Looking for springtime treats that the kids can help make? Our Easter sugar cookies are a perfect choice! The dough is easy to roll out and cut, and our sugar cookie icing makes for quick, simple decorating! These cookies are soft, sweet, and sure to please both kids and adults.
What ingredients do I need?
When it is baking time, head to your pantry and grab:
- Granulated sugar
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
And from the fridge, you’ll need:
- Unsalted butter
- Eggs
Protip: Make them festive!
For these Easter cookies, look for spring-inspired cookie-cutter shapes such as Easter eggs, bunnies, flowers, or chicks.
How do you make Easter sugar cookies?
- Cream the butter and sugar together. Mix in eggs and vanilla extract.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, and then add them to the creamed butter in batches. Stir well between additions.
- Divide the dough into four equally-sized discs, wrap each in plastic wrap, and refrigerate. A two-hour stint in the fridge is ideal, but you can freeze the dough for 20 minutes in a pinch as well.
- Preheat the oven and roll out one disc of dough to 1/8″-1/4″ thick on a lightly floured surface.
- Cut the dough into springy shapes with cookie cutters, and transfer to an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 6-8 minutes, or until the bottoms are just barely golden. Move to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.
What can I use in place of a cookie cutter?
If you find yourself without a spring-themed cookie cutter, several household items can serve as alternatives. A drinking glass with a round rim can serve as a cutter for circular cookies, while a sharp knife can cut out any simple shape.
How do I decorate Easter sugar cookies?
Our favorite way to decorate sugar cookies is with a powdered sugar glaze. Our favorite sugar cookie icing mixes up in minutes and makes decorating so incredibly easy—just spread the icing over the entire cookie, top with festive sprinkles, and let it dry!
Protip: Decorate your way!
Looking for some more intricate designs like you’ve seen on Pinterest or Instagram? Then you might need to try royal icing—that’s what a lot of the super-detailed cookies you see on social media are decorated with. But be warned—it can be quite fussy!
Can I decorate Easter cookies in advance?
Sure can! Let the frosting dry completely, and then you can store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. Lay out a piece of parchment paper or wax paper between layers, so the cookies don’t stick together.
Easter Sugar Cookies Recipe
These Easter sugar cookies are decorated with pastel icing, adding a festive vibe to springtime gatherings. Everyone loves these easy-to-decorate cookies!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter (3 sticks), softened
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract (or coconut or almond extract)
- 5 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling (see notes)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Sugar cookie icing dyed pink, yellow, purple, or whatever color you want
- Easter sprinkles
Instructions
- In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer), cream butter and sugar together. Mix in eggs and extract.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter in batches, stirring until well combined.
- Divide the dough into four equal pieces. Shape each piece into a disc, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 2 hours in the fridge (or 20 minutes in the freezer).
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Remove one disc from the fridge. Unwrap it and place it onto a floured surface. Roll the dough out until it is 1/8"-1/4" thick.
- Cut with cookie cutters (we recommend Easter eggs, bunnies, flowers, or chicks!) and transfer to an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 6-8 minutes, watching closely. Cookies are done when bottoms are just barely golden. Remove cookies immediately from the baking sheet, and let cool completely on cooling rack before icing. Repeat with remaining dough, ensuring that the pans are cool to the touch before filling them with more cookie dough.
- Decorate with sugar cookie icing (keep it as white icing or add a few drops of food coloring to dye it) and sprinkles, as desired.
Notes
- The typical way to roll out sugar cookies is to use additional flour, but you can also use powdered sugar! The powdered sugar absorbs into the cookie while it bakes and doesn't leave any flour residue.
- Here is our favorite sugar cookie icing recipe for when it is decorating time!
- Always allow the cookies to cool fully before decorating with your icing!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 84 Serving Size: 1 cookieAmount Per Serving: Calories: 80Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 18mgSodium: 42mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 0gSugar: 5gProtein: 1g
At Wholefully, we believe that good nutrition is about much more than just the numbers on the nutrition facts panel. Please use the above information as only a small part of what helps you decide what foods are nourishing for you.
