Watermelon slices cookies
Watermelon Slice Cookies Every time I make these cookies, I think about how much kids love watermelon. I got the idea to create a dessert inspired by its appearance, without worrying about the seeds. The recipe isn’t complicated; it just requires a bit of patience for coloring and shaping the dough, but in the end, you get truly unique-looking cookies. Quick Info Total time: about 3-4 hours (includes chilling the dough) Actual preparation time: 30-40 minutes Baking time: 20 minutes for each tray Servings: 35-40 cookies (depending on thickness) Difficulty: medium, requires some attention to shaping Recipe type: eye-catching cookies, suitable for special occasions or kids Ingredients 250 g butter or margarine, at room temperature 250 g sugar 2 large eggs 400 g all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest 2-3 drops vanilla extract Red food coloring (natural, gel, or liquid) Green food coloring (natural, gel, or liquid) Chocolate chips or small chocolate pieces (to imitate the seeds) Preparation Method 1. Mix the soft butter with the sugar in a large bowl, beating at medium speed for a few minutes until you get a light-colored cream. 2. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Then incorporate the vanilla extract and lemon zest. 3. Sift the flour together with the baking powder and a pinch of salt. Gradually add them to the wet mixture and knead briefly until everything becomes homogeneous and slightly moldable, like play dough. If the dough is too sticky, you can add a little flour, just enough to prevent it from sticking to your hands. 4. Divide the dough: set aside one-third (about 1/4 of the total) for the white and green edges. The rest, the larger portion (3/4 of the total), will be colored red. Add a few drops of red coloring to the dough and knead until the color is evenly distributed. For gel colors, it helps to dip a toothpick into the color and touch the dough, then knead. 5. Shape the red dough into a cylinder about 4 cm in diameter. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour. 6. Take the reserved dough (the 1/4 from step 4) and divide it into two equal parts. Leave one part white. Color the other green using the food coloring, also by kneading. Wrap both pieces in plastic wrap and refrigerate for another hour. 7. After chilling, remove the red cylinder. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the white dough into a thin rectangular sheet large enough to completely wrap the red cylinder. Roll the cylinder in the white sheet, pressing gently to adhere well. 8. Repeat on the outside with the green dough. Roll it out into a rectangular sheet and wrap the cylinder. Don’t worry if it doesn’t come out perfectly smooth – after baking, the edges will even out. 9. Wrap the entire colored cylinder in plastic wrap and refrigerate again for another two hours. If you’re in a hurry, you can place it in the freezer for 15-20 minutes until the dough becomes firm and can be sliced easily. 10. Remove the cylinder and slice it into about 5-6 mm thick pieces with a thin, sharp knife. Place the slices on a tray lined with baking paper. 11. Insert a few chocolate chips (or small chocolate pieces) into the red part of each slice to imitate watermelon seeds. 12. Bake the cookies in the oven at 180°C (preheated oven) for about 20 minutes until the edges are slightly golden. Don’t leave them too long, or they will dry out. 13. Remove the tray and, while the cookies are still hot, cut each slice in half. This way, each piece will look like a watermelon slice with rind. Why I make this recipe often It’s a recipe with a unique appearance, not too complicated, and the cookies hold up well. They can be prepared a few days in advance for events or packed. They are appealing to kids, and you don’t need special cutters for shaping. Tips and Variations Tips The fridge is essential: if the dough isn’t well chilled, it’s harder to cut and the colors can be uneven. Use gel food coloring for intense shades, especially for green. After baking, let the cookies cool in the tray for 5 minutes before transferring them to a rack to avoid breaking. Substitutions If you don’t have chocolate chips, you can use small pieces of dark chocolate cut from a bar. Butter can be replaced with margarine (for a dairy-free version), but the texture differs slightly. Vanilla extract can be omitted or replaced with additional lemon zest for flavor. Variations If you don’t want to use food coloring, you can leave the dough in natural colors and you’ll have “marbled” cookies. For a different look, make the slices thicker and cut them after they have completely cooled – the shape will be smoother, but the edges won’t resemble watermelon perfectly. Serving Ideas They are suitable for platters for kids' parties, school lunches, or as dessert for picnics. They can be placed in gift boxes, being transport-resistant. Frequently Asked Questions 1. Can I use only liquid food coloring? Yes, but be careful not to add too much – if the dough becomes too soft, add a little more flour. Gel food coloring has the advantage of not altering the texture. 2. Can I freeze the dough? The dough can be frozen after you’ve shaped it into a cylinder, before slicing. Thaw it in the fridge and slice when it’s still firm. 3. Can I cut cookies directly without chilling the dough so much? If the dough isn’t cold enough, the colors can mix, and the slices will come out deformed. I recommend not skipping the chilling steps. 4. What do I do if the cookies crack after baking? If they crack, it’s likely the dough was too dry or they were baked too long. Next time, reduce the time a bit or check the texture before baking. 5. Can I skip the lemon zest? Yes, but it adds a pleasant flavor. You can substitute it with a little orange zest or lemon extract, according to your preferences. Nutritional Values Estimate per cookie (from a total of 40): Calories: approximately 80-90 kcal Carbohydrates: 10-12 g Fats: 3-4 g Proteins: 1 g Values are indicative and vary depending on the size of the slices and the type of ingredients used. The sugar content is moderate, and the fats mainly come from butter. Storage and Reheating The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. They retain their texture and taste well for a few days. They do not require reheating. I do not recommend freezing baked cookies – the texture becomes drier upon thawing. If you want to prepare in advance, it’s better to freeze the dough cylinder, not the already baked cookies.
Preparation
We mix the butter with the sugar for a few minutes until we obtain a cream. We add the eggs one by one, vanilla essence, and lemon zest, and finally the sifted flour with baking powder and a pinch of salt. We knead until all the flour is incorporated and we obtain a dough with the consistency of modeling clay (if necessary, a little more flour can be added). We take 1/4 of the dough and set it aside. The large portion of dough (the remaining 3/4) we color red (I used gel food coloring and it was enough to take a bit on a toothpick and wipe the toothpick on the dough) and knead until the color is homogeneous. We shape the dough into a cylinder (about 4 cm in diameter), wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for about an hour. The small portion of dough (the 1/4 set aside) we divide into two: half remains white, and the other half we color green. Both are wrapped in plastic and placed in the refrigerator for another hour. We take the white dough and roll it out on the work surface into a rectangular shape, so that it completely covers the red dough cylinder. Then we roll the red cylinder over the sheet of white dough and wrap it tightly. On the outside, we will wrap the green dough in the same way. The resulting cylinder is wrapped again in plastic wrap and placed in the refrigerator for about 2 hours until it becomes firm (I, due to lack of time, put it in the freezer for 15 minutes). From the cylinder, we cut thin slices (5-6 mm) and place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. We stick a few chocolate chips into each slice and put the tray in the oven for about 20 minutes. Immediately after taking the tray out of the oven, while the cookies are warm, we cut each slice in half.
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