Adorable Sesame Street Cookies: Easy Cookie Monster and Elmo Recipe

Cookie Monster and Elmo cookies are undeniably cute! These delightful treats are perfect for adding a touch of Sesame Street magic to any celebration, especially an Elmo or Cookie Monster themed birthday party.

Adorable Cookie Monster and Elmo Cookies Ready to Eat

These Sesame Street inspired cookies are not only visually appealing but also surprisingly simple to make. Cookie Monster and Elmo hold a special place in many childhoods, and these cookies are a wonderful way to bring those nostalgic characters to life in your kitchen. If you’re a fan of adorable and edible crafts, you’ll also love our equally charming Bear Cookies!

Plate of Homemade Cookie Monster and Elmo Cookies

Imagine the smiles these Sesame Street Cookies will bring to a birthday party! They are tailor-made for a Sesame Street themed celebration. In fact, these very cookies are the stars of my Cookie Monster Freak Shakes, adding a whimsical touch to those over-the-top desserts.

Why These Sesame Street Character Cookies Are a Must-Bake

You might find various Cookie Monster cookie designs online, but this recipe focuses on achieving that iconic, fun Muppet “fur” texture without any specialized decorating tools. And while Elmo cookies might seem less common outside of royal icing designs, we’ve made it incredibly easy to create both Cookie Monster and Elmo in one go!

The idea for these adorable cookies actually sparked during a brainstorming session for the Cookie Monster Freak Shake. Figuring out how to capture Cookie Monster’s essence in cookie form was the initial challenge. That’s when my mom, Amanda, suggested sugar cookies – a truly brilliant idea!

And that’s how these charming little cookies were born. Initially, Elmo wasn’t part of the plan. However, once we realized how effortlessly Cookie Monster cookies came together, we knew we had to extend the cuteness and create equally simple and delightful Elmo cookies to complete the Sesame Street duo!

Perfect for Parties and Budgets

These Sesame Street cookies are undeniably the perfect treat for a children’s birthday party. Beyond their charm, they are also a fantastic option for anyone looking for an affordable and straightforward way to create memorable party favors or desserts. Homemade goodies always add a personal touch, and these cookies are sure to be a hit without breaking the bank.

If you’re seeking further inspiration for a Sesame Street themed party, there are tons of adorable treat ideas out there! From darling Cookie Monster donuts and delightful Cookie Monster cupcakes to even Cookie Monster ice cream, the possibilities are endless. And for a more substantial meal, kids will adore this fun Elmo spaghetti dinner!

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Close up of Elmo and Cookie Monster Decorated Cookies on Parchment Paper

Simple Ingredients for Sesame Street Cookie Magic

To whip up these adorable Sesame Street cookies, you’ll only need a handful of ingredients:

Sugar Cookie Dough: A 16-ounce package of refrigerator sugar cookie dough simplifies the process, or you can use your favorite homemade sugar cookie recipe.
Vanilla Frosting: A 16-ounce tub of vanilla frosting provides the perfect base for coloring, or again, homemade white frosting works beautifully.
Gel Food Coloring: Crucially, you’ll need red and blue gel food coloring. Gel coloring is essential for achieving vibrant colors without thinning the frosting. Liquid food coloring is not recommended.
Jumbo Candy Eyes: You’ll need 48 jumbo candy eyes to bring your Cookie Monster and Elmo cookies to life.
Butterscotch Discs (for Elmo’s Nose): These are optional but add the perfect finishing touch to Elmo’s face.

Helpful Kitchen Tools

While these cookies are easy to make, a few tools can make the process even smoother:

Baking Sheets: For baking your sugar cookies.
Parchment Paper: To prevent sticking and for easy cleanup.
Spatulas or Butter Knives: For frosting the cookies.
Toothpicks or Butter Knives: For tinting the frosting with gel food coloring.
Small Bowls: For separating and tinting the frosting.

Ingredient Tips for Success

As you can see from the ingredient list, we’ve provided options to suit your preferences and time constraints. If you enjoy baking from scratch, feel free to use your cherished sugar cookie recipe. We opted for the convenience of refrigerated sugar cookie dough, which is incredibly easy to slice and bake – perfect for a quick project.

If pre-packaged dough isn’t available in your area, or you prefer a homemade touch, you can use my sugar cookie recipe or any reliable sugar cookie recipe you trust.

The same flexibility applies to the frosting. We used a pre-made tub of vanilla frosting for ease. Any brand of white vanilla frosting will work. If you prefer homemade, you can certainly whip up your own.

I have two homemade vanilla frosting recipes linked above for you to choose from. Our aim was to keep this tutorial quick and easy, using simple, readily available ingredients so that absolutely anyone can successfully create these adorable Sesame Street cookies!

Elmo and Cookie Monster Cookies Displayed on a White Tabletop

Step-by-Step: Making Your Sesame Street Cookies

Let’s get started on creating these charming Sesame Street cookies!

Step 1: Bake and Cool the Sugar Cookies

First, bake your sugar cookies according to your recipe or package directions and allow them to cool completely on a wire rack. While the cookies are cooling, you can prepare your frosting.

Step 2: Tint the Frosting

Divide the white frosting into two separate bowls.

Mixing Red Gel Food Coloring into White Frosting for Elmo Cookies

Using a toothpick or the tip of a butter knife, take a tiny amount (less than 1/8 teaspoon) of gel food coloring and add it to one bowl of frosting. Remember, gel food coloring is highly concentrated, so start small. Mix thoroughly. Add more coloring gradually until you achieve your desired shade of red for Elmo. Repeat this process with the blue gel food coloring in the second bowl to create Cookie Monster’s signature blue frosting.

Step 3: Frost and Texture the Cookies

Spreading Red Frosting onto a Sugar Cookie for Elmo

To decorate your Cookie Monster and Elmo cookies and create that fun, furry Muppet hair effect, begin by spreading a generous layer of colored frosting onto each sugar cookie.

Next, using a butter knife, gently touch the surface of the frosting and pull upwards. Repeat this motion across the entire frosted cookie, creating peaks and swirls that resemble Muppet hair. Continue this process until you are satisfied with the textured look.

Applying Blue Frosting and Creating Texture for Cookie Monster Cookies

It really is that simple! The texturing technique is easy to master and quickly transforms the frosted cookies into recognizable Sesame Street characters.

Step 4: Add the Eyes and Nose

All that’s left is to add the jumbo candy eyes! For Cookie Monster, position the candy eyes slightly off-center or even cross-eyed to capture his goofy expression. For Elmo, place two centered candy eyes and add a butterscotch disc in the center, just below the eyes, for his nose.

Decorated Cookie Monster Cookie with Candy Eyes

We noticed that some of our candy eyes weren’t perfectly centered, which turned out to be perfect! We used the slightly off-center eyes for Cookie Monster, enhancing his characteristic look, and saved the centered ones for Elmo.

Cookie Monster Cookie on Parchment Paper with Candy Eyes

Here are a couple of close-ups, just to showcase how incredibly cute these Sesame Street cookies are!

Close-up of a Decorated Elmo Cookie

Final Display of Cookie Monster and Elmo Cookies

If you adore these Cookie Monster and Elmo Cookies, you absolutely HAVE to check out the Cookie Monster Freak Shakes that feature these adorable cookies as a key ingredient!

If you’re a fan of cute food creations, you’ll also love our Easter Bunny Cupcakes and our vibrant rainbow themed recipes! And for more Cookie Monster fun, don’t miss these adorable Cookie Monster Cakes!

For kids who are superhero fans, you might also enjoy my instructions for creating a cool Spiderman Cake.

Cookie Monster and Elmo Cookies: Recipe Card

These Cookie Monster and Elmo cookies are irresistibly adorable and perfect for any Sesame Street themed party!

5 from 8 votes

IMPORTANT NOTE: Frequently Asked Questions and helpful tips are often found within the blog post text above, so be sure to scroll back up and read through the entire post for more details!

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Course: Desserts
Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins
Cook Time: 15 minutes mins
Total Time: 25 minutes mins
Servings: 24 cookies
Calories: 121 kcal
Author: Amanda Davis

Ingredients

16 ounce Package refrigerator sugar cookie dough or homemade sugar cookies
16 ounce tub vanilla frosting or homemade white frosting
Red and blue gel food coloring NOT liquid food coloring – see notes
48 Jumbo candy eyes
Butterscotch discs for Elmo noses (optional)

Before You Begin

Important: Please don’t use liquid food coloring. This will make your frosting too thin and you will not get the vibrant color you need. You WILL throw it away and be disappointed. Only use gel food coloring. You will likely have extra frosting left over.

Instructions

First you need to make your sugar cookies and let them cool. While the cookies are cooling you’ll tint your frostings. Separate the white frosting into two bowls.
Use a toothpick or a butter knife to lift a small amount (less than an 1/8 teaspoon) of gel food coloring out and add it to one of the bowls of frosting. This is all experimentation. Mix it all together and add more if needed to reach the desired color. Repeat for the second color.
To decorate your Cookie Monster and Elmo cookies and make the frosting look like that fun muppet hair we all know and love, first spread some colored frosting on the sugar cookie.
Next simply touch the frosting with the butter knife and pull upward. Keep doing this over and over until you are happy with the results.
It’s not much more complicated than that! All that’s left to do is add two jumbo candy eyes. To look like Cookie Monster, make sure you position the eyes so they look jumbled or cross-eyed. For Elmo, add a butterscotch disc for the nose.

Nutrition

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Kristen Rittmer

Editorial Manager at Amanda’s Cookin’

Kristen is the editorial manager for both Amanda’s Cookin’ and Crafts by Amanda and the daughter of the founder, Amanda Davis. She is wildly creative with food and enjoys being in the kitchen and learning new things!