Love Bug Sandwich Cookies
Turn store‑bought cookies into the sweetest little love bugs with red buttercream, candy eyes, and pretzel legs. These no-fuss sandwich cookies are perfect for parties, kids, or any time you want an easy Valentine’s Day treat that still feels special.
Ingredients
- 48 Chips Ahoy cookies the soft ones work best
- 48 candy eyes
- 72 pretzel sticks
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 3-4 cups powdered sugar
- 2-3 Tbsp milk or heavy cream
- 2 tsp vanilla
- red gel food coloring
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat the softened butter until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the powdered sugar, about 1 cup at a time, mixing on low at first so it does not puff everywhere.
- Add the vanilla and 2 tablespoons of milk or cream. Beat until smooth and spreadable, adding up to 1 extra tablespoon of milk if the frosting feels too thick.
- Tint the frosting red with gel food coloring until you reach your ideal Valentine’s red.
- Put the frosting in a piping bag with no tip or with a plain, round tip
- Lay out 24 Chips Ahoy cookies flat side up on a tray or baking sheet. Pipe (or spread) a generous layer of red buttercream onto each cookie, going almost to the edges.
- Top with the remaining 24 cookies, flat side down, to create sandwich cookies. Press very gently so the filling stays inside but reaches the edges.
- Break your pretzel sticks in half for the legs. Also, match up your eyes. Most of the time, all of the eyes come in slightly different sizes with slightly different pupils. For maximum cuteness, I recommend finding two similar eyes per bug.t
- For each sandwich cookie, gently press 3 pretzel stick halves into the buttercream on one side and 3 on the other side, for a total of 6 legs per cookie.
- Then, gently press 2 eyes into the sides of the frosting.
- For best results, store in an airtight container in the fridge for at least 10-20 minutes before serving. Also, be careful of humidity where you live. If you chill your love bugs in the fridge and then take them out where it’s humid, some of the dye from the candy eyes can run.