Watermelon Sugar Cookies are fun, tasty sugar cookies with pink & green buttercream frosting and chocolate sprinkles to look like watermelon slices!

The butter cream frosting recipe is simple to make and adds a creamy sweetness that pairs perfectly with the sugar cookie, while the chocolate sprinkles provide a fun and festive touch. These watermelon cookies are not only delicious, but they also look adorable and are sure to impress your guests.

Watermelon Sugar Cookies made easy with sugar cookies, my favorite buttercream frosting and chocolate sprinkles. Perfect for summertime picnics when you can't get enough of watermelon in any form!

Fun & Festive- Watermelon Theme Cookies

Watermelon Sugar Cookies are a fun and festive way to celebrate summer. These cookies are made with sugar cookie dough, my favorite buttercream frosting, and chocolate sprinkles.

While these cookies don’t include any actual watermelon, they are decorated as such. Kids and adults alike will enjoy this unique cookie experience. The red frosting represents the juicy watermelon flesh, the green frosting is the watermelon rind. Sprinkle chocolate sprinkles on top of the pink frosting to represent the watermelon seeds.

These watermelon sugar cookies are a delightful treat that is perfect for summertime picnics or parties!

Why You’ll Love This Sugar Cookie Recipe

Easy to Make: This recipe is super easy to make and requires minimal effort. All you need is sugar cookie dough, buttercream frosting, and chocolate sprinkles. The dough can be prepared in advance and stored in the refrigerator until you’re ready to bake.
Perfect for Summer: These cookies are perfect for summer picnics and barbecues. They’re a refreshing treat that will satisfy your sweet tooth while keeping you cool on a hot day.
Crowd-Pleaser: These cookies are sure to be a hit with both kids and adults. They’re cute, delicious, and perfect for sharing at parties and gatherings.

Easy Watermelon Sugar Cookie Ingredients

Butter: You need ½ cup of butter for rich and flavorful cookies.

Crisco: Add 6 TBSP of butter flavored Crisco to give the cookies more fats needed to stay moist while baking.

Sugar: Make the cookies sweet & chewy by adding ½ cup of granulated sugar to the dough.

Powder sugar: To create incredibly soft and tender cookies, use ½ cup of powdered sugar.

Milk: Adding 1 TBSP of milk gives the dough a bit more moisture to stay soft, but not crumble.

Egg: Help bind all the ingredients together well by adding 1 egg to the dough.

Baking soda: Using ¼ tsp of baking soda in this dough helps the cookies puff up and rise as they bake.

Cream of tartar: You need ¼ tsp of cream of tartar to create chewy and delicious treats.

Salt: Balance all the wonderful flavors in this dough by adding ½ tsp of salt.

Flour: The structural base of this recipe is 2 ¼ cups of flour.

Buttercream Frosting

Butter: Use ½ cup of butter, softened, for a thick and rich cookie topping.

Vanilla extract: Enhance the flavors in the frosting by adding 1 ½ tsp of vanilla extract.

Powder sugar: You will need about 4 cups of powdered sugar for a smooth and sweet frosting. The final amount depends on the consistency you want.

Milk: Add 3-4 TBSP of milk to help combine all the ingredients and create a smooth and creamy texture.

Sprinkles: Using a pinch of chocolate “Jimmie” sprinkles for each cookie will be just enough “seeds” for each slice of watermelon.

Food coloring: You need red & green food coloring to create these fun & tasty treats.

How to make Watermelon Sugar Cookies

Prep

Get started by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F. Then line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside.

Dough

Next in a large mixing bowl (or bowl of stand mixer), using an electric mixer, cream the butter, Crisco, sugar, powder sugar, and milk on medium speed.

Then add in the egg and mix until well combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt to combine. Now add the dry ingredients to the bowl of wet ones and mix until smooth.

Bake

Continue to roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place them on the parchment lined baking sheets previously prepared.

After that spray the bottom of a glass measuring cup with non-stick cooking spray and then dip that into a plate with a thin layer of sugar. Proceed to press each dough ball down slightly with the sugar covered glass, apply the cooking spray as needed to ensure each cookie dough has a layer of sugar.

Place the cookies in the preheated oven and bake for 8-9 minutes. Let them cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Buttercream frosting

In a medium size bowl, using an electric mixer, combine the butter, vanilla extract, and milk. Mix on medium speed for 30 seconds.

Then add in the powder sugar, 1 cup at a time, until you’ve reached your desired consistency.

After that divide the frosting into two bowls, one with slightly more frosting than the other. Add red food coloring to the bowl with more frosting, starting with 2-3 drops. Stir well until the coloring is well mixed, if you want a deeper red color, add more food coloring.

In the other bowl, add the green food coloring. I used 5-6 drops for my deep green color, start with 2-3 and add more from there to be safe. When the green is fully combined, transfer the frosting to a piping bag with a medium sized round tip.

Decorate

Begin creating your watermelon cookies by frosting the inner portion of the cookie with red frosting using a spreading knife. Be sure to leave a small lip around the cookie for the green frosting “rind”.

Then pipe the green frosting around the edges of the red frosting in a complete circle. Next sprinkles the chocolate Jimmies in the center for the “seeds” of the watermelon.

Let the cookies set for a few minutes, then serve and enjoy!

How can I add watermelon flavor to the frosting for cookies?

To create watermelon-flavored frosting for your sugar cookies, you can add a few drops of watermelon flavoring or extract to your favorite buttercream frosting recipe. Alternatively, you can mix in some finely chopped watermelon or watermelon juice to achieve the desired flavor. It is important to note that adding too much liquid to your frosting can affect its consistency, so make sure to adjust accordingly.

How long are frosted sugar cookies good for?

To keep your Watermelon Sugar Cookies fresh, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. If you want to keep them longer, you can freeze them for up to 2 months. When thawing, make sure to let them come to room temperature before serving.

Do I need a piping bag for this recipe?

While using a piping bag can help you achieve a more professional look, it is not necessary for this recipe. You can also use a zip lock bag for the piping of the green frosting, just snip off a small corner and go to town!

Tips for making perfect sugar cookies

To ensure that your sugar cookies turn out perfectly every time, make sure to follow the recipe instructions carefully. Use room temperature ingredients, and don’t overmix the dough. Finally, make sure to keep a close eye on the cookies while they bake, as they can easily overcook and become dry.

Try more of our favorite summertime cookies here:

I come from a family of all girls, so when we found out our first baby was a boy, my initial thoughts were, “huh. That was unexpected.” Ha! I can look back and laugh, because after that I had a girl…then another boy…then another girl! Can I tell you how thrilled I was when I found out my 4th child was another girl?! I mean, don’t get me wrong, my sisters drove me crazy when I was growing up. Now though, we’re really great friends and I am so thankful we’re family. I have strong hopes for the future for my kids. I hope that they will all have great relationships with each other, even if life right now is a bit like what the picture above depicts… 😉

Watermelon Sugar Cookies are a delicious and festive summertime treat to enjoy with friends and family. These summer cookies are guaranteed to be a hit at parties, kids birthday’s, and pool parties all season long!

WATERMELON SUGAR COOKIES

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Fun & Festive- Watermelon Theme Cookies

Why You’ll Love This Sugar Cookie Recipe