Easter Sugar Cookies

This year, celebrate Easter with a new activity: decorating Easter sugar cookies! While there are classic activities like hunting for eggs, opening baskets from the Easter bunny and, of course, Easter egg decorating, baking and frosting adorable Easter-shaped cookies is just as fun and doubles as a cute Easter treat to eat later in the day. Cut out shapes like flowers, bunnies, chicks, eggs and even carrots, then decorate the Easter cutout cookies to your heart’s content.

Tools for Easter Sugar Cookies

• Hand-held mixer or stand mixer: It’s important to beat the wet ingredients properly so the dough can bake into the light, tender and chewy texture we expect from sugar cookies.
• Rolling pin: Since this is a cutout cookie recipe not a drop cookie recipe, you’ll need a rolling pin to roll out the cookie dough so it’s flat and even for the cookie cutters.
• Cookie cutters: Use your preferred cookie cutters here! Egg, bunny, chick and flower-shaped cookie cutters are perfect for Easter and spring.
• Baking sheets: You’ll need at least two ungreased baking sheets so the cookies can bake all at the same time, but you can certainly bake them in batches if you have only one baking sheet.
• Decorating tools: Depending on which route you’ll take with decorating, you may need tools like a mini offset spatula, piping bags, food coloring, piping tips and sprinkles.

Ingredients for Easter Sugar Cookies

• Butter: Soften the butter so it whips up nicely. You can zap it in the microwave a bit or let it sit on the counter for 30 minutes.
• Cream cheese: Bring the cream cheese to room temperature or you’ll have a really difficult time beating out all the cream cheese lumps.
• Sugar: Granulated sugar sweetens the cookies.
• Egg yolk: All we need for these cookies is one egg yolk, not an entire egg. An egg yolk binds and adds richness and fat.
• Extracts: Delicate vanilla and nutty almond extracts add flavor to otherwise mild cookies.
• All-purpose flour: Measure the flour by spooning it into the measuring cup until it’s heaping, then scrape off the excess from the top. This ensures the flour isn’t packed into every cup, which can make your cookies overly dense.
• Baking soda: We want these cookies to get tall, soft and tender, and baking soda helps get the job done.
• Frosting: This is where you can choose your own adventure! Decorate the cookies to your hearts content with food-dyed royal icing or buttercream, and add Easter-shaped sprinkles if desired.

Directions

Step 1: Make and chill the cookie dough

In a bowl, use a hand mixer or stand mixer to cream the softened butter, cream cheese and granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, five to seven minutes. Beat in the egg yolk and both extracts until well combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, salt and baking soda. Gradually add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture, and beat just until combined. Cover the cookie dough and refrigerate it until it’s easy to handle, about three hours.

Step 2: Cut out the cookies

Preheat the oven to 375°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the cookie dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Press a 2-1/2-inch cookie cutter into some extra flour, then press it into the cookie dough. Place the cutouts 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets.

Step 3: Bake

Pop the pans into the oven and bake until the edges of the cookies begin to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Take the pans out of the oven and let the cookies cool at room temperature on the pans for two minutes. Transfer the cookies from the pans to wire racks to cool completely to room temperature before decorating.

Step 4: Decorate!

Once the Easter egg sugar cookies have cooled, it’s time to frost! Set out piping bags, frosting spatulas and food dye, and whip up royal icing or buttercream frosting. Decorate to your heart’s content, then enjoy these delicious cookies!

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Ways to Decorate Easter Sugar Cookies

• Royal icing: For the best detailing, use royal icing to decorate the sugar cookies. This is what pro sugar cookie decorators use for a flawless finish and precise detailing.
• Frosting: Regular buttercream frosting is easier to control and doesn’t require a piping bag, although you can certainly use one to add details to your Easter decorated cookies. However, it’s not as flawless of a finish as royal icing. You’ll get something similar to those Lofthouse cookies we love at the grocery store.
• Sprinkles: If your frosting job turned out wonky or the kiddos want to decorate some cookies, cover the frosted Easter cutout cookies with sprinkles! Pastel-hued jimmies or Easter-shaped sprinkles will look great here.

How to Store Easter Sugar Cookies

Store the cookies frosted or unfrosted in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. If you’re storing Easter cookies decorated, avoid stacking them or you may run the risk of smudging your pretty designs.

Can you freeze Easter sugar cookies?

Yes, you can freeze Easter sugar cookies. Place Easter cookies decorated or undecorated in an airtight container, being careful not to stack frosted cookies so they don’t smudge. The cookies can be stored in the freezer for up to two months. Thaw them overnight in the fridge before enjoying.

Easter Sugar Cookie Tips

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What should you serve with Easter sugar cookies?

Our Easter decorated cookies can be served by themselves or among an array of other Easter desserts. They are great next to Easter classics like carrot cake or banana cream pie, and fit right in next to super cute Easter delights like our Easter nest cake or Easter bunny treats.

Can you make these sugar cookies thicker?

Yes, you can absolutely make these sugar cookies thicker. Who doesn’t like a thick and soft sugar cookie? Roll out the cookie dough to 1/4 or 1/2 inch instead of 1/8 inch. Just make sure to bake the cookies longer so the cookies aren’t too soft that they fall apart while decorating. We don’t want any cookie disasters on Easter!

Why did my Easter sugar cookies lose their shape after baking?

As with any sugar cookie recipe, these Easter cutout cookies can lose their shape during baking if the dough is too warm before they go in the oven. It’s important that the cookie dough is refrigerated for the full three hours so the butter and cream cheese can re-solidify. If you followed these steps and the cookies still lost their shape, then your kitchen might be very warm. Place the cookie dough, after being cut out, back in the fridge for an additional 30 minutes.