5 Sweet Summer Treats

Summertime is here and cookouts, BBQs, and outdoor parties are just getting started! And don't forget about those long-awaited summer vacations! Everyone loves taking a trip to a nice sandy beach for some fun in the sun, splashing around in the water, and ear-to-ear smiles. Maybe you're still dreaming about for your first trip of the season, or maybe you're looking for a cute way to recreate the beach for your next gathering. Either way, these 5 sweet summer party snacks are here to bring summer smiles right into your home! We're making clam cookies, croissant crabs, marshmallow octopuses, and starfish treats, all perched around a colorful, fruity beach ball cake. Your taste buds are about to take the vacation of a lifetime!

Yield: 2–5 servings
Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour
Difficulty Level: Easy

1. Clam Cookies

You'll Need (for 4):

  • 8 round shortbread cookies
  • pink frosting
  • 4 Raffaello chocolates
  • 8 candy eyeballs

Here's How:

Place 4 round shortbread cookies on a clean work surface and fill a piping bag with pink frosting. Pipe the frosting onto the 4 shortbread cookies and place 1 Raffaello chocolate on each. Use some of the leftover pink frosting to stick 2 candy eyeballs onto the edge of the 4 remaining cookies and position them at an angle on top of the first set of cookies to make some cute clams! 

2. Croissant Crabs

You'll Need (for 2):

  • 2 croissants
  • 2 large strawberries
  • 1 clementine
  • 1 marshmallow
  • 2 green grapes
  • 2 red grapes
  • 4 toothpicks

Here's How:

For the body of the crab, start by cutting off the end points of the croissants. To make the claws, cut both strawberries in half, cut a small wedge out of the pointed side, and place the strawberry halves facedown at the ends of the croissants. Peel the clementines and place 3 slices on each side the 2 croissants to make the legs, then cut 2 small mouths out of a marshmallow and stick them onto the croissants. Cut 2 green grapes in half and insert a toothpick into each half. Slice the 2 red grapes thinly at the ends and stick them to the exposed part of the green grapes to make the eyes. Insert the toothpicks into the top of the croissants and your adorable crabs are complete!

3. Marshmallow Octopuses

You'll Need (for 6):

  • 6 sour candy belts
  • 6 marshmallows
  • 9 oz white chocolate + pink food coloring
  • 6 lollipop sticks
  • 12 candy eyeballs

Here's How:

Cut each sour candy belt into 4 equally-sized strips and cross them over one another so that they make a star shape. Melt the white chocolate and stir in some pink food coloring, insert 1 lollipop stick into each marshmallow, and dip the marshmallow into the melted pink chocolate. Let any excess chocolate drip off and place the coated marshmallow directly onto the crossed sour candy belts. Gently press 2 candy eyeballs into the pink chocolate as it's drying and your undersea friends are ready to be eaten up!

4. Starfish Treats

You'll Need (for 4):

  • 4 oz graham crackers, crushed
  • 1¼ cups powdered sugar
  • 2 cups almond flour
  • 2 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 2 tbsp milk
  • honey
  • 8 candy eyeballs
  • 8 oz butter cookies, crushed
  • star-shaped cookie cutter

Here's How:

4.1 Combine the powdered sugar, almond flour, cocoa powder, and milk and knead everything together by hand until a smooth dough forms. Roll out the dough and use a star-shaped cookie cutter to cut out stars.

4.2 Use a food processor to crush the graham crackers and place them in a large mixing bowl. Brush honey over both sides of the star-shaped treats and roll them in the crushed graham crackers until they're completely coated.

4.3 Use a food processor to crush the butter cookies or some additional graham crackers and pour the crushed cookies onto a serving plate to make the sand. Put a pair of candy eyeballs on the starfish and place them on crushed butter cookie sand. What a cute beach scene! 

5. Beach Ball Cake

You'll Need:

For the cake:

  • 2 sticks butter
  • 1¼ cups sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2½ cups flour

Extra:

  • 2 cups cream cheese frosting
  • fresh cranberries or red currants
  • blueberries
  • mango, cubed
  • kiwi, cubed
  • honeydew melon, cubed
  • strawberries, cubed
  • semicircular cake pan

Here's How:

5.1 Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9-inch semicircular cake pan. Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Once the mixture has reached the desired consistency, continue beating and gradually add in the eggs one by one. Combine the flour and baking powder in a separate mixing bowl, then stir the dry ingredients and milk into the butter mixture. Pour the batter into the greased cake pan, transfer the pan to the oven, and bake at 350°F for 1 hour. Once the cake has baked, remove it from the oven and let it cool completely

5.2 Spread the cream cheese frosting evenly over the surface of the cake, smooth out the surface of the frosting, and divide its surface into 5 even sections, gently using a knife to mark off the different sections. Cut the strawberries, kiwi, mango, and honeydew melon into even cubes and decorate the surface of the cake with all of the different fruits.

5.3 All of these treats look great on their own, but for the full beach display, sprinkle some crushed butter cookies or graham crackers on a large serving platter, place the beach ball cake at the center, and arrange the sea creatures around it.

Look at that spread! Not only do these treats look fantastic, they also taste delicious. Whether you and your guests like fruity, sweet, or chocolaty snacks, there's a cute creature on this beach for everyone!

Comments

Also hefty