Desserts for Dudes: Cookie French Fries with Buttercream Ketchup

I'm not sure why the whole "Desserts for Dudes" theme has me making junk-food related cookies every year.

Beer & Hot Dogs?  Check.
Fried Chicken?  Check.

Next year, I'll have to work on bean burritos.

Anyhoo...today we have cookie french fries.  Now, I may love french fries as much as my misters, but here's the difference.  When *they* eat them, the fries don't go straight to their hips.  Men.

These are so, so simple to make and, I'll be honest, both my boys (the Mr. and the kiddo) were a little blown away by them.

*Spend 2 days icing cookies that look like a super hero?  "Nice," they say.

*Spend 30 seconds cutting up cookies and sliding them into a french fry container?  "WOW! How did you DO that?" they exclaim. *sigh*

I've seen french fry cookies before...the ones that stick in my mind are Bakerella's...I mean EVERYTHING she does is fabulous.  Hers even had mini hamburgers.  The girl is a creative genius.

These are a bit different and I'll tell you why...

1. I like fries the same way I like sugar cookies: tender.  Not floppy and definitely not crispy.  SO...I baked the cookies into squares THEN cut them once they came out of the oven. I got the idea doing this.
2. Instead of coating these in sanding sugar, I sprinkled them with just a *bit* of sea salt before I popped them in the oven.  I love the whole salty/sweet thing. 
3. To cut the cookies (I used my go-to recipe), simply remove the cookies from the oven and let cool on the tray about 1-2 minutes.  Use a bench scraper or a thin cookie spatula to cut the cookies into strips.  Either cut on the diagonal or cut straight, then lop off the ends on a diagonal.

Use a thin spatula to remove to cooling racks to cool completely.

As for the ketchup buttercream...(can we all just agree it's "KETCHUP," not "CATSUP?" That always creeps me out)...I halved Shelly's famous buttercream recipe, adding 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and AmeriColor Super Red food coloring.

For the containers?  I just walked into McDonald's and asked if I could buy some of their small french fry containers without the fries.  Kiddo waited in the car...waaay too embarrassing, but the McDonald's manager didn't bat an eye.  Plus, they gave them to me for free.  Bonus!!!

Do your dudes dig fries?