Easter Egg Sugar Cookies (Printable version)

Soft, buttery sugar cookies adorned with vibrant pastel icing for joyful spring gatherings.

# What you need:

→ Cookie Dough

01 - 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/2 tsp baking powder
03 - 1/4 tsp salt
04 - 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
05 - 1 cup granulated sugar
06 - 1 large egg
07 - 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
08 - 1/2 tsp almond extract

→ Royal Icing

09 - 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
10 - 2 tbsp meringue powder
11 - 3–4 tbsp water
12 - Gel food coloring in pastel colors

# How to make it:

01 - Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl until evenly combined. Set aside for later use.
02 - Beat softened butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, approximately 2–3 minutes.
03 - Add egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract to the butter mixture. Mix until fully incorporated and smooth.
04 - Gradually add dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing just until flour disappears. Avoid overmixing to prevent tough cookies.
05 - Divide dough into two equal portions, flatten into discs, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes until firm.
06 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
07 - On a lightly floured surface, roll out one dough disc to 1/4-inch thickness. Keep remaining dough chilled until ready to use.
08 - Cut out egg shapes using cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets to allow for slight spreading.
09 - Bake for 8–10 minutes until edges just begin to turn golden. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.
10 - Mix powdered sugar, meringue powder, and water in a bowl until smooth and thick but still pipeable. Adjust consistency with additional water if needed.
11 - Divide icing into separate bowls and tint each with gel food coloring to desired pastel shades.
12 - Pipe or spread colored icing onto completely cooled cookies, creating Easter egg patterns and designs. Allow icing to set completely before serving or storing.

# Expert tips:

01 -
  • The dough is incredibly forgiving and bakes up perfectly tender every single time
  • These cookies freeze beautifully so you can make them weeks ahead of Easter
  • The decorating possibilities are endless and the whole family can join in
02 -
  • Chilling the dough is nonnegotiable or your cookies will spread and lose that clean egg shape
  • Roll the dough between two pieces of parchment to prevent sticking without adding too much extra flour
  • Test your icing consistency by dragging a knife through it and the line should disappear in about 10 seconds
03 -
  • Rotate your baking sheets halfway through for perfectly even browning
  • Let the cookies cool completely on the pan before moving them to avoid breakage
  • Use toothpicks to help spread the icing into tight corners and fix any mistakes

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