Try This Recipe for Fiesta-Ready Taco Sugar Cookies

If you’re looking for a fun dessert to make for Cinco de Mayo, how about these tacos? Tacos for dessert may sound weird — but it’s not when the taco shells are sugar cookies and the fillings are brownies, frosting, shredded coconut, and candy!

These fiesta-worthy taco sugar cookies are sure to surprise and delight.

Materials Needed:

• 2 sandwich-size plastic bags with zipper closure
• Taco filling supplies:
  • 1 c. shredded coconut
  • Pre-made brownies
  • Round red candies (such as M&M’s or Sixlets)
  • Food dye (yellow or orange and green)
  • Vanilla frosting
• Baking sheet
• Sugar cookie dough
• Paper towel roll, cut in half lengthwise
• Parchment or wax paper
• Spatula

Part 1: Preparation
In these first three steps, you will prepare the taco fillings and the molds for your sugar cookie taco shells.

Step 1
Take the plastic sandwich bags and add ½ cup of shredded coconut to each. In one bag, add 1 drop of yellow (or orange) food coloring for the “cheese.” In the other bag, add 1 drop of green food coloring for the “lettuce.” Shake each bag to evenly coat the coconut with color.

Step 2
Next, crumble store-bought brownies in a bowl. That’s the taco “meat.” For the “tomatoes,” any small, round red candy will work, such as M&M’s or Sixlets. Have your frosting (for the “sour cream”) prepped and ready to go as well. Then set aside all toppings.

Step 3
Prepare a mold for your sugar cookies, so you can shape them after they’re baked. Cut an empty paper towel roll in half, lengthwise. Line each half with a piece of parchment or wax paper, cutting off any excess paper with scissors. Note: Three cookies will fit in each half.

Part 2: Baking and Assembling
In these final three steps, you will bake the sugar cookies, mold them into shells, and assemble your “tacos.”

Step 4
Now for the cookies. Place 4-6 rounds of pre-made sugar cookie dough on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 9-10 minutes (just before cookies turn slightly golden).

Remove and let cookies sit for 1-2 minutes, until they’re cool enough to touch. Using a spatula, lift up each cookie, then gently mold it into a taco shape and position it in the paper towel roll to set.

Note: You don’t want to bake more than 6 at a time, as the cookies will cool quickly, and you want to have a chance to place them in the mold before they set. If you find that your cookies are falling apart when you try to mold them, decrease your baking time and/or resting time out of the oven.

Step 5
Wait until the cookie shells have cooled completely in the mold before removing and decorating. To speed this up, you can place your mold directly into the fridge after the cookies have cooled for 10 minutes at room temperature.

Step 6
To fill your tacos, first add the sour cream (frosting). Then add the meat (brownie bites), lettuce and cheese (colored coconut), and tomatoes (red candy).

For a party, you can set out all the ingredients as a “taco bar,” and let your guests build their own to eat there or take home as favors.