Watermelon Sugar Cookies

So first of all you will have to forgive me for my terrible pictures...our camera doesn't work and these are taken off of my phone so for now it works but I promise I will get it fixed soon :) Our air conditioning was broken for 3 days...yep you heard right...3 days. With me being 4 months pregnant and 2 little ones at home all day, I was super relieved when we got it working last night. However this little experience has left me begging for fall! I can't wait for sweaters and jackets and falling leaves and pumpkins...the smell...you get my drift. So as a big finale to summer we decided to try out these Watermelon Sugar Cookies. I have to say, I was definitely not a huge fan of the recipe...they turned out dry. So I am going to post my tried and true recipe for sugar cookies that do not spread because these were definitely fun to make! Remember, I will be posting my 3 week menu rotation tomorrow as well as a grocery shopping list with the current sales from my area so don't forget to check back! Also, if you have a recipe you would like me to try and post on here with instructions, send it my way @ kdalomia@gmail.com. Thanks, and ENJOY!

Watermelon Sugar Cookies

- 1 C. butter, softened

- 1 1/2 C. sugar

- 2 eggs

- 1 tsp. almond extract

- 1 tsp. vanilla extract

- 3 1/4 C. four

- 1 tsp. baking powder

- 1/2 tsp. salt

For Decorating

- Wilton's Red Food Coloring Paste (Or regular fo

od coloring is fine it's just not as vibrant)

- Green Sugar Crystals (found in the baking aisleat WalMart)

- White Chocolate Chips or White Chocolate Discs

-Miniature Chocolate Chips

Directions:

Beat butter until it is light and fluffy, then add in your sugar a 1/2 C. at a time until well blended. Add eggs and extracts and mix until well combined. If you don't like almond extract, you can substitute for 2 tsp. vanilla extract. At this point it is easiest to add your food coloring, if you are using regular food coloring I would use about 8 drops...remember not to use too much as it can change the consistency of your dough.

Sift your flour, baking powder and salt and mix in on low speed until everything is completely mixed.. I honestly don't bother sifting my ingredients...I just dump them all in at once and it saves you a quick step. By the end, it should look a little something like this.

Take your dough out and divide it into two balls. Place each ball between 2 sheets of parchment or wax paper and roll out until it is 1/4 inch thick. Refrigerate for 1 - 2 hours or until it has a harder consistency. After it has hardened, take one out and cut it out with a circle cookie cutter then cut each cookie in half. While you are cutting, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. I used a small flower cutter like the one below to cut out small bites in each cookie, however, if you left it flat it would be adorable too!

Then I used miniature chocolate chips for the seeds. You need to work fast with these because since they are so small, they melt extremely fast. The should look something like this by now!

Bake for 8 minutes...DO NOT OVERBAKE! If you overbake them, they turn out dry and horrible and you want a moist sugar cookie. After they are done baking, place them immediately on a cooling rack and let cool completely. Once they have cooled completely, melt your chocolate chips or discs in the microwave for 30 second intervals until completely melted. Dip your curved part, or rind, in the melted white chocolate and let excess drip off. Then dip it right into your sprinkles and back onto a piece of parchment paper to harden. There you have it! Your farewell to summer!

I have to admit, these were very time consuming, but I just wanted to give you a fun post...and the best part is that they are so fun to make with kids because they can get really involved! If you have any questions, let me know! ENJOY!

- Kristin