Watermelon Slice and Bake Cookies are a tender summer butter cookie that’s made to look like slices of watermelon, complete with a green sprinkle rind and mini chocolate chip seeds!
These summer cookies are perfect for a summer picnic or barbecue, and are a fun and festive addition to any dessert table. Slice and bake cookies mix up quickly, then chill and slice to keep that tender buttery texture.
What Makes Watermelon Slice and Bake Cookies Special
Watermelon Slice and Bake Cookies are a unique and creative twist on traditional cookies. These cookies are made to look like slices of watermelon, complete with a green rind, pink center, and black seeds. The fun and festive appearance of these cookies make them the perfect addition to any summer gathering or celebration.
Beyond their charming appearance, watermelon cookies are special because of their delicious buttery flavor. These cookies are made with a combination of butter, powder sugar, flour, and watermelon flavoring, resulting in a rich and indulgent taste. These cookies are sure to delight both children and adults alike, and are the perfect addition to any summer dessert table!
Why You’ll Love This Slice & Bake Cookie Recipe
- Unique and Festive: These cookies are made to look like slices of watermelon, which makes them a fun and festive addition to any party or gathering. The vibrant colors and unique design are sure to impress your guests and add a touch of whimsy to your dessert table.
- Lovely Butter Flavor: These cookies have a lovely buttery flavor that pairs perfectly with the sweetness of the watermelon flavoring. The combination of flavors is sure to satisfy your sweet tooth and leave you wanting more.
- Perfect for All Ages: Watermelon Slice and Bake Cookies are a fun and playful treat that is perfect for all ages. Kids will love the colorful design, while adults will appreciate the delicious flavor and unique presentation.
Ingredients for Watermelon Cookies
Flour: You will need 1 cup of all-purpose flour for the structural base of this cookie dough.
Powder sugar: Using ½ cup of powdered sugar in this recipe makes the cookies soft and chewy.
Salt: Balance the flavors in these treats well by adding ¼ tsp of salt.
Butter: For rich tasting cookies with amazing texture, use ½ cup of butter (1 stick).
Egg: Add 1 large egg yolk for a creamy cookie dough that results in soft, delicious cookies.
Milk: Help moisten the dough by adding 1 tsp of milk to the dough.
Watermelon flavoring: You will need ¼ tsp of watermelon flavoring to give these cookies an amazing taste.
Food coloring: Make these cookies look like watermelon by adding 1-2 drops of pink food coloring to the dough.
Chocolate chips: Using 3 rounded TBSP of mini chocolate chips will create the “seeds” in the watermelon for a fun and festive appearance.
Colored sugar: Rolling the dough in 2-3 TBSP of green decorating sugar creates the green “rind” for these creative treats!
How to make Slice & Bake Watermelon Cookies
Dough
Start by using a food processor or KitchenAid mixer to pulse the flour, powdered sugar, and salt together until combined. Then add in the butter and pulse/mix until the mixture is a sandy texture.
Then add in the egg yolk, milk, watermelon flavoring, and food coloring. Continue to mix the dough until all the ingredients are well incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips and mix until they’re well distributed.
After that remove the dough from the mixer and form it into a 2.5″ wide log, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours until firm.
Prep & assemble
Get the oven preheating to 350 degrees. Also line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside. Now remove the cookie log from the fridge and let it sit for about 10 minutes.
Next spread the green sugar on a plate; then unwrap the dough and roll the log in the sugar to coat the outside well. I used about a ¼ of the bottle of green sugar- you’ll have to roll it several times to get it all covered, use your fingers to fill in the bare spots if needed.
Proceed to slice the dough into just larger than ¼” slices and arrange on the prepared baking sheets. I got 12 rounds from my cookie log. Then cut each cookie round in half, so that you have “slices” of watermelon.
Bake
Place the cookies in the preheated oven and bake for 12-14 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown around edges.
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet before transferring them to a serving platter. Serve and enjoy!
How long are watermelon sugar cookies good for?
These delightful watermelon cookies will stay fresh for up to 5 days if stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
If you want to store them longer, place them in an airtight container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw the cookies at room temperature before serving and enjoying.
When do you serve these festive cookies?
Watermelon slice and bake cookies are a fun and festive treat that can be served at any time of year. They are particularly well-suited for summer gatherings, picnics, and barbecues. They also make a great addition to a dessert table at birthday parties or other festive events.
How do you achieve the texture of a rich and buttery cookie?
To achieve the texture of a rich and buttery cookie in a slice and bake form, it’s important to use high-quality ingredients and to follow the recipe instructions carefully. Be sure to use real butter, and make sure it is softened to room temperature before you begin. Also, overmixing the dough can result in tough, dry cookies. Finally, be sure to chill the dough thoroughly before slicing and baking to ensure that the cookies hold their shape and bake evenly.
Tips for slice & bake cookies:
- Be sure the dough is completely chilled before slicing. This will ensure the dough is easier to slice, prevents the cookies from overspreading when baked, and improves the overall flavor and texture.
- Use gel food coloring rather than liquid, as it produces brighter and more vibrant colors.
- After the dough is removed from the fridge, it quickly starts warming back up and can become harder to work with. So work quickly! To ensure the cookies stay round as you cut them, you can either cut them as is and try to re-round them using your fingers, or re-roll the dough a bit after each couple of slices.
For delicious summertime cookie recipes, try more here:
- Strawberry Lemonade Cake Mix Cookies
- Best Fruit Pizza Cookies
- Smores Cookie Bars
- Patriotic Swirled Sugar Cookies
- Easy Lemonade Cookies
- Mini Hamburger Cookies
- Popsicle Sugar Cookies
- 4th of July Cookies
- Blueberry Sugar Cookies
- Peaches and Cream Cookies
- 4th of July Berry Star Cookies
- Lemon Sugar Cookie Bars
- Oreo S’mores
Watermelon Slice and Bake Cookies are a delicious and unique take on a classic slice & bake recipe. These watermelon cookies are made to look like everyone’s favorite summertime fruit, green rind and black seeds and all!
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