You’ll dive into snack time when these sea turtle cookies are on the menu! Shape simple cookie dough into little turtles with legs, a head, and a crisscross shell pattern. They’re almost too cute to eat. Almost.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 24-36 cookies
Difficulty Level: Medium
Ingredients
- 1 package refrigerated sugar cookie dough (16 oz)
- 10 chocolate chips, chopped into tiny pieces (for eyes)
- Flour (for dusting the fork)
- Green decorating sugar or sprinkles (optional, for the shell)
Allergy notes: Contains wheat and dairy (from packaged dough). Check your dough packaging for specific allergens including eggs, soy, and nuts.
Substitutions:
- No packaged dough? Use your favorite sugar cookie recipe from scratch.
- Dairy-free? Look for plant-based cookie dough at the grocery store, or use a vegan sugar cookie recipe.
- No chocolate chips for eyes? Use mini candy eyes, raisins, or tiny dots of frosting.
Steps
- Preheat the oven. Set it to 400°F.
- Make the shell. Roll a piece of dough into a 1-inch ball and place it on an ungreased cookie sheet. Dip a fork in flour and press it into the ball to flatten it slightly. Press again at a right angle to make a crisscross pattern that looks like a turtle shell.
- Add the legs and head. Roll five tiny pea-sized balls of dough. Press four onto the sides of the shell (two front legs, two back legs) and one at the top for the head.
- Add the eyes. Press two tiny chocolate chip pieces into the head for eyes.
- Repeat. Keep making turtles until you run out of dough, spacing them about 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet.
- Bake. Put the cookie sheet in the oven for 7 to 8 minutes, until the edges are just barely golden. Don’t overbake, or the legs will get too crispy.
- Cool and decorate. Let the cookies cool on the sheet for a few minutes, then move them to a cooling rack. If you want extra color, sprinkle green decorating sugar on the shells while they’re still slightly warm.
Grownup help needed: Steps 1 and 6 involve the oven. An adult should handle all oven work. Kids can do the rolling, shaping, and decorating.
