Watermelon Sugar Cookies Recipe

1. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed for about 1 minute until smooth. Add the granulated sugar and beat on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes until creamed. 

3. Add the egg, vanilla, and watermelon extract and beat on high speed for about 1 minute until combined. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine.

4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low until combined. If the dough seems too soft, add 1 tablespoon more flour until it is a better consistency for rolling.

5. Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Roll each portion out onto a piece of parchment paper or a lightly floured silicone baking mat to about ¼-inch thickness. The rolled-out dough can be any shape, as long as it is evenly ¼-inch thick.

6. Stack the pieces, with parchment paper between the 2, onto a baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 1 to 2 hours and up to 2 days. If chilling for more than a couple hours, cover the top dough piece with a single piece of parchment paper.

7. Once chilled, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Remove 1 of the dough pieces from the refrigerator.

8. Using a 3-inch circle cookie cutter, cut into circles. Re-roll the remaining dough and continue cutting until all is used. Repeat with 2nd dough piece. Cut each circle in half to form slices.

9. Arrange cookies on a baking sheet 2-inches apart. Bake for 10 to 11 minutes, until lightly browned around the edges. Make sure you rotate the baking sheet halfway through bake time.

10. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.

Royal Icing:

1. In a large bowl using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat all of the icing ingredients together on high speed for 5 minutes.

2. Separate icing into 3 bowls, making sure 1 bowl has about ⅔ of the icing. This is for the pink. The others will have ⅓ of the icing each.

3. Stir pink coloring into the larger amount of icing and green into one of the other bowls. Keep the last bowl of icing white.

4. Add green icing to a piping bag fitted with round icing tip #5. Line green icing around the round bottom of each cookie. Place baking sheet in the refrigerator to set the icing for 15 minutes.

5. Add white icing to a piping bag fitted with the same round icing tip. Line white icing right above green icing. Place baking sheet in the refrigerator to set the icing for 15 minutes.

6. Add pink icing to a piping bag fitted with the same round icing tip. Pipe pink icing onto the rest of the watermelon slice. Top with mini chocolate chips as “seeds.” Icing will completely set in 2 to 3 hours at room temperature.

7. Serve and enjoy.