Name: Clam Shell Cookies
Prep time: 30 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 48
Cuisine: amerik
Ingredients: 1 box Vanilla Wafers; 1/2 cup butter, softened; 2 cups powdered sugar; 1 Tbsp heavy cream; 1 tsp vanilla extract; pinch salt, optional; Violet gel food coloring; Fuchsia gel food coloring; Teal gel food coloring; 48 Sixlets Shimmer White

Clam Shell Cookies look like colorful clamshells with a beautiful pearl inside! We’re using Vanilla Wafers and buttercream frosting to make these easy cookies. Clam Shell Cookies are perfect for your beach party or Under the Sea party.

We recently made these cookies for a Beach-themed party and they were a hit!

They are so easy to make and everyone thought they were super cute.

Disclosure – I may get a small commission for purchases made through affiliate links in this post.

Clam Shell Cookies with vanilla wafers and icing

Key to Success #1 – Sort Out the Broken Vanilla Wafers

These Clam Shell Cookies are easy to make with just a few simple ingredients.

Vanilla wafer cookies make up the outside of the shell.

I chose to use Nilla Wafers because the cookies are light-colored and consistent.

Any vanilla wafer cookie will work with this recipe.

Go through the box of vanilla wafers and sort out all the cookies that are broken.

Cull out any cookies that have damage to the edges of the cookies.

You may be able to use some of the damaged cookies for the bottom shell, but reserve all the perfectly shaped cookies for the top shells.

Key to Success #2 – Make the Colored Frosting

The frosting that goes in the middle of the Clam Shell Cookies is a simple buttercream frosting.

We’re using a variation of our classic Vanilla Buttercream Frosting recipe for these Clam Shells.

Be sure to start with softened butter to make it easier to mix up the frosting.

Beat the butter until it is light and fluffy, then beat in the powdered sugar, heavy cream, salt, and vanilla according to the directions on the recipe card.

Divide the frosting into separate bowls then use a high-quality gel food coloring, like Americolor to tint the frosting.

We used violet, fuchsia, and teal food coloring for our Clam Shell Cookies, but you can customize the colors to match your party theme.

These are the exact shades that I used:

Violet: Americolor Gel Food Coloring in Violet
Teal: Americolor Gel Food Coloring in Teal
Fuchsia: Americolor Gel Food Coloring in Fuchsia

Stir a few drops of each food color into the separate bowls of frosting and stir until the color is bright and consistent.

Fit three piping bags with three different closed star tips then spoon each frosting color into a separate bag.

The three piping tips do not have to be the same.

Using different tips will allow each Clam Shell color to have a distinctive look.

Key to Success #3 – Sixlets for the Pearls

Now that we’ve got the frosting made and colored and separated out the unbroken cookies, it’s time to put these cute little treats together.

Start by laying one vanilla wafer with the flat side facing up.

Next, use the piping bag that has been fitted with a closed star piping tip to cover the cookie with frosting.

Start in the center of the cookie and swirl the piping tip completely around the cookie until it is completely covered.

Take one white shimmer Sixlet candy and place it toward the front of the cookie, like the pearl in a clamshell.

The frosting will hold the candy in place.

Sixlets are made of chocolate with a candy coating, similar to M&M’s, except that they are spherical.

You can find them at your local craft store or sometimes in the bulk food section of your local grocery store.

If you can’t find them locally, you can purchase them on Amazon.

Finally, take another unbroken vanilla wafer and place it on the top of the frosting but angle it so that the two cookies are nearly touching in the back, but the front of the top cookie is raised.

Save this Clam Shell Cookies recipe to your favorite Beach Party board or Under the Sea Party board.