Easter Cookies (Adorned & Festive!)

These festive Easter cookies are smooth and buttery with hints of vanilla and almond. Fairly in pastel shades, they’re topped with my favourite royal icing and embellished to appear like Easter eggs, PEEPS-inspired bunnies with marshmallow tails, and carrots. For less complicated designs, like on the bunnies and carrots, you need to use my simple glaze cookie icing. Attractive on a plate and fast to vanish, these springtime treats are eggs-tra particular. See what I did there? 😉

For at present’s Easter cookies, I take advantage of my basic sugar cookies recipe. No shock there, as a result of it’s one of the in style recipes on my web site! It’s beloved by many, and positively one to maintain in your again pocket together with my recipes for chocolate chip cookies and pie crust.

(In case you favor a smooth and nearly creamier-style sugar cookie, you possibly can take at present’s adorning inspiration and apply it to my cut-out cream cheese cookies.)

So A lot to Love About These Easter Cookies

• Texture: In case you hold the rolled-out dough thick sufficient, you’ll be rewarded with additional smooth and thick sugar cookie facilities. The sides are good and crisp, and the royal icing on prime provides a textural distinction as nicely.
• Taste: Candy, vanilla- and almond-hinted, and irresistibly buttery.
• Ease: The dough is surprisingly simple to place collectively, however if you’d like the cookies to appear like the photographs right here, you’ll want a number of adorning instruments. See the complete checklist of Really useful Instruments beneath.
• Time: I like to recommend setting apart a day for making and adorning these Easter cookies. It’s sometimes 4 hours from begin to end, relying on the extent of adorning element you need. There’s loads of hands-off time if you wish to make one other certainly one of my spring dessert recipes!

Overview: How one can Make Easter Cookies

1. Make cookie dough. You want 7–8 elements for the dough. With so few elements, it’s essential that you just observe the recipe carefully. Creamed butter and sugar present the bottom of the cookie dough. Egg is the cookie’s construction and vanilla extract provides taste. I nearly all the time add a contact of almond extract for extra taste. Flour is an apparent ingredient, baking powder provides somewhat raise, and salt balances the candy.
2. Divide in 2 items. Smaller sections of dough are simpler to roll out.
3. Roll out cookie dough. Roll it out to 1/4-inch thickness. You probably have problem evenly rolling out dough, do this adjustable rolling pin. It’s actually useful!
4. Chill rolled-out cookie dough. With out chilling, these cookie cutter cookies gained’t maintain their form. Chill the rolled-out cookie dough for no less than 2 hours and as much as 2 days.
5. Minimize into shapes. In case you want options for cookie cutters, I really like Ann Clark model. (Not sponsored, only a real fan!) For the cookies pictured right here, I used an egg cookie cutter, bunny cookie cutters, and the carrot from this set. That set contains an egg and a bunny, plus different Easter- and spring-themed shapes.
6. Bake & cool. Relying on measurement, the cookies want about 12 minutes within the oven.
7. Enhance. Extra on the icing beneath.

The Trick Is the Order of Steps

Discover how I roll out the dough BEFORE chilling it within the fridge?

Let me clarify why I do that. Identical to if you’re making, say, double chocolate chip cookies, to stop them from over-spreading, the cookie dough should chill within the fridge. For at present’s Easter cookies, roll out the dough proper after you make it, then chill the rolled-out dough. (As a result of at this level the dough is just too smooth to chop into shapes.) Don’t chill the cookie dough after which attempt to roll it out as a result of will probably be too chilly and onerous. I divide the dough in half earlier than rolling it out, and extremely advocate you do the identical. Smaller sections of dough are merely extra manageable.

Right here’s one other trick! Roll out the cookie dough instantly on silicone baking mats or parchment paper sheets so you possibly can simply switch it to the fridge. Decide the entire thing up, set it on a baking sheet, and place it within the fridge. In case you don’t have sufficient room for two baking sheets in your fridge, you possibly can stack the items of rolled-out dough on prime of one another (with parchment or baking mat in between).

The cookies keep smooth for days, so if you wish to save time, these are a superb make-ahead Easter dessert possibility since you gained’t lose any deliciousness. Hold them in an hermetic container at room temperature till prepared to embellish.

Select Your Icing

I hyperlink to 2 icing choices within the written recipe beneath. You should use both icing on at present’s Easter cookies, and it simply depends upon the look you’re going for. (And the way a lot effort you wish to put in!)

1. Select royal icing if you’d like exact ornamental element in your cookies, notably the Easter egg cookies in these photographs. It’s truly my most popular sugar cookie icing as a result of it’s simple to make use of, dries in a few hours, and doesn’t have a texture akin to hardened cement. It’s truly on the softer facet, with somewhat crisp to it! It requires meringue powder, which is a specialty ingredient however is extra available lately. You’ll find it in some grocery retailer baking aisles, most craft shops which have a baking part, or you possibly can store for meringue powder on-line.
2. Select simple cookie icing if you happen to’re going for a extra easy design, such because the pictured bunnies and carrots. You could possibly *in all probability* use this for the element on the Easter egg sugar cookies, however the element gained’t be as sharp. I normally go for this icing if I’m adorning with younger bakers, or if I don’t really feel like utilizing my electrical mixer. It has a glaze consistency, and takes longer to dry than the royal icing: about 24 hours.

On at present’s pictured cookies, I used royal icing.

Once more, use royal icing for clear particulars on the Easter egg-shaped cookies. Divide the batch of royal icing up into a number of bowls, and use gel meals coloring to tint the icing completely different colours. I take advantage of Wilton spherical icing tip #4 for outlining and flooding, then let that layer dry fully. I normally place the embellished cookies on a baking sheet (or I embellish them instantly on the baking sheet), make some room within the fridge, and stick the pan inside. The icing will set in about half-hour.

Then I take advantage of Wilton icing tip #2 or icing tip #1 for the traces and dots.

Or use glaze-style cookie icing for a easy ornament. This works on merely embellished cookies equivalent to these Christmas sugar cookies and would work splendidly on the bunnies and carrots in at present’s photographs. (You could possibly, in fact, use royal icing for the bunnies and carrots as an alternative.)

For the bunnies, I stored the icing white and added sanding sugar sprinkles on prime whereas the icing was moist, then reduce a mini marshmallow in half for the tail. For the carrots, I stored the icing white for the stems and added inexperienced sanding sugar. Then I tinted a number of the icing orange for the carrot itself.

For the bunnies, you might even skip the marshmallow tails and use some melted chocolate or brown icing so as to add eyes and a nostril. So cute!

Stack, wrap, reward, and/or retailer: As soon as the icing layers have set, you possibly can stack, wrap, reward, ship, and/or retailer these Easter cookies for every week. Are you able to imagine that a number of the cookies in these photos are 3 weeks outdated? I froze them, allow them to thaw on the counter, and snapped an image earlier than I set them out for serving. There’s somewhat little bit of a texture distinction between frozen and thawed icing and freshly made icing (each icings style a *bit* tougher after freezing), however nobody ever appears to thoughts… or discover.

Really useful Instruments for Your Easter Cookies

1. Handheld or Stand Mixer
2. Rolling Pin or this Adjustable Rolling Pin
3. Baking Sheets
4. Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Sheets
5. Cookie Cutters: I used an egg cookie cutter, bunny cookie cutters, and the carrot from this set. That set contains an egg and a bunny, plus different Easter- and spring-themed shapes.
6. Americolor Comfortable Gel Paste Colour Equipment: In my expertise, that is the BEST coloring for royal icing and easy glaze cookie icing. The colours are all the time so wealthy and vivid. You solely want a teeny drip for the pastel colours in at present’s cookies. So these colours will final you a really very long time! I used the sky blue, lemon yellow, violet, and fuchsia. And I used the orange for the carrots.
7. Piping Suggestions/Squeeze Bottle: In case you’re utilizing piping baggage and icing ideas, I like to recommend Wilton icing tip #4 for outlining and flooding your cookies. For exact element, such because the dots and contours on the Easter egg cookies, use icing tip #2 or icing tip #1. In case you’re not piping intricate particulars in your cookies, you need to use a squeeze bottle as an alternative of piping baggage and icing ideas. A bottle is much less intimidating than piping ideas, and really simple for younger bakers to make use of. I don’t advocate a squeeze bottle if you’d like sharp icing element, although.
8. Disposable or reusable piping baggage: You should use these for both icing, alongside together with your icing ideas.
9. Coupler(s): In case you solely have 1 piping tip and wish to embellish with a number of colours of icing, hold the tip on the skin of the bag by utilizing a coupler so you possibly can simply switch the piping tip to different baggage of coloured icing.
10. Sanding Sugar Sprinkles: These are bought in most grocery shops within the baking aisle. You can too organize them on-line. I like Wilton or CK Merchandise manufacturers. I take advantage of these on the pictured bunnies and carrot cookies.

You’ll additionally get pleasure from my buttercream egg candies or peanut butter eggs. And hop on over to my Easter recipes part or my Easter brunch recipes put up or Easter dessert recipes put up if you happen to want extra scrumptious concepts. 🙂

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Easter Cookies (Adorned & Festive)

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  Creator: Sally
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  Prep Time: 2 hours, half-hour
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  Cook dinner Time: 12 minutes
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  Complete Time: 4 hours, 45 minutes (contains cooling)
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  Yield: 24 3-4 inch cookies
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  Class: Cookies
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  Technique: Baking
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  Delicacies: American

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Description

These festive Easter cookies are smooth and buttery with hints of vanilla and almond. Fairly in pastel shades, they’re topped with my favourite royal icing and embellished like Easter eggs, PEEPS-inspired bunnies with marshmallow tails, and easy carrots. For less complicated designs, like on the bunnies and carrots, you need to use my simple glaze cookie icing.

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Directions

1. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt collectively in a medium bowl. Put aside.
2. In a big bowl utilizing a handheld or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar collectively on excessive pace till fully clean and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla, and almond extract (if utilizing) and beat on excessive pace till mixed, about 1 minute. Scrape down the perimeters and up the underside of the bowl and beat once more as wanted to mix.
3. Add the dry elements to the moist elements and blend on low pace till mixed. Dough can be a bit smooth. If the dough appears too smooth and sticky for rolling, add 1 extra Tablespoon of flour.
4. Divide the dough into 2 equal elements. Place every portion onto a bit of calmly floured parchment paper or a calmly floured silicone baking mat. With a calmly floured rolling pin, roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness. Use extra flour if the dough appears too sticky. The rolled-out dough may be any form, so long as it’s evenly 1/4-inch thick.
5. Calmly mud one of many rolled-out dough parts with flour. Place a bit of parchment paper on prime. (This prevents sticking.) Place the 2nd rolled-out dough on prime. Cowl with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, then refrigerate for no less than 1–2 hours and as much as 2 days.
6. As soon as chilled, preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 2 or 3 massive baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Rigorously take away the highest dough piece from the fridge. If it’s sticking to the underside, run your hand underneath it to assist take away it. Utilizing a cookie cutter, reduce the dough into shapes. I used an egg cookie cutter, bunny cookie cutters, and the carrot from this set.
7. Re-roll the remaining dough and proceed reducing till all is used. Repeat with 2nd piece of dough. (Word: It doesn’t seem to be a number of dough, however you get a number of cookies from the dough scraps you re-roll.)
8. Organize cookies on baking sheets 3 inches aside. Bake for 11–12 minutes or till calmly browned across the edges. In case your oven has sizzling spots, rotate the baking sheets midway by means of bake time. Permit cookies to chill on the baking sheet for five minutes, then switch to a wire rack to chill fully earlier than adorning.
9. Enhance: Put together royal icing or cookie glaze icing. In case you’re utilizing royal icing, it’s finest to make use of piping baggage and ideas. In case you’re utilizing the cookie glaze icing, you need to use a squeeze bottle or piping baggage/ideas. Remember the fact that if you’d like sharp design element on the Easter eggs, it’s finest to make use of royal icing and piping baggage/ideas.
10. For the carrots and bunnies: Hold a lot of the icing white for the bunnies and carrot tops, and tint some orange for the carrots. Utilizing icing tip #4 or a squeeze bottle, define and flood the bunnies and the carrot tops with white icing. Instantly prime with sanding sugar sprinkles. And, for the bunnies, add a halved marshmallow “tail” whereas the icing continues to be moist. If making the carrot cookies, define and flood the orange icing after making use of the inexperienced sprinkles on the carrot tops. Permit icing to set. No must cowl the embellished cookies as you await the icing to set. If it’s useful, embellish the cookies instantly on a baking sheet so you possibly can place your entire baking sheet within the fridge to assist pace up the icing setting. Royal icing units inside about 2 hours, and cookie glaze icing units in about 24 hours. 
11. For the Easter eggs: Divide icing up amongst a number of bowls. I used 4 colours: sky blue, lemon yellow, violet, and fuchsia. I left some icing white. Utilizing icing tip #4, define and flood together with your base coloration(s). Permit icing to set (I place the cookies within the fridge so the icing units in about half-hour). Utilizing piping tip #2 or piping tip #1, add ornamental designs in numerous colours like polka dots, squiggles, plaid, or stripes. Permit icing to set. No must cowl the embellished cookies as you await the icing to set. If it’s useful, embellish the cookies instantly on a baking sheet so you possibly can place your entire baking sheet within the fridge to assist pace up the icing setting. Royal icing units inside about 2 hours.
12. Take pleasure in cookies straight away or wait till the icing units to serve them. As soon as the icing has set, these cookies are nice for gifting or for sending. Plain or embellished cookies keep smooth for about 5 days when lined tightly at room temperature. For longer storage, cowl and refrigerate for as much as 10 days.

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Notes

1. Freezing Directions: Plain or embellished sugar cookies freeze nicely as much as 3 months. Look forward to the icing to set fully earlier than layering between sheets of parchment paper in a freezer-friendly container. To thaw, thaw within the fridge or at room temperature. You can too freeze the cookie dough for as much as 3 months earlier than rolling it out. Put together the dough by means of step 3, divide in half, flatten each halves into discs as we do with pie crust, wrap every in plastic wrap, then freeze. To thaw, thaw the discs within the fridge, then carry to room temperature for about 1 hour. Roll out the dough as directed in step 4, then chill rolled-out dough within the fridge for 45 minutes to 1 hour earlier than reducing into shapes and baking.
2. Particular Instruments (affiliate hyperlinks): Electrical Mixer (Handheld or Stand Mixer) | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Sheets | Cookie Cutters (I used an egg cookie cutter, bunny cookie cutters, and the carrot from this set) | Americolor Comfortable Gel Paste Colour Equipment | Wilton Icing Tip #4 for outlining and flooding | Wilton Icing Tip #2 or Wilton Icing Tip #1 for Easter egg element | Squeeze Bottle | Disposable or Reusable Piping Baggage | Couplers
3. Room Temperature: Room-temperature butter is crucial. If the dough is just too sticky, your butter might have been too smooth. Room-temperature butter is definitely cool to the contact. Room-temperature egg is most popular so it’s rapidly and evenly blended into the cookie dough.
4. Flavors: I really like flavoring this cookie dough with 1/2 teaspoon almond extract as listed within the elements above. For lighter taste, use 1/4 teaspoon. As an alternative of the almond extract, strive utilizing 1 teaspoon of maple extract, coconut extract, lemon extract, or peppermint extract. If utilizing lemon extract, you may also add 1 Tablespoon lemon zest.
5. Be sure you try my prime 5 cookie baking ideas AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking instruments.