Clam Cookies With Pearls & Simple Assembly For Mermaid Party
Clam Cookies with pearls AND a simple assembly!? Sign me up!! I hesitated to even call this Semi-homemade because you could use store bought frosting and just put them together!
I decided to use my favorite cream cheese frosting recipe however. Anyone else obsessed with cream cheese!? Cause I really really love it.
Simple Clam Cookie Supplies
You'll need a good source for Madeleine Cookies. I found them at Costco and Trader Joe's. Any French Bakery will carry them and some grocery store bakeries will too.
They have the perfect shape for a good clam or oyster shell and taste way better than the other options. You'll need 2 cookies per clam, I used 2 dozen total.
Trim Madeleines
Each madeleine cookie has a bump on the bottom where it's baked up in the pan. I trimmed them flat so the frosting would lay nicely.
But only trim ONE side, as the bump raises the upper shell a bit more so you can see the “clam” and pearl inside more easily. I trimmed both sides and regretted it.
Mix Pink Frosting
After laying out your base layer of madeleines, color a batch of frosting. I prefer cream cheese frosting, as I may have mentioned a few times before, but my favorite buttercream frosting recipe is here.
Or buy a ready made tub at the store for the ultimate simplicity. {although it definitely does not taste as good!}
Pipe Frosting Onto Clam Cookies
After your frosting is tinted to the perfect clammy shade of pink, spoon it into a piping bag, or my FAVORITE hack ever……a gallon size zippered bag! I adore these bag holders and end up piping everything from a plastic bag.
I didn't get a photo of the pink frosting but I used the same set up with honey vanilla greek yogurt for our Mermaid Parfaits! {and these Shark Pudding Cups}
Add Pearls And “Hinge”
After your frosting is all piped in the center you'll want to add a little dot of frosting at the end to keep the hinge ends of the shells stuck together and prevent the clam shells from falling apart.
Then gently place a “pearl” on each clam bed. Use Sixlets candy or other round candy coated chocolate decorating pieces.
Place Top Clam Shell
Now you're ready to add the top cookie for the final presentation. Leaving the bump on the top cookie would add a little more lift, but you might need to compensate with a little extra frosting.
All in all I'm really happy with how they turned out. Sometimes I get a chance to do a trial run, but not on these. So take heart. If I can make these little clam cookies the first try, so can you!
Display Clam Cookies
Now that they're done, how will you display them?
I chose to display the dozen clam cookies on a cake plate with the sweetest ceramic mermaid tail in the center. {That I happened to find at Dollar Tree. Score!!} Add a few fun food labels and your Mermaid Party Food Table is all set! Whether you call them clams, oysters, or shell cookies, if you try them, I want to see!
If you try it out, let me know in the comments below. And if you share, I want to see! Please tag @partieswithacause on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook. We love showing off all your hard work and are so happy to be part of your celebration.
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Additional Mermaid Reading
Keep checking back for more fun mermaid party ideas. There's lots more to share!
- Mermaid Birthday Party Favors Simple DIY
- Mermaid Table Decoration Ideas {coming soon}
- Under The Sea Mermaid Yogurt Parfaits {coming soon}
- Veggie Coral Reef Healthy Mermaid Snacks {coming soon}
So clever to be able to use already made cookies!
That’s the ONLY way to roll! I’m all about the simple semi-homemade projects.
These are adorable! Perfect for a mermaid party!!
Thank you! They were a total hit and so easy to put together. That’s a mom win right there!
Madeleines are so perfect for making shells. Super cute.
They are absolutely perfect! I tried them once with vanilla Oreos and they were pretty lame. These were so much cooler.
I’m loving this beautiful display!! So perfect for a Mermaid or under the sea party.
Thank you! I was thrilled to find the ceramic mermaid tails at Dollar Tree of all places. Made the presentation a little more fun.
This is so creative! Love those cookies!
I love that they’re cute AND delicious with so little effort. My kind of party food!! Thank you.
These cookies are so cute!! They’d be great for any under the sea or seaside party!!
I agree! So many fun ways to use them. I was thinking about your cool octopus chandelier wishing I could have used one. It’s the perfect accessory.