Description
This delightful Easter Egg Sugar Cookies recipe features soft, buttery cookies perfectly decorated with pastel-colored royal icing and sprinkles, ideal for celebrating the spring season and Easter festivities. These cookies are a fun and festive treat to bake with family and friends, offering a classic sweet flavor with a crunchy texture that holds up well to vibrant icing designs.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
Decorations
- Pastel-colored royal icing or cookie icing for decorating
- Sprinkles or colored sugar for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Dry Ingredients: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to ensure even distribution of leavening agents.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the softened unsalted butter with granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. This step is essential for creating a tender cookie texture.
- Add Eggs and Extracts: Beat in the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract (if using) until fully incorporated, adding flavor depth and moisture to your dough.
- Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Mix gently just until the dough comes together, taking care not to overmix to keep cookies tender.
- Chill Dough: Divide the dough into two equal halves, flatten each into discs, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Chilling firms the dough, making it easier to roll and shape.
- Roll and Cut Cookies: On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to about 1/4-inch thickness. Use egg-shaped cookie cutters to cut out the cookies. Place them about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets to allow for slight spreading.
- Bake Cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the edges are just beginning to turn golden. This ensures the cookies remain soft inside but have a slight crispness outside.
- Cool: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes to firm up, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Proper cooling is important before decorating so icing sets properly.
- Decorate: Once the cookies are completely cool, decorate them with pastel-colored royal icing and add sprinkles or colored sugar to create festive Easter egg designs. Allow icing to fully set before storing or serving.
Notes
- Cookies can be baked up to 3 days in advance and stored in an airtight container at room temperature to maintain freshness.
- For precise and cleaner icing designs, use piping bags or squeeze bottles when decorating.
- The cookie dough can be frozen for up to 1 month. Thaw in the refrigerator before rolling and cutting.
- Ensure cookies are completely cooled before icing to prevent melting and smudging.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes (plus 30 minutes chill time)
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 14g
- Sodium: 90mg
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 24g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 25mg
