Mickey Watermelon Cookies

Makes 12 4-inch cookies

Equipment:

• 4-inch bowl or round cookie cutter
• Silicone Mini Mickey Mold
• 3 Piping Bags
• #2D Drop Flower Tip
• #10 Round Tip
  1 Small Round Tip (we use a #2)
• Baking Sheet
• Parchment Paper

Cookie Ingredients:

• 1 cup (2 sticks butter), room temperature
• 1 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon cream or milk
• 3 cups flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
  
  Decoration Ingredients:
  
  
• ½ cup black candy melts
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 16 oz. confectioners sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Pinch of salt
• 1-2 tablespoons of milk or cream
• Wilton leaf green gel coloring
• Wilton pink gel coloring
  
  Instructions:
  
  Make cookie batter – In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar. Add eggs, vanilla extract and milk or cream. Cream well. Sift all-purpose flour and baking powder. Add to the creamed mixture. Shape mixture into a flat disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator and chill for 1 hour.
  
  Make Mickey “Seeds” – While cookie dough chills, melt black candy melts according to package instructions. Prepare piping bag with a small round tip and fill with melted black candy melts. Carefully pipe candy melts into the small Mickey reservoirs. You will need 5 Mickeys for each cookies. Place in refrigerator and allow to harden. When firm, pop out of mold and set aside.
  
  Bake cookies – Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove dough from refrigerator, unwrap, and place on a floured surface. Roll to ½ inch thickness and cut out 4-inch cirlces. Using a knife, slice into two half circle shapes. Place cookies on a prepared baking sheet 3 inches apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned.
  
  Make Frosting – Cream butter in a medium bowl using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer. When light and fluffy, add confectioners sugar and salt bit by bit until fully combined. Add vanilla and cream or milk until completely combined. If buttercream seems too thick, you may add another tablespoon of milk or cream. If it seems runny, you may add more confectioners sugar. Tint a small amount of frosting leaf green and the remaining frosting pink.
  
  Decorate Cookies – Prepare piping bag with medium round tip and fill with green frosting.  Carefully pipe along circular boarder of each cookie. Next prepare a piping bag with large star tip and fill with pink frosting. Fill in unfrosted area with pink stars until completely filled. Arrange five Mickey “seeds” over pink frosted area.