Introduction
These adorable Cookie Monster and Elmo Cookies are a surefire hit for any Sesame Street-themed party or fun family baking day. You can create these beloved characters with minimal fuss using a clever shortcut. The result is a vibrant, cheerful cookie that’s as fun to make as it is to eat.
Prep & Cook Time
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 24 cookies
Ingredients
- 16 ounce Package refrigerator sugar cookie dough (or homemade sugar cookies)
- 16 ounce tub vanilla frosting (or homemade white frosting)
- Red and blue gel food coloring (NOT liquid food coloring – see notes)
- 48 Jumbo candy eyes
Instructions
- Preheat your oven according to the package directions for the sugar cookie dough. Slice or roll the dough as directed and place rounds onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for the recommended time (typically 10-15 minutes), or until the edges are just starting to turn golden. Let cookies cool completely on the baking sheet or a wire rack.
- While the cookies cool, divide the vanilla frosting into two separate bowls. Stir several drops of blue gel food coloring into one bowl until you achieve a vibrant Cookie Monster blue. In the other bowl, stir red gel food coloring to create a bright Elmo red. For best results, add color gradually until the desired shade is reached.
- Frost half of the cooled cookies with the blue frosting and the other half with the red frosting. A small offset spatula or butter knife works perfectly for this.
- While the frosting is still soft and tacky, gently press two jumbo candy eyes onto each cookie. For Cookie Monster, place the eyes closer together and slightly askew for a goofy look. For Elmo, place them evenly near the top center of the cookie. The frosting will act as glue to hold them in place as it sets.
Variations
- Cookie Faces: Use a toothpick to drag a bit of extra frosting into a smiling mouth for each character before adding the eyes.
- Fur Texture: Create a “furry” look by using a fork or a small piping tip to create short, textured lines in the frosting before it sets.
- Chocolate Chip Version: Press a few mini chocolate chips into Cookie Monster’s frosting around his mouth to look like he’s eating cookies.
- Two-Tone Cookies: Bake half the batch as directed, then split the remaining dough and knead in a few drops of gel food coloring before baking to create solid blue and red cookie bases.
Tips for Success
- Ensure cookies are completely cool before frosting, otherwise the frosting will melt and become a messy glaze.
- Gel food coloring is essential because it provides vivid color without thinning out the frosting, which liquid coloring can do.
- If your frosting becomes too thick, you can thin it with a tiny amount of milk or water. If it’s too thin, add a bit of powdered sugar.
- Let the frosted cookies set at room temperature for at least an hour before stacking or storing to prevent smudging.
Storage & Reheating
FAQ
Can I make the sugar cookie dough from scratch?
Absolutely! Use your favorite sugar cookie recipe. Just be sure it yields a dough you can roll and cut into rounds, and bake as directed.
Why can’t I use liquid food coloring?
Liquid food coloring will add too much moisture to the frosting, making it runny and difficult to achieve a vibrant, opaque color. Gel coloring is highly concentrated and paste-like, so it colors powerfully without changing the frosting’s consistency.
My candy eyes keep falling off. What can I do?
If the frosting has crusted over, use a tiny dab of fresh frosting or corn syrup on the back of each eye as “glue” before placing it on the cookie.
Can I make these ahead of time?
Yes, you can bake the cookies 1-2 days in advance and store them unfrosted. Frost and decorate the day you plan to serve them for the best appearance and texture.
What can I use if I can’t find jumbo candy eyes?
You can use large white chocolate chips or white fondant circles with a mini chocolate chip or black frosting dot pressed on top to create DIY eyes.
Are these cookies suitable for young children?
The candy eyes can be a choking hazard for very young children. For toddlers, you can omit the eyes and use piped frosting to create safe, edible faces instead.