Watermelon Cookies – Slice & Bake!

1. 1. First, in a mixing bowl, I will add in ½ cup of softened unsalted butter and 1/3 cup of granulated sugar. And whisk until light and fluffy. And add in 1 egg yolk. Remaining egg white will be used later. And add in ½ teaspoon of pure vanilla extract and a generous pinch of salt. And whisk until homogenous. Now sift in 1 and ¼ cups of all-purpose flour and fold until combined.
2. 2. Now divide the batter into half. First I will make red dough by adding some red food color and kneading. This method is called ‘fraiser’ and you can mix without making the dough too tough with this method. And make a 2 inch diameter cylinder and cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.
3. 3. Then take out half of the remaining vanilla dough and cover with plastic wrap. Then roll out. And chill in the refrigerator.
4. 4. And with the remaining dough make a green dough. Today I’m using both matcha, Japanese green tea powder, and green food color. If you want brighter green, use only food color. And again I will knead until homogenous and cover with plastic wrap. And roll out. And chill in the refrigerator.
5. 5. Now bring red dough and vanilla dough to working surface. Measure the size of the red cylinder and cut out the sides of the vanilla dough and roll out to lengthen it. And place the red cylinder over it and carefully roll up like a yoga mat. Now cut off the surplus vanilla dough. Repeat with the green. By the way the cookie dough should be cooled a little before rolling, otherwise the dough will be too soft and won’t hold the shape well. Now cover the dough with plastic wrap and rest in the refrigerator for about 2 hours.

When the butter is set..

1. 6. Now make a colored sugar. In a plastic bag, add in a little bit of green food color and spread with fingers to avoid any green color lumps. And add in sugar and mix well until homogenous. This is a simple way to make colored sugar at home. And make a sugar bed. Then break one egg white and brush on the cookie dough. And roll the dough over sugar bed. French sable cookies need sugar decoration.
2. 7. And slice the dough half inch thick. And arrange the disks on a cookie pan. And decorate with toasted black sesame seeds. I love the mixed flavor of green tea and sesame seeds. But if you don’t have sesame seeds, use mini chocolate chips. Again I will chill the pan in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes.
3. 8. And then bake in the oven preheated to 350 degrees F. (175 C) for about 10-12 minutes. Out of oven immediately cut the cookies in half and let cool for 5 minutes. Then transfer to a wire rack.