There’s something about watermelon that just screams summer. It’s bright, it’s refreshing, and it’s the ultimate picnic staple. So why not bring that same fun vibe to your dessert table? These watermelon frosted sugar cookies are the perfect mix of fun and flavor. With a green sugar cookie base, pink buttercream frosting, and little chocolate ganache seeds piped on top, they look just like mini watermelon slices.
These summer sugar cookies decorated like watermelon slices are especially perfect for barbecues, pool parties, or family gatherings where you want to share something festive and homemade. Plus, they’re one of my favorite summer desserts for a crowd, since adorable cookies are always a crowd pleaser!
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Ingredients for Watermelon Sugar Cookies
For the Green Sugar Cookies
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Green food coloring
For the Pink Buttercream Frosting
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1–2 tablespoons heavy cream or milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pink and red gel food coloring
For the Chocolate Ganache “Seeds”
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- Small icing bottle or piping bag fitted with a small, round tip
How to Make Watermelon Frosted Sugar Cookies
Step 1: Make the cookie dough
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes. Add the egg, sour cream, and vanilla, and mix until fully combined.
Gradually add in the dry ingredients and mix just until the dough comes together. It should be soft but not sticky.
Add a couple drops of green food coloring to color your dough green.
Step 2: Chill the dough
Cover and chill the dough in the fridge for at least 1 hour. This helps the cookies hold their shape and bake up nice and thick.
Step 3: Bake
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Scoop about 1.5 tablespoons of dough per cookie using a medium cookie scoop. Roll into balls and slightly flatten with your palm. Bake for 9–11 minutes, until the edges are set and the tops look matte and dry. Don’t overbake! Let the cookies cool completely before frosting.
Step 4: Make the frosting
In a large bowl, beat the butter until creamy and smooth. Add the powdered sugar.
.Add the vanilla and enough heavy cream or milk (probably not all of it) to reach a spreadable consistency.
Finally, mix in pink gel food coloring until you get that classic watermelon flesh color. If your pink doesn’t get dark enough, add just a drop of red and it should be good.
Step 5: Frost the Cookies
Spoon the frosting into a piping bag with no tip and pipe it onto the cooled cookies. Or, simply spread it with a butter knife.
Step 6: Make the Ganache Seeds
In a small microwave-safe bowl, heat the chocolate chips and heavy cream in 30-second intervals, stirring until smooth. Pour the ganache into a small squeeze bottle or piping bag fitted with a fine tip. Pipe little teardrop shapes onto the pink frosting to resemble watermelon seeds.
Step 7: Let Them Set
Allow the ganache seeds to firm up slightly before serving. Then, admire your adorable summer sugar cookies decorated like watermelon slices!
Pro Tips for Perfect Watermelon Cookies
- Chill the dough: Don’t skip this step! Chilling makes the dough easier to handle and keeps the cookies from spreading too much in the oven. Also, make sure your cookie sheets aren’t hot before sticking the raw cookie dough on them, or your cookies will probably start spreading before you even bake them.
- Use “the good” food coloring: I usually buy my food coloring for baking Michael’s. The kind that’s specifically made for baking or, at least, is called gel food coloring is best. For these cookies, I went with a deep green (like it looked too dark to be good kind of green). The bright green won’t really get “green enough” for these cookies. For the deep pink, I mixed mostly pink color with just a drop of a deep red.
- Pipe the seeds for control: A squeeze bottle makes this step so easy, but you can also use a piping bag with a small round tip. If you don’t have either of these I would not recommend just using a zip-top bag with the corner snipped off. You would have to cut the teeniest, tiniest hole in order to make that work, and it would probably be quite difficult to manage and control the flow of your chocolate ganache that way.
FAQs About Watermelon Sugar Cookies
What even is a small icing bottle?
A small icing bottle is just a squeezable plastic bottle with a fine tip that makes it easy to control where your chocolate ganache or icing goes. They’re really handy for decorating cookies with precision. I got a set of 2 at Michael’s years ago and use them all the time for baking.
What can I use if I don’t have a small icing bottle?
No problem! You can spoon your ganache into a piping bag with a small round tip (like really small). If you’d rather skip piping altogether, sprinkle mini chocolate chips or brown sprinkles on top of the frosting for a similar “seed” effect.
Can I make the cookie dough ahead of time?
Yes! The dough can be made up to 2 days in advance and stored in the fridge, or frozen for up to 2 months. Just thaw in the fridge overnight before scooping and baking.
How do I store these cookies?
Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days. The frosting may firm up in the fridge, so let them come to room temperature before serving.
These watermelon frosted sugar cookies are one of my favorite unique cookie ideas for summer.
Whether you’re baking for a poolside party, a Fourth of July barbecue, or just a sunny Saturday afternoon, these summer sugar cookies decorated like watermelon slices are a recipe worth keeping in your rotation. The next time you’re looking for summer desserts for a crowd, skip the store-bought treats and try these instead. They’re cute, tasty, and guaranteed to bring smiles all around.
Watermelon Frosted Sugar Cookies
Equipment
- 1 small icing bottle or piping bag witted with a small tip optional
Ingredients
Sugar Cookie Base
- 2 3/4 cups flour
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 Tbsp sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tsp vanilla
- green food coloring
Pink Buttercream Frosting
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1-2 Tbsp heavy cream or milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- pink and red gel food coloring
Chocolate Ganache Seeds
Instructions
Make Sugar Cookie Base
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes. Add the egg, sour cream, and vanilla, and mix until fully combined.
- Gradually add in the dry ingredients and mix just until the dough comes together. It should be soft but not sticky.
- Add a couple drops of green food coloring to color your dough green.
- Cover and chill the dough in the fridge for at least 1 hour. This helps the cookies hold their shape and bake up nice and thick.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Scoop about 1.5 tablespoons of dough per cookie using a medium cookie scoop. Roll into balls and slightly flatten with your palm. Bake for 9–11 minutes, until the edges are set and the tops look matte and dry. Don’t overbake! Let the cookies cool completely before frosting.
Make the Pink Buttercream Frosting
- In a large bowl, beat the butter until creamy and smooth. Add the powdered sugar.
- Add the vanilla and enough heavy cream or milk (probably not all of it) to reach a spreadable consistency.
- Finally, mix in pink gel food coloring until you get that classic watermelon flesh color. If your pink doesn’t get dark enough, add just a drop of red and it should be good.
Decorate the Cookies with Frosting and Ganache
- Spoon the frosting into a piping bag with no tip and pipe it onto the cooled cookies. Or, you can also spread it with a butter knife.
- In a small microwave-safe bowl, heat the chocolate chips and heavy cream in 30-second intervals, stirring until smooth.
- Pour the ganache into a small squeeze bottle or piping bag fitted with a fine tip. Pipe little teardrop shapes onto the pink frosting to resemble watermelon seeds.
- Allow the ganache seeds to firm up slightly before serving. You can store these cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. If you wish to keep them longer, or are worried about the frosting smudging, you can also store them in the fridge.
