Oreo Crabs
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These adorable chocolate-covered Oreo Crabs will make a splash at your next pool party or summertime get-together. With their bright red candy coating and googly eyes, eating cookies has never been so fun.
Easy Oreo Crabs
Oreos make a wonderful canvas for creating the most adorable treats. During the holidays, these Oreo Penguins and Oreo Snowmen are always a hit. Now, with this recipe, these sweet little Oreo Crabs will bring a touch of whimsy to any summertime gathering. With their vibrant red chocolate coating and candy eyes, these cookies are almost as much fun to look at as they are to eat.
Making them is super easy, too! All you need are a few simple ingredients and a little imagination. They double as a fun craft that kids will love to join in on, perfect for a sunny afternoon project or an activity by the pool. When you’re finished, you’ll have tiny crab cookies that look like they’re ready to scuttle across your dessert table.
Why We Love This Recipe
- Easy to make – This is the easiest summertime treat you can whip with just a few basic steps and simple ingredients from the grocery store.
- Perfect for summer parties – These chocolate-dipped treats are ideal for summer gatherings, especially pool and beach parties and shrimp or crab boils.
- Adorable – With their bright red chocolate coating and candy eyes, these Oreo Crabs are irresistibly cute.
Ingredients
- Golden Oreos – These make the body of the crab. You can use Golden or the regular dark chocolate ones.
- Red candy melts/melting wafers – The red coating makes these cute little treats look like they’re fresh out of the crab boil.
- Candy eyes – You can get these at most any baking store or craft store.
- Red sugar pearls or nonpareils – Creates tubercles as you see on crab shells.
- Extra Golden Oreo crumbs (optional) – Crushed up to look like sand.
Recommended Kitchen Tools
- Baking tray
- Parchment paper
- Pen or marker
- Piping or decorating bag
- Microwave or double boiler, to melt the wafers
How To Make Oreo Cookie Crabs
Step One: Trace the Cookies
- First thing, take a parchment paper, a pen or marker, and one Oreo cookie. Trace circles using the Oreo cookie spaced about 3-4 inches apart. (Toss the cookie afterward in case it got ink on it.)
- Use the pen to draw 8 crab legs and then draw 2 claws on the front two legs.
- Flip the parchment paper over and place on a baking tray.
Step Two: Melt the Chocolate and Pipe the Legs
- Place ½ cup of red candy melts into a piping bag and twist it shut (you can also melt them in a microwave-safe bowl and then spoon it into the bags). Microwave it on a low until fully melted and smooth. Check on it every 30 seconds to massage the bag and ensure even heating.
- Then allow it to cool for about 3-5 minutes, until the bag is cool to the touch. Do not skip that. If the melts are too hot, they will spill out of the bag too quickly when piping.
- Snip a small piece off of the tip of the piping bag and then trace the crab legs and claws on the prepared parchment paper then set aside.
Step Three: Dip the Cookies
- In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the remaining red candy wafers on a 20 percent power or defrost setting, stirring and checking on it every 30 seconds until smooth.
- Take a fork and place an Oreo cookie on top. Dip it fully into the red melts and lift it out. Tap the fork against the edge of the bowl to remove any excess coating.
- Transfer the dipped Oreo directly onto the piped crab legs and repeat with a few more Oreos. It’s easiest to work in small batches.
Step Four: Add the Eyes
- Top the coated Oreos with sprinkles, making sure to leave some space in the front for the eyes.
- Then add the eyeballs toward the front near the claws. You can stand the eyes on the side or just lay them flat. If standing them up, it helps to have some sprinkles behind it to hold it up while it sets.
- Allow to set completely before serving. To speed up the process, you can refrigerate for 15-30 minutes until set.
Step Five: Optional-Make the Sand
- If you have any leftover uncoated Golden Oreos, blend them in a blender or pulse them in a food processor to make edible sand. I recommend removing the cream filling from at least half of the Oreos that way the sand isn’t too moist. You can also use graham crackers for the sand.
Variations and Substitutions
- Cookies – Use any flavored Oreos you like to create different crab flavors! Try chocolate Oreos for chocolate crabs or mint Oreos for a refreshing twist.
- Sand – For the sand, you can use crushed-up Nilla Wafers or graham crackers.
- Decorations – Instead of sugar pearls, you can use nonpareils, sanding sugar for extra sparkle, or colorful jimmies to add a pop of color.
- Alternative legs- For a different look, skip piping with candy melts and use pretzel sticks or pieces of Pull n’ Peel Twizzlers for the crab legs.
How to Store Chocolate Covered Oreos
Store leftovers in a single layer and in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Freezing Them
You can freeze them but keep in mind, their legs are fragile and may not hold up well to freezing and thawing.
FAQs
If you can’t find red candy melts, you can use white candy melts and add red gel food coloring. Another option is to use white chocolate or vanilla almond bark and tint it with red food coloring.
Moisture or overheating can cause candy melts to seize. Make sure all utensils are dry and melt them in short bursts at low power in the microwave, stirring between intervals.
Allow the candy coating to cool slightly before dipping the Oreos. You can also dip them twice for a thicker coating, allowing each layer to set briefly in between.
More Oreo Recipes
- Mint Oreo Balls
- Oreo Peppermint Truffles
- Oreo Poke Cake
- Air Fried Oreos
- Oreo Muddy Buddies
- Frozen Oreo Dessert
Chocolate-Covered Crab Oreos
Equipment
- Baking tray
- Parchment paper
- pen or marker
- piping bag
- microwave or double boiler to melt the wafers
Ingredients
- 12 Golden Oreos or any flavor Oreo cookies
- 12 ounces ed candy melts
- candy eyeballs
- red sugar pearls or nonpareils
- extra Golden Oreos for sand (optional)
Instructions
- Take a parchment paper, a pen or marker, and one Oreo cookie. Trace circles using the Oreo cookie spaced about 3-4 inches apart. (Toss the cookie afterwards in case it got ink on it)12 Golden Oreos
- Use the pen to draw 8 crab legs and then draw 2 claws on the front two legs.
- Flip the parchment paper over and place on a baking tray.
- Place ½ cup of the red candy wafers into a piping bag and twist it shut. Microwave it on a low or defrost setting until fully melted and smooth. Check on it every 30 seconds to massage the bag and ensure even heating. Then allow it to cool for about 3-5 minutes, until the bag is cool to the touch. Do not skip that. If the melts are too hot, they will spill out of the bag too quickly when piping.12 ounces ed candy melts
- Snip a small piece off of the tip of the piping bag and then trace the crab legs and claws on the prepared parchment paper then set aside.
- In a microwave safe bowl, melt the remaining red candy wafers on a low or defrost setting, stirring and checking on it every 30 seconds until smooth.
- Take a fork and place an Oreo cookie on top. Dip it fully into the red melts and lift it out. Tap the fork against the edge of the bowl to remove any excess coating.
- Transfer the dipped Oreo directly onto the piped crab legs and repeat with a few more Oreos. It’s easiest to work in small batches.
- Top the coated Oreos with sprinkles, making sure to leave some space in the front for the eyes.red sugar pearls or nonpareils
- Then add the eyeballs towards the front where the claws are. You can stand the eyes on the side like I did or just lay them flat. If standing them up, it helps to have some sprinkles behind it to hold it up while it sets.candy eyeballs
- Allow to set completely before serving. To speed up the process, you can refrigerate for 15-30 minutes until set.
- Extra step: If you have any leftover uncoated Golden Oreos, blend it in a blender or pulse it in a food processor to make edible sand! I recommend removing the cream filling from at least half of the Oreos that way the sand is not too wet.extra Golden Oreos
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
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