Watermelon Slice Cookies

Total Time

Prep: 25 min. + chilling Bake: 10 min./batch

Makes

about 3 dozen

Updated: Jun. 30, 2023
Once when I made these butter cookies for a party, a neighbor thought they were so attractive that she froze one to show friends. They're easy to make, too! —Sue Ann Benham, Valparaiso, Indiana
Watermelon Slice Cookies Recipe photo by Taste of Home

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • Red and green gel food coloring
  • 1/3 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips or raisins, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon sesame seeds, optional

Directions

  1. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and extract. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Reserve 1 cup dough.
  2. Tint remaining dough red; shape into a 3-1/2-in.-long roll and wrap. Tint 1/3 cup of reserved dough green; wrap. Wrap remaining plain dough. Refrigerate 2 hours or until firm.
  3. On a lightly floured surface, roll plain dough into an 8-1/2x3-1/2-in. rectangle. Unwrap red dough and place on a short end of the plain dough; roll up.
  4. Roll green dough into a 10x3-1/2-in. rectangle. Place red and plain roll on a short end of the green dough; roll up. Wrap and refrigerate overnight.
  5. Preheat oven to 350°. Unwrap and cut dough into 3/16-in. slices (just less than 1/4 in.). Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Lightly press chocolate chips and, if desired, sesame seeds into red dough to resemble watermelon seeds.
  6. Bake 9-11 minutes or until firm. Immediately cut cookies in half. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Nutrition Facts

1 cookie: 82 calories, 4g fat (2g saturated fat), 16mg cholesterol, 52mg sodium, 11g carbohydrate (5g sugars, 0 fiber), 1g protein.