How to Make Mermaid Tail Cookies in Four Easy Steps (2024)

There are very few mythical creatures as beloved as the mermaid. From lonely, sea weary sailors, to carefree little girls, mermaids have captured theimagination of people worldwide.

In my experience, decorated mermaid cookies can range fromdifficult to downright stressful, so if you’re on the lookout for an easy mermaid cookie idea that even a beginnercan manage, this project is for you.

Mermaid tail cookies are perfect for newand experienced decorators alike!

I don’t own an actual mermaid tail cookie cutter, so I had to get creative. A whale cutter trimmed with a heartwas perfect for the job.

If you don’t have this cutter, use a similar cutter (almost any whale or fish cutter will do), or pick one up here.

To make these cookies you will need:

• Mermaid green piping and flood icing (teal+electric green+sky blue)
• Light mermaid green piping and flood icing

Begin by outlining and flooding cookiewith a #2 tip as pictured below.

Fill the outline and use an offset spatula to gently smooth the icing over the lines.

Immediately drop a few dots of lighter icing into the darker green to represent scales.

You can also use the wet on wet technique to create “scales”. To learn more, check out this post.

Finish up by using a #67 tip to add fins.

If you’re not comfortable with leaf tips (or prefer a different look), don’t be afraid to take another approach. For this example,I used 20-second icing to cover the base of the fin, then piped a simple swirl detailwith a #2 tip.

One of my favorite things about cookie decoratingis that you can take almost any idea and change it up to make it completely yours.

I mixed my mermaid tails with otherfun, colorful cookie designs, but you could also use them asadorable mermaid tail cookie cupcake toppers. The possibilities are endless!

For more mermaid cookie inspiration, check out the following links:

• How to Make Mermaid Cookies with a Snowman Cookie Cutter
• Happy Little Mermaid Cookies via The Bearfoot Baker
• Decorated Mermaid Cookies
• Sweet Dani B’s Mermaid Cookies
• Pretty Iridescent Mermaid Tails via Baking in Heels
• Scale Stencil via The Cookie Countess
• Mermaid Tail Cookies via Lila Loa

17 comments

1. 

   Samantha — July 7, 2015 at 2:58 pm Reply

   So cute! I love the fins! I never think to use my leaf tip creatively!

2. 

   Sally — July 7, 2015 at 3:48 pm Reply

   A whale cutter? You are a GENIUS!

3. 

   Janine Smith — July 7, 2015 at 3:48 pm Reply

   You are absolutely THE most creative cookie decorator, EVER. I am impressed with every batch you decorate. I can only dream….

4. 

   Lisa | Sweet 2 Eat Baking — July 7, 2015 at 4:30 pm Reply

   I love your creative use of cutters, Callye. Definitely inspiration, but I also have cookie-envy since I wouldn’t be able to make even this cookie look as amazing as you do – with or without the tutorial, ha!

   So everything I come here, I’m in awe. I guess I’ll just have to keep practicing until I get something that’s at least decent of making it to my blog. Can’t wait to see what you cookify next.

5. 

   Elizabeth, 3D-Sweets — July 7, 2015 at 5:14 pm Reply

   Now THAT’s a WHALE of a TAIL!!

   (Sorry, couldn’t resist.)

   See Also

   How to Make Mermaid Cookies

6. 

   Cori — July 7, 2015 at 10:59 pm Reply

   Gurl, I love these tails! They’re so cute & whimsical and perfect for any little girl! Im totally incorporating tails next time! Thanks for the tutorial ????

   • 

     Cori — July 7, 2015 at 11:05 pm

     Gurl, I love these tails! They’re so cute & whimsical and perfect for any little girl! Im totally incorporating tails next time! Thanks for the tutorial 😉

7. 

   Jennifer@TheBluebonnetBakeShoppe — July 8, 2015 at 5:38 am Reply

   Ohmygosh I just swooned when I saw these mermaid tails!!! You are such a creative GENIUS!!!!!! I need to adopt a little girl now just so I can make mermaid cookies!

8. 

   donaharrisburg — July 8, 2015 at 7:25 am Reply

   love the tutorial

9. 

   Maria Helena — July 8, 2015 at 11:26 am Reply

   Hi, I really love your job on cookies, they are simple perfect and the way they look …I have big problems the country I live, here in Brazil are very humid sometimes 96% and my cookies never dry soo smoth they look like ruffles … any hint??? Many thanks for your kind hints and tutorials

10. 

    Valerie Townsend — July 12, 2015 at 6:49 pm Reply

    Thank you for the cookie tutorial….I love it….Please send me every tutorial that you release.

11. 

    amanda — July 13, 2015 at 1:27 am Reply

    So cute!!

12. 

    Elizabeth — July 15, 2015 at 3:25 am Reply

    Beautiful and creative

13. 

    forgot hotmail account password — June 20, 2016 at 3:38 pm Reply

    hey hi my name is susan i forgot my hotmail password
    some one please help me to recover my hotmail account its very urgent hope you understand”

14. 

    Fin Mermaid — October 16, 2016 at 6:52 pm Reply

    Fantastic idea!
    We have a mermaid party coming up for our daughter and these will go perfect.
    Love your work.

15. 

    teri — June 7, 2017 at 7:56 am Reply

    Hi you did these really cool mermaid tail cookies and they look like they were airbrushed. the color was a turquoise to lavender. Did you airbrush them? Did you pearlize them? Thank you for your help.

16. 

    Vee Lopez — August 13, 2017 at 10:02 am Reply

    I’m so thrilled I came across this post! One of my twin mommy friends is planning a pirate/mermaid theme 1st bday for b/g twins and I’m the baker of the group. Had the cake planned out and nothing for cookies and this is PERFECT!!!!! Thanks!!!!!

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