I know summer’s almost over but with the swimming pools still open through Labor Day, my family is still going constantly! And we’re planning to do one big pool party before the pools shut down for the summer! I thought it’d be fun to do a bunch of pool and swimming themed treats including these fun pool party cookies, and these virgin pina coladas! Oh and of course my beach cake with its beach balls and little beach towels (with Sour Patch Kids sun tanning). We’re going to play these swimming pool games and just send the summer off with a bang. These are the ultimate summer cookies with their creamsicle flavor (remember getting those at ice cream trucks during the summer!?!) and the little bears floating in gummi rings in their own personal pools on top of the cookies! They’re a really fun cookie for anyone who likes themed treats, plus they’re just a really yummy sweet treat! They’d be perfect for a birthday party with a pool theme, a beach party, or even an ocean theme party!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Creamsicle flavor – I’ve mentioned it before but these amazing cookies combine orange and vanilla together to get that sweet and creamy creamsicle flavor, all in a cookie! Fun theming – with their cute decorations on top, these make the perfect addition to any beach, pool, or ocean spread! They’re easily one of the best pool party ideas and just so much fun! Easy – while these might look adorable, they’re actually really easy to make! It’s just making the dough, scooping out the cookies, baking, and decorating!
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
Butter – you’ll want to use unsalted butter that’s softened to room temperature. I like to do this by just taking it out of the fridge for about an hour before making these cookies! White chocolate chips – I highly recommend getting a high-quality brand of white chocolate chips so they melt in the cookies like they’re supposed to. A lot of the cheap generic brands don’t melt, they more just get a chalky taste. Gummy bears – you can use gummy bears, Sour Patch Kids, or really any little critter or candy creature that will fit into the rings. Or you could even use Teddy Grahams as well! Gummy rings – you can use peach rings, sour rings, Lifesaver rings (like I did on my beach cake), or really just any sort of chewy ring candy. Orange extract – don’t skip this if you want the creamsicle flavor that these cookies have if you follow the recipe. If you want them to be even more creamsicle like, you could even add a little orange food coloring to the recipe if you want. Blue food coloring – I always recommend using gel food coloring because a little goes a long way (and it doesn’t have as strong of a food coloring flavor as the drops to get the same brightness of color) but anything really works. Add as much as you want until you get the color you’re looking for.Blue icing – I have instructions to make the blue frosting you see on the cookies in these pictures, and this is the ideal way to go. But if you are short on time and don’t want to make the icing, you could technically just get a tub o blue frosting (or white frosting and dye it blue) and use that instead. Flour – all purpose flour is best in these!
How to Make Pool Party Cookies
These pool party cookies are a cinch to make! It’s just a matter of making the cookie dough, baking, then topping with the fun pool party decorations!
1 – Make the cookies
Start by combining the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, then beat until light and fluffy. Once sugars are creamed, add the egg, vanilla extract, and orange extract and mix until well incorporated. Next add in the flour, baking powder, and salt and mix until dry ingredients are just combined with creamed mixture. Now stir in the chocolate chips so they are evenly distributed throughout dough. Divide the cookie dough into 6 equal parts and then form each portion into a ball, being careful not to over handle the dough. Place each cookie dough ball on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. When dough is done chilling, preheat the oven then bake cookies for 15 – 18 minutes, or until the edges just slightly start to brown. When cookies are done baking, allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before you transfer them to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
2 – Make the Icing
While the cookies are cooling, make the icing by whisking together the powdered sugar, corn syrup, water, and a couple of drops of the blue food coloring. Whisk until all ingredients are smooth and well blended. For the food coloring, add a few drops and whisk it together, then if it’s not the color you’re looking for, add a couple more drops, and keep repeating that until you’ve achieved the color you want for your pools.
3 – Decorate the Pool Party Cookies
Place the icing in a piping bag or Ziploc with the corner snipped off. Start by outlining the outer edge of the cookie with icing and allow it set up for 5 minutes, then fill in the center of each cookie with more icing. Before the icing in the center sets up, cut the feet off of the gummy bears, then place a gummy ring in the center of the cookie, pressing down gently, and put the bear inside the ring. Allow the icing to dry completely before serving the cookies so the little bears don’t just slide off. It’s not a wave pool after all! Serve at room temperature! You could also serve these with some gummy rings and gummy bears on the side!
Expert Tips
Store cookies in an airtight container for up to three days. Freeze the cookies before you ice them (or freeze the cookie dough balls) in a freezer safe bag or container for up to three months. The cookies don’t freeze great once you’ve decorated them but the dough itself freezes well.
More Easy Summer Treats
If you like easy treats, you’ll love these other fun summer recipes!
Mini fruit tart recipe – these little mini fruit tarts start with a sugar cookie cone and get topped with cream cheese and fresh fruit! Strawberry shortcake from scratch – while it may sound difficult, this strawberry shortcake recipe is both easy and delicious! Rice krispie cookies – cookies with rice krispies in them for a little added crunch! They’re fun and unique. Blueberry cheesecake bars – layers of fresh blueberries and cheesecake are topped with a delicious crumble! Kool Aid Pie – these simple mini pies are the ultimate summer treat. Plus, they only require 3 ingredients to make!
