, a big ole juicy watermelon. Well now you can add Watermelon Cookies to that list! These over the top adorable little cookies will be the hit of every single bbq or cookout this summer. I mean seriously, does it get any cuter?!? A little food coloring and mini chocolate chips are all it takes to turn this basic sugar cookie recipe into something spectacular. Watermelon Cookies are really fun to bake but even more fun to eat. I’m not sure who loves them more, the kids or the adults. It’s probably a tie!

Here’s all you’ll need: butter, sugar, egg, almond extract, flour, salt, baking powder, red and green food coloring, mini chocolate chips and sesame seeds.

Slice and Bake Watermelon Cookies ingredients list

So Watermelon Cookies may look complicated but I’m here to walk you through it so don’t even worry about it. We’ll start by making a basic sugar cookie dough. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter and white sugar with a hand mixer until its light and fluffy. If you don’t have time (or just plain forgot) to soften the butter, you can nuke it in the microwave for about 15-30 seconds. (literally me every time a recipe calls for softened butter)

Next beat in the egg and the almond extract. You can also swap out for vanilla or any extract of your choice.

Butter and white sugar creamed together in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer.

Add the baking powder and salt and mix well. Then gradually mix in the flour about a half a cup at a time. This soft dough will make up all three layers of our Watermelon Cookies.

Baking powder, salt, and flour added to the mixing bowl to form a soft cookie dough.

Now it’s time to mix our colors. Separate out 2/3 of a cup of cookie dough. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside. This is the batch of dough that will remain uncolored.

Then remove an additional 1/2 cup of cookie dough and add it to a small bowl. Using a spoon (or gloves), mix in enough food coloring to tint it a nice, bright green color. This will be make up our watermelon rind.

1/3 cup of cookie dough that has been tinted green.

The remaining dough left in the mixing bowl will be tinted red. Add enough red food coloring to the mixing bowl to make a pretty watermelon colored dough. Roll the red dough into a 3-1/2 inch log. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate all the dough for two hours or until firm.

Red cookie dough about to be covered with plastic wrap and placed in the refrigerator.

Remove the cookie dough from the fridge. On a lightly floured surface roll the plain dough into a 10 X 3-1/2 inch rectangle. Cut with a knife to shape into the rectangle. It’s ok if it’s a little bit longer. It’s better to be a little long than a little short. We need the long side to be able to wrap all the way around our red dough to cover.

Plain cookie dough rolled into a 10X3-1/2 inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface.

Next unwrap our red dough, and place the log on a short end of the plain dough, like so.

Red cookie dough log placed on the short end of the plain cookie dough o a lightly floured surface.

Roll the plain dough all the way around the red dough log to cover. Pinch the seams to seal.

Plain cookie dough wrapped around red cookie dough to form a log.

Unwrap the green cookie dough and roll it into a 12 X 3-1/2 inch rectangle. Place the cookie log on a short side of the green rectangle. Roll the green dough all the way around the dough log to cover. Pinch the seams to seal. The green layer will be very thin and that’s totally ok. We don’t want a massive watermelon rind.

Wrap the cookie dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or freeze for 1-2 hours or until firm (not frozen).Green cookie dough wrapped around the original cookie dough log.

Unwrap the cookie dough and cut into 1/4 inch slices. Cut each slice in half and place two inches apart on a parchment lined cookie sheet. If you haven’t jumped on the parchment paper train yet, then it’s time to start. Parchment paper will really elevate your cookie baking to the next level. It helps them to bake more evenly and also keeps them from sticking to the pan. Try it, you’ll love it!

Cookie dough log sliced into watermelon slices.

Now here’s the fun part! It’s time to decorate these sweet treats to look just like mini watermelon slices! Press mini chocolate chips and sesame seeds into the top of the cookie to resemble fresh, juicy, watermelon. So cute!!! Bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for 9-11 minutes.

Here’s a simple trick for perfect cookies every time. Always rotate the baking sheets halfway through baking. I always use the top and middle racks in my oven, never the bottom. Then halfway through baking time, I swap positions. So the cookies that were baking on the top rack get bumped down to the middle rack and the cookies that were baking on the middle rack get moved up to the top. I also rotate the baking sheets so that the cookies that were in the front of the oven are now in the back and vice versa. This helps to give the cookies a more all around even bake and will give you fabulous results!

Chocolate chips and sesame seeds pressed into the top of the cookies to look like watermelon seeds

Remove from the oven and place on wire racks to cool. OMG! Look at those cute lil seeds!! I can’t even with these Watermelon Cookies!!! While we’re on the watermelon theme, have you tried our Watermelon Cucumber Salad???

Slice and Bake Watermelon Cookies by Happylifeblogspot.com #watermeloncookies #watermelon #cookies #fourthofjuly #sugarcookies #sliceandbakecookies

Slice and Bake Watermelon Cookies

July 3, 2019
: about 3 dozen
: Medium

By:

Ingredients
  • 3/4 cup butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • Red and green gel food coloring
  • 1/3 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chipschopped
  • 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
Directions
  • Step 1 In a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter and white sugar with a hand mixer until its light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and the almond extract.
  • Step 2 Add the baking powder and salt and mix well. Gradually mix in the flour about a half a cup at a time.
  • Step 3 Separate out 2/3 of a cup of cookie dough. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside. This batch of dough will remain uncolored. Remove an additional 1/2 cup of cookie dough and add it to a small bowl. Mix in enough food coloring to tint it green. The remaining dough left in the mixing bowl will be tinted red. Add enough red food coloring tint it red.Roll the red dough into a 3-1/2 inch log. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate all the dough for two hours or until firm.
  • Step 4 Remove the cookie dough from the fridge. On a lightly floured surface roll the plain dough into a 10 X 3-1/2 inch rectangle. Cut with a knife to shape into the rectangle. Next unwrap our red dough, and place the log on a short end of the plain dough. Roll the plain dough all the way around the red dough log to cover. Pinch the seams to seal.
  • Step 5 Unwrap the green cookie dough and roll it into a 12 X 3-1/2 inch rectangle. Place the cookie log on a short side of the green rectangle. Roll the green dough all the way around the dough log to cover. Pinch the seams to seal. Wrap the cookie dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or freeze for 1-2 hours or until firm (not frozen).
  • Step 6 Unwrap the cookie dough and cut into 1/4 inch slices. Cut each slice in half and place two inches apart on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Press mini chocolate chips and sesame seeds into the top of the cookie.
  • Step 7 Bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for 9-11 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on wire racks to cool. Enjoy!

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Grilled Lemon and Thyme Lemonade

Grilled Lemon and Thyme Lemonade

Grilled Lemonade?!? Yep! You read that right. I’ve been preaching all summer about how we grill anything and everything at our house and this next recipe is proof positive. This unexpected, yet simple twist of classic lemonade will make you a believer. Everything really IS […]