Welcome to a world of whimsical underwater delight with our incredibly adorable Under the Sea M&M Fish Cookies! These charming treats are not only a feast for the eyes but also a joy to create, making them an instant hit at any gathering or a beloved activity for family fun. Forget complicated baking projects; all you need are a few basic ingredients like sugar cookies, vibrant frosting, and colorful M&M’s to bring these delightful fish to life. Get ready to dive into an easy and imaginative cookie decorating adventure that promises delicious results and unforgettable memories.
There’s something truly special about a freshly baked sugar cookie, especially when it’s topped with a swirl of creamy frosting. But when you introduce the vibrant crunch of M&M’s, you elevate it to an entirely new level of cookie perfection! Our M&M Fish Cookies combine the best of both worlds: a wonderfully soft, buttery sugar cookie base and a playful, edible ocean design. This recipe is designed to be accessible for bakers of all skill levels, making it the perfect opportunity to gather the kids and embark on a delightful baking journey together. Let’s prepare our ingredients, unleash our creativity, and craft a school of colorful ocean-themed cookies that are as fun to make as they are to devour.
Why You’ll Love These Under the Sea M&M Fish Cookies
These aren’t just any cookies; they’re an experience! Here’s why our easy fish cookies will quickly become a household favorite:
- Effortlessly Adorable: You don’t need to be a professional decorator to achieve stunning results. The simple technique of using M&M’s for scales makes these cookies look incredibly cute and professionally made, without the fuss.
- Perfect for Any Occasion: Whether you’re hosting an underwater birthday party, a summer gathering, or simply looking for a fun weekend activity, these themed sugar cookies fit right in. They bring a splash of color and cheer to any table.
- Deliciously Irresistible: Combining our top-rated sugar cookie recipe with luscious buttercream frosting and crunchy M&M’s ensures a taste experience that everyone will crave. They’re sweet, soft, and satisfying.
- Fantastic Family Activity: Decorating these cookies is a wonderful way to spend quality time with children. Kids love sorting M&M’s, choosing colors, and seeing their fish creations come to life. It’s a creative outlet that encourages imagination.
- Customizable Fun: The beauty of these fish cookies lies in their versatility. You can use any colors of M&M’s or frosting to create a truly unique school of fish, making each cookie a mini work of art.
Essential Ingredients for Your Fish Cookie Adventure
To embark on this delightful cookie decorating journey, you’ll need just a few key components. We recommend using our tried-and-true recipes for both the sugar cookies and the buttercream frosting to ensure the best flavor and texture. Here’s your shopping list:
- Half batch of The Best Sugar Cookie Recipe: This foundation is crucial for cookies that hold their shape and taste amazing.
- The Best Buttercream Frosting: Our recipe yields a smooth, stable, and deliciously creamy frosting that’s perfect for decorating.
- M&M’s – regular size: For the colorful scales of your larger fish.
- M&M Minis: Ideal for creating intricate scales on smaller fish or for variety.
- Wilton Color Right Food Coloring: To achieve those vibrant, oceanic frosting hues.
- Wilton Candy Eyes: These add so much character to your fish with minimal effort.
Tools You’ll Need for Perfect Fish Cookies
Having the right equipment makes the baking and decorating process smooth and enjoyable. Here’s what we suggest you have on hand:
- Round Cookie Cutters: A set with various sizes is perfect for creating a “family” of fish.
- Rolling Pin: For evenly rolled cookie dough.
- Baking Sheets: Lined with parchment paper or silicone mats for non-stick baking.
- Mixing Bowls: For preparing dough and coloring frosting.
- Electric Mixer: Handheld or stand mixer for making dough and frosting.
- Spatulas and Offset Spatula: For mixing, spreading frosting, and transferring cookies.
- Cooling Racks: Essential for cooling cookies completely before frosting.
How to Make the Sugar Cookies: The Foundation of Your Fish
The journey to creating these delightful under the sea treats begins with a perfectly baked sugar cookie. Our chosen recipe ensures your cookies will hold their shape beautifully and taste incredible.
Step 1: Prepare the Sugar Cookie Dough
First, you’ll want to make a half batch of our acclaimed The Best Sugar Cookie Recipe. Over years of baking and experimentation, we’ve found this particular recipe consistently delivers superior results. The dough is easy to work with, the cookies rise just enough without losing their intricate shapes, and their buttery vanilla flavor is simply unmatched. You can find the detailed recipe and step-by-step instructions on our website. Ensure your butter is softened but not melted, and don’t overmix the dough after adding the flour, as this can lead to tough cookies.
Step 2: Roll and Cut Your Fish Shapes
Once your dough is ready, lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin. Roll out the dough to an even thickness, about 1/4 inch. For the base of our M&M Fish Cookies, we recommend using a set of round cookie cutters. A good set offers various sizes, allowing you to create a dynamic school of fish. If you don’t have specialized cookie cutters, don’t worry! Everyday items like water glasses or coffee cups can serve as excellent substitutes for cutting perfect round shapes. Press firmly to ensure clean cuts, and gently transfer the cutouts to your prepared baking sheets.
Step 3: Create a Family of Fish
One of the most charming aspects of these fish-themed cookies is the ability to create different sizes. Use larger round cutters for “Mama and Daddy Fish” and smaller ones for “baby fish.” This variation adds visual interest and makes the decorating process even more engaging, allowing for different M&M scale patterns and expressions. Don’t be afraid to experiment with slightly oval shapes too, for even more character!
Step 4: Bake to Golden Perfection
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius). Bake the cookies for approximately 6-7 minutes. Keep a close eye on them; they are done when the edges are just barely golden, but the centers still look soft. Overbaking can make them hard and crumbly. Once baked, let them cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. It’s crucial that the cookies are entirely cool before frosting, otherwise, your beautiful buttercream will melt.
How to Make the Frosting: Your Palette for the Ocean
The frosting is where the magic truly begins, transforming simple cookies into vibrant underwater creatures.
Step 5: Whip Up the Best Buttercream
Next, prepare a batch of our unbelievably delicious The Best Buttercream Frosting. This recipe is renowned for its smooth consistency, rich flavor, and ease of use, making it ideal for piping and spreading. Using softened (but not melted) butter is key to achieving that perfect fluffy texture. Ensure you sift your powdered sugar to prevent lumps, and beat it until light and airy. You can find the full recipe and detailed instructions here.
Step 6: Color Your Oceanic Palette
To create an authentic “under the sea” vibe, we’ll divide the buttercream into separate portions and tint them with food coloring. For a classic fish school, we suggest splitting the frosting into three equal parts. For a sunny yellow, add about 3 drops of yellow food coloring. For a beautiful ocean blue, 2 drops of blue should do the trick. And for a lovely seafoam green, combine 2 drops of yellow and 1 drop of blue. Remember, it’s always easier to add more color than to remove it, so start with fewer drops and gradually add until you achieve your desired vibrancy. Gel food colorings tend to produce the most intense and professional-looking hues without thinning your frosting.
Putting It All Together: Decorating Your M&M Fish
Now for the most exciting part: bringing your sugar cookies to life as charming fish! This is where your creativity truly shines.
Step 7: Gather Your M&M’s
Before you start frosting, organize your M&M’s. You’ll need a vibrant assortment for the fish scales. Plan on approximately 20 M&M’s for the scales of each cookie, depending on its size. For the iconic fish lips, grab a handful of red M&M’s – two per fish will create that perfect pucker! We recommend using regular-sized M&M’s for the larger cookies to make bold scales, and M&M Minis for smaller cookies or to add finer detail to your larger fish. Sorting your M&M’s by color beforehand can make the decorating process even smoother and more efficient, especially if you have little helpers.
Step 8: Frost the Cookie Base
Using an offset spatula or a butter knife, generously frost each cooled sugar cookie with one of your chosen vibrant frosting colors. Aim for an even layer that’s not too thick but covers the entire surface smoothly. This colorful base will serve as the body of your fish and the adhesive for your M&M scales.
Step 9: Create the M&M Fish Scales
Immediately after frosting, while it’s still soft and sticky, begin creating the fish scales with your M&M’s. Start by placing a row of M&M’s horizontally in the middle of the frosted cookie, slightly overlapping them like real fish scales. Continue adding rows, working your way outwards, until you’ve covered approximately half of the cookie, creating the illusion of a fish body with a tail area left unfrosted or simply covered in frosting. Feel free to mix and match M&M colors for a truly rainbow-colored fish, or stick to a single color for a uniform look.
Step 10: Add the Eye-Catching Details
Every fish needs an eye! We used Wilton Candy Eyes for their ease and charm – simply press one onto the frosted portion of the cookie. If you don’t have candy eyes on hand, get creative! A mini marshmallow with a dot of black icing or a small chocolate chip can make for a perfectly delightful fish eye.
Step 11: Craft the Playful Fish Lips
Finally, give your fish some personality by adding two red M&M’s side-by-side to create the fish lips. Place them near the edge of the frosted cookie, opposite the tail end. It’s these small details that truly bring your decorated cookies to life, making them so incredibly cute and astonishingly easy to achieve!
Step 12: Embrace Your Inner Artist
The true joy of making these Under the Sea M&M Fish Cookies lies in the freedom to experiment. Let your imagination be your guide when choosing color combinations for both the frosting and the M&M scales. As you can see from our examples, even with the same basic technique, each cookie can turn out with a wonderfully unique look. Imagine a school of vibrant blue fish, sparkling yellow fish, and playful green fish all swimming together on a platter! The kids will absolutely adore this colorful (and undeniably delicious) parade of M&M Fish Cookies. It’s an incredibly fun and rewarding
Tips for Underwater Cookie Success
To ensure your Variations to Make Your Fish Cookies Unique
Once you’ve mastered the basic sea creature cookies.
Storage Instructions: Keep Your Fish Fresh
To keep your decorated sugar cookies tasting their best:
- Unfrosted Cookies: Store baked, unfrosted sugar cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before frosting.
- Frosted Cookies: Once decorated, store M&M fish cookies in a single layer in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-4 days. Placing parchment paper between layers can help prevent sticking if stacking is necessary. Avoid refrigerating decorated cookies as it can affect the texture of the cookie and frosting.
Frequently Asked Questions About Fish Cookies
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Print Recipe
Under the Sea M&M Fish Cookies
2 dozen cookies
10 minutes
5 minutes
15 minutes
30 minutes
These adorable Under the Sea M&M Fish Cookies are incredibly easy to decorate and provide endless fun for all ages. Perfect for parties or a family baking day, all you need are sugar cookies, colorful frosting, and a handful of M&M’s to bring your underwater vision to life!
Ingredients
For the Cookies & Decorating
- Half batch of The Best Sugar Cookie Recipe
- Round Cookie Cutters
- The Best Buttercream Frosting
- M&M’s – regular size
- M&M Minis
- Wilton Color Right Food Coloring
- Wilton Candy Eyes
Instructions
- Begin by preparing a half batch of our acclaimed “The Best Sugar Cookie Recipe.”
- Roll out the dough to an even 1/4 inch thickness. Use various sizes of round cookie cutters to create your fish shapes.
- Bake the cookies in a preheated 350°F (175°C) oven for 5-6 minutes until edges are lightly golden. Let cool completely.
- Prepare a batch of our delicious “The Best Buttercream Frosting.” Divide it into separate bowls and tint with food coloring to create your desired ocean-themed colors (e.g., blue, green, yellow).
- Sort your M&M’s by color and size, preparing them for easy decorating.
- Generously frost each cooled sugar cookie with your chosen colored buttercream.
- To decorate, start by placing a row of M&M’s in the middle of the frosted cookie to form the first “fish scales.”
- Continue adding overlapping rows of M&M’s until approximately half of the cookie is covered, creating a vibrant fish body.
- Carefully place a Wilton Candy Eye on the frosted portion of the cookie for a charming fish eye.
- Complete your fish by adding two red M&M’s side-by-side to create the fish lips.
Did you Make this Recipe? Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @twosisterscrafting on Instagram so we can see it!