Watermelon Cookies

Last week, during one of those long afternoons of rain that we endured, I suggested to A. that we make sugar cookies. However, upon closer inspection, it became apparent that we lacked several key ingredients necessary for this process (little things like flour, butter AND SUGAR). As a tantrum built, I quickly scanned the shelves for something, anything, that would produce a cookie-like effect on my toddler. When my eyes fell on the watermelon, waiting patiently for Fourth of July festivities, I had an idea.

After a little experimenting, we decided we could make watermelon cookies -- use cookie cutters to cut shapes out of the watermelon, frost them with coconut whipped cream, and decorate them (with berries, kiwi, sliced almonds, mint). We had just as much fun making these watermelon cookies as we would have ordinary sugar cookies and they were just as tasty (and far healthier), too.

We made sure to gently pat the watermelon dry before applying the whipped cream (if the fruit is too wet, the cream will slide right off). By the time we finished decorating the last cookies, the first ones were looking a little melty, so we slid the whole tray into the freezer for 10 minutes to let everything firm up. Then we took our nice chilled watermelon cookies outside and ate them on the deck (in the one fifteen minute period of sunshine we had in those gloomy four days).

Anouk couldn't bear to eat her snail cookie. "I don't wanna eat him, I love him!" I waited until she forgot about him and then I ate him. (He was delicious).