Shark cookies with royal icing are surprisingly simple with your favorite sugar cookie recipe or store bought dough! Create life preservers and a fun open mouth shark with plenty of teeth. Follow these step-by-step instructions to make decorated sugar cookies for a shark birthday or shark week.
Planning a shark birthday party? Looking for the perfect shark week decorated cookies? This post is for you! Have fun decorating these shark cookies with royal icing using these step-by-step instructions from Heather Painchauld. If you think these cookies are complicated, think again! These cookies are at a beginner level so don’t be intimidated by decorating them yourself.
Ingredients for Shark Cookies
To make these shark cookies you need the following ingredients:
- refrigerated sugar cookie dough*
- flour*
- powdered sugar
- meringue powder
- gel food coloring
For this post refrigerated sugar cookie dough from the grocery store was used to keep these shark shaped cookies as simple as possible. You can easily swap that out with your favorite sugar cookie recipe and skip the additional flour. You will also need the repurposed shark cookie cutters used in this post, the Breakfast Mini Shape Shifter Set from Michael’s. It uses the half circle (a wedge/bowl design) to create the shark mouth and the donut shape for the life preserver. You can also find these exact mini cutters from this larger set found on both Amazon and Sugar Dot Cookies. These are both great starter sets with many different uses for each cookie cutter.
How to Make Royal Icing
To make the royal icing, you’ll want to combine the sugar and meringue powder in a stand mixer. Add 8 tablespoons of water, using the whisk attachment, beat for 1 minute on low. Continue to add water one tablespoon at a time until the icing slowly drizzles from the whisk when lifted.
Once your icing is prepared, if you find the icing is too hard, add more water one drop at a time. If the icing is too runny, add more icing sugar one teaspoon at a time. Altering in small amounts will allow you to find the perfect consistency without over correcting. Separate the icing into small mixing bowls and add desired food coloring. Mix well. Scoop the icing into piping bags or icing bottles as shown.
How to Make Shark Cookies
These cookies start with a refrigerated cookie dough. Combine dough and a 1/4 cup of flour. Roll to ¼” thickness. Cut out cookie shapes using a wedge and donut cookie mini cutter. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 8 minutes or until the edges start to brown.
Once your sugar cookies have cooled, it is time to ice them with your royal icing.
Line around the edge of the wedge cookie design with icing and fill the middle.Start with black royal icing in a half circle following the same pattern shape as the cookie, approximately 2/3 of the way full. Use a toothpick to poke bubbles or direct icing into holes. Allow to dry and add gray icing to fill the rest of the cookie on the top.Allow each design area to dry before moving on.
When the flooded are dries, add a red line between the grey and black icing as shown.
The icing should completely dry, at room temperature for at least four hours, before adding piping details to the top. Pipe approximately 10 to 12 white teeth onto the black icing.
Add black nostrils with a black edible marker. You can find inexpensive edible markers at your local craft store or Amazon.
How to Make Life Preserver Cookies
Life preserver cookies work great for a beach, nautical or shark themed birthday party and are super simple to make with these easy steps.
Using the donut shaped cookies, line around the edge of your ring, making three sections and a space in between about half the size of your white sections. Flood the middle with white royal icing.Use a toothpick to poke bubbles or direct icing into holes. Allow to dry.
Repeat the same process using the red icing on the three section between the white to create what resembles a lifesaver.
That is all there is to creating these fun nautical themed cookies! They are sure to brighten up any dessert table and be the hit of the party.
Shark Cookies
Shark Sugar Cookies are made easy with refrigerated sugar cookie dough! Have fun decorating these shark cookies with royal icing using these step-by-step instructions. Makes a great dessert for shark week or a shark themed birthday party!
Ingredients
- 1 tube (16.5 oz) Pillsbury Ready To Bake Refrigerated Sugar Cookie Dough*
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
Royal Icing Ingredients
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons meringue powder
- 8-12 tablespoons room temperature water
- Gel food coloring red, black
- black edible food pen
Instructions
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Combine dough and flour. Roll to ¼” thickness. Cut out cookie shapes using a wedge shaped cookie cutter. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes or until the edges start to brown. Cool 2 minutes then remove from cookie sheet.
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In a stand mixer combine sugar and meringue powder. Add 8 tablespoons of water, using the whisk attachment, beat for 1 minute on low. Continue to add water one tablespoon at a time until the icing slowly drizzles from the whisk when lifted.
-
Once prepared if the icing is too hard, add more water one drop at a time. If icing is too runny, add more icing sugar one teaspoon at a time.
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Separate the icing into four small mixing bowls, leaving one white and adding red to one, and black to the other two bowls. (One should be black and one should be gray). Mix well. Scoop the icing into piping bags or icing bottles.
Decorating Shark Cookies:
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Line around the edge of the wedge cookie design with icing and fill the middle. Start with black royal icing in a half circle following the same pattern shape as the cookie, approximately 2/3 of the way full. Use a toothpick to poke bubbles or direct icing into holes. Allow to dry and add gray icing to fill the rest of the cookie on the top.
-
When the flooded area dries, add a red line between the grey and black icing. Allow each design area to dry before moving on. The icing should completely dry, at room temperature for at least four hours, before adding piping details to the top.
-
Pipe white teeth onto the black icing. Add black nostrils with a black edible marker.
Decorating Life Preserver Cookies
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Using donut shaped cookies, line around the edge of your ring, making three sections and a space in between about half the size of your white sections. Flood the middle with white royal icing.Use a toothpick to poke bubbles or direct icing into holes. Allow to dry.
-
Repeat the same process using the red icing on the three section between the white to create what resembles a lifesaver.
Recipe Notes
This recipe using 2 inch mini cookie cutters. One is a donut shape and the other is a wedge/bowl shape.
*Can substitute your favorite sugar cookie recipe for the refrigerated cookie dough.
These cookies also pair well with easy beach cupcakes that we have featured in the past.
Hosting a Shark and Mermaid Birthday Party?
If you are hosting a mermaid and shark party, check out the many fun mermaid birthday party ideas at Finding Zest. So many fun options to pair with these shark themed cookies!
Mermaid Jello Cups | Finding Zest
I hope you love these easy sugar cookies using either your favorite sugar cookie recipe or purchased refrigerated cookie dough and decorated using royal icing. Perfect for a shark birthday party or shark week decorated cookies!
Easy. Thank you for the adorable shark cookies!