Easter Egg Sugar Cookies
This recipe is based on our popular Christmas Sugar cookies but makes a slightly smaller batch and I’m sharing my easiest 3-ingredient icing that sets beautifully on the cookies and is perfect for glazing cookies and decorating. Gather up your favorite Easter cookie cutters and pastel-colored sprinkles and have an Easter cookie decorating party!
Ingredients
Ingredients for Easter Sugar Cookies
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, (3/4 cup = 12 Tbsp) softened at room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder, use aluminum free
- 1/4 tsp salt
Icing Ingredients
- 3 cups powdered sugar, or added to desired consistency
- 3-4 Tbsp milk, or added to desired consistency
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Gel food coloring, optional to color the icing
- Sprinkles, optional to decorate cookies
Instructions
How to Make the Sugar Cookies
- Preheat - set the oven to 350˚F with a rack in the upper and lower third of the oven if baking 2 sheets at a time, otherwise put a rack in the center. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Dry ingredients - In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.
- Wet ingredients - Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or an electric mixer, beat together butter and sugar on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy, 3 minutes. To the mixture add the egg and vanilla and beat for another 1 minute to combine.
- Mix the batter - Reduce the mixer to low speed and add the flour mixture in 3 parts, mixing until fully incorporated. If the dough seems too sticky to roll, add 1 Tbsp flour at a time.
- Roll out the dough - Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. You can wrap and refrigerate the dough for 30-60 minutes or proceed with rolling the dough. On a generously floured surface, roll out the dough. Dust the dough with flour if the rolling pin is sticking. Roll the dough to 1/4” thick. Periodically scoot the dough around to check that the dough is not sticking to your work surface. If it is, dust with more flour and proceed.
- Cut and bake - Cut cookies out with an egg-shaped cookie cutter (mine was 2.5 x 3.75 x 1 inches) or your favorite Easter cookie cutter. Gather your scraps and re-roll to make more cookies. Carefully transfer the cookies to a parchment-lined baking sheet - I find it helps to use a food scraper to get under and lift the cookies from the surface without squishing them. Bake at 350˚F for 10-11 minutes or until the eggs are just beginning to turn golden. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to wire racks to cool completely before decorating with icing.
How to Make the Icing and Decorate Cookies
- Mix - In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the icing ingredients until smooth. To thicken the icing, add more powdered sugar and you can thin it out by adding more milk. Transfer to a piping bag or a zip-top bag and snip off the corner to create a hole for creating patterns on your sugar cookies. You can also use a squeeze bottle if you have one.
- Add color - To add color to your glaze, put some of the white icing into a small bowl and add a tiny dot of gel food coloring. To get the soft pastel colors, you can even just use some food coloring on the tip of a toothpick. A little goes a long way! If the colored icing gets too thin, you can add more powdered sugar.
- Decorate - Trace the cookies with icing then fill in as desired. If using sprinkles, add them right away while the icing is still wet so they cling to the icing.
Notes
To Store Cookies: Allow the icing to fully dry out at room temperature for about 24 hours before covering and storing it in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days or freeze for longer storage.
Nutrition Facts
Easter Egg Sugar Cookies
Amount per Serving
Calories
173
% Daily Value*
Fat
6
g
9
%
Saturated Fat
4
g
25
%
Trans Fat
0.2
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
0.3
g
Monounsaturated Fat
2
g
Cholesterol
21
mg
7
%
Sodium
28
mg
1
%
Potassium
36
mg
1
%
Carbohydrates
29
g
10
%
Fiber
0.3
g
1
%
Sugar
20
g
22
%
Protein
2
g
4
%
Vitamin A
183
IU
4
%
Calcium
14
mg
1
%
Iron
1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
