As Earth Day approaches, bringing with it a global call to appreciate and protect our planet, what better way to celebrate than with a batch of delightful, vibrant cookies? This year, let’s honor Wednesday, April 22nd, with a treat that’s as charming as it is easy to make: Earth Day Cookies!
These cookies aren’t just visually appealing; they embody the spirit of simplicity and joy, making them an ideal project for bakers of all skill levels. Forget complicated recipes and lengthy preparation times; our Earth Day Cookies are designed for effortless fun. Trust us, once you see how simple these are, they’ll quickly become a cherished annual tradition in your home, just as they have been in ours since we first shared this recipe back in April 2014.
Aren’t these cookies absolutely adorable? The moment they emerged from the oven, a wave of excitement washed over us. They’re not only incredibly cute, perfectly capturing the essence of our beautiful planet with their swirling blue and green hues, but they also taste absolutely divine. A true trifecta of goodness: amazing flavor, charming appearance, and an incredibly simple baking process!
Celebrating Earth Day with Delicious Simplicity
Get ready to be amazed by just how straightforward these festive cookies are to create. The secret to their incredible ease lies in a clever shortcut that makes baking accessible to everyone, regardless of their experience in the kitchen.
Here’s the honest truth, a little baking secret just for you: we opted for convenience without sacrificing flavor or fun. Instead of embarking on a full-scale baking adventure from scratch, we utilized a high-quality sugar cookie mix and vibrant food coloring. Yes, it’s that simple! This approach ensures consistent results and saves valuable time, allowing you to focus on the creative aspect of mixing colors and celebrating the holiday.
We typically reach for a reliable generic cookie mix, like those found in bulk at stores such as Costco, paired with essential blue and green gel food coloring. The process is remarkably straightforward: simply prepare the cookie dough according to the package directions, then divide it and gently incorporate a few drops of food coloring into each portion until you achieve your desired vibrant shades. For our Earth Day theme, we created one batch of rich green dough and another of brilliant blue dough, ready to be swirled into mini globes.
Essential Ingredients for Earth Day Cookies
Gathering your ingredients is the first step to creating these stunning, planet-themed cookies. Here’s what you’ll need to transform a simple cookie mix into a festive celebration:
- Sugar Cookie Mix: The foundation of our easy recipe. Choose your favorite brand for the best results.
- Blue Gel Food Coloring: Gel coloring provides intense, vibrant hues without significantly altering the dough consistency, perfect for representing the oceans.
- Green Gel Food Coloring: Similarly, green gel coloring will give you the rich landmass shades needed for our edible Earth.
- Disposable Gloves: Highly recommended! If you’re concerned about your hands temporarily taking on blue or green hues from the food coloring, disposable gloves are your best friend. They offer an easy way to keep your hands clean while mixing those vibrant colors into the dough.
- Cookie Sheets: For baking, we prefer cookie sheets with raised sides. This design helps prevent any errant cookie dough from rolling off the edge, ensuring all your precious cookies stay safely on the pan during their journey in and out of the oven.
Don’t forget to save this recipe for future Earth Day celebrations or whenever you need a quick, impressive treat! Pin this image to easily find this recipe when inspiration strikes.
Interestingly, the inspiration for these delightful Earth Day cookies emerged quite by accident! I must confess, when I first set out to bake that day, my mind was actually set on creating Seattle Seahawks cookies. The vibrant blue and green colors seemed perfect for a football-themed treat. However, upon pulling the baked cookies from the oven, my husband, John, offered a completely different interpretation. He remarked that they looked nothing like football cookies, but instead bore an uncanny resemblance to planet Earth!
And just like that, a happy accident led to the creation of these delicious and incredibly easy Earth Day Cookies! They are truly perfect for celebrating our magnificent planet and appreciating its beauty.
Baking Earth Day Cookies: A Simple Guide
Creating these vibrant cookies is a wonderfully straightforward process. Follow these steps to bring your edible Earth to life:
Once you have your separate batches of blue and green dough, the magic truly begins. To achieve the beautiful swirled effect, gently place spoonfuls or small portions of each colored dough next to each other in a mixing bowl. This allows you to easily grab a piece that contains both colors. From there, pull out combined pieces of dough and roll them together in your hands to form individual balls. The gentle rolling action will naturally marble the colors, creating that distinctive Earth-like pattern.
With your beautifully marbled dough balls ready, it’s time for baking. Follow the instructions provided on your sugar cookie mix package for oven temperature and baking time. Typically, sugar cookies bake relatively quickly, so keep a close eye on them to prevent overbaking. You’re looking for lightly golden edges and a set center.
And there you have it! They emerged from the oven looking exactly as we had envisioned, perfectly capturing the vibrant beauty of our planet. This versatile method can easily be adapted for a multitude of occasions. Imagine creating cookies in your school colors for a spirit day, or using someone’s favorite hues for a truly personalized treat. The possibilities are endless!
These colorful cookies are not just perfect for Earth Day parties; by simply changing up the color palette, you can transform them into festive delights for any holiday or celebration. Think spooky orange and black for Halloween, classic red and green for Christmas, or a rainbow of colors for birthday parties. Their simplicity and visual appeal make them a hit every time.
More Cookie Recipes to Inspire Your Baking
If you’re a fan of easy, delicious recipes, especially cookies, you’ve come to the right place! Explore some of our other fantastic cookie creations and more:
- Lemon Sugar Cookies: A zesty twist on a classic favorite.
- Carrot Cake Oatmeal Cookies: Enjoy the flavors of carrot cake in a chewy cookie form.
- Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies: A nostalgic combination, perfect for kids and adults alike.
- Red Heart Cookies: Ideal for Valentine’s Day or expressing a little love any time of year.
Be sure to check out our comprehensive collection of easy cookie recipes for even more baking inspiration. Plus, don’t miss our copycat recipes, a wide array of dessert recipes, and our incredibly convenient Crock Pot Recipes for effortless meal preparation.
Earth Day Cookies Recipe
Easy Earth Day Cookies Recipe
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 18 minutes
Servings: 36 cookies
Calories: 49 kcal per cookie
Author: Tammilee Tips
Ingredients
- 2 Sugar Cookie Mixes
- 2 Eggs
- 2 Sticks Butter
- Blue Gel Food Coloring
- Green Gel Food Coloring
Instructions
- Prepare sugar cookies according to package instructions. Divide the dough into two portions. Add green gel coloring to one mix and blue gel coloring to the second mix, mixing until colors are evenly distributed.
- Take approximately equal parts of the blue and green dough. Gently combine them in your hands and roll to form a circular ball, creating a marbled, Earth-like pattern.
- Place the dough balls on a prepared cookie sheet and bake according to the cookie mix directions, typically until the edges are lightly golden and the centers are set.
Kitchen Tools
- Cookie Sheets
- Mixing Bowl (or KitchenAid Mixer)
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition Facts
Earth Day Cookies Recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 49 Calories from Fat 45
% Daily Value*
Fat 5g 8%
Saturated Fat 3g 19%
Cholesterol 23mg 8%
Sodium 48mg 2%
Potassium 5mg 0%
Carbohydrates 1g 0%
Sugar 1g 1%
Protein 1g 2%
Vitamin A 170IU 3%
Calcium 3mg 0%
Iron 1mg 6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Originally posted on April 10, 2014. Updated April 22, 2020.