Clam Shell Cookies
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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.
Table of contents
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.
🔑 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.
Clam Shell Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 box vanilla wafers
- ½ 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
Directions
- In a large bowl using an electric mixer beat the butter until light and fluffy.
- Gradually add in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well on medium speed after each addition.
- Add in heavy cream a little at a time until desired consistency is reached.
- Add in vanilla and salt then mix well.
- Divide frosting into 3 separate bowls. Use a few drops of fuchsia, violet, and teal to color each bowl of frosting. Stir until each color is consistent.
- Spoon each frosting color into a separate piping bag that has been fitted with a closed star tip, such as the Wilton 109 or 129 tips or the Ateco 855 tip. Clip the top of the bag closed so that the frosting won't spill out.
- To put together the clamshell cookies, take one vanilla wafer and pipe a single color of frosting in a circular motion around the wafer. Place a single white Sixlet toward the front of the wafer like a pearl in a clam shell. Place another vanilla wafer on the top but angle it so that the back is lower and the front is higher like an actual clam shell.
Equipment
Nutrition Facts
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👩🍳 Did you make any changes or substitutions?
I’d love to hear how it turned out in your kitchen.
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These are precious! How far ahead can these be made?
The vanilla wafers will soften a bit over time after you add the frosting, but that’s not a bad thing! You can make them a day ahead. Or you can mix up the frosting several days ago and pipe it a few hours before your party.