Fun and easy Easter egg sugar cookies that you can make with your kids to celebrate Easter! These are simple sugar cut-out cookies decorated with easy Royal icing.
My favorite type of cookies is no chill cookies. Most cut-out sugar cookie recipes require chilling time, but not this one! You can make these cookies in under an hour from start to finish, and decorate them too.
You only need one simple cookie cutter that you probably already have, and a pipping bag to decorate the cookies with royal icing. So no special equipment is needed here.
I made these with my kids, and they LOVED decorating them! Let me know if you try them.
Why This Recipe Works
- No Chill Cookies. As I mentioned above, the cookie dough does not require chilling. Just mix up the ingredients, roll out, cut into egg shapes and bake!
- No Raw Egg. I make my Royal icing with meringue powder, it’s easier and does not use any raw egg whites.
- Change Up the Design. I flooded the cookies with royal icing and did the simplest design, just random lines, dots, and zig-zags. But you can get creative and make them even more beautiful if you wish to!
Key Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make sugar cookies:
- Butter. Use unsalted softened butter, remember to take it out of the fridge at least an hour before you start baking. Avoid using shortening.
- Flour. We’re using simple all purpose flour (plain flour in the UK), nothing fancy is needed here!
- Sugar. White granulated sugar is great in this recipe. Do not try to reduce it though and it will alter the texture of the cookies.
- Egg. Always use large eggs for baking, make sure that they’re at room temperature to incorporate easily into the cookie dough. You only need one egg here.
- Baking Powder and Salt. This is out leavener in this cookie recipe, also add a pinch of salt to balance the flavors of the cookies.
- Vanilla. Use the good stuff, no imitation, please!
How To Make Easter Egg Sugar Cookies
Scroll down to the recipe card for the detailed instructions, but I’ll also walk you through the steps briefly here.
- Preheat the oven and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or a Silpat mat.
- Using a stand mixer, cream the butter with the sugar until smooth and creamy. This should take about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the egg and the vanilla, and briefly beat until incorporated.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix again until just combined.
- Divide the cookie dough into 4 portions, and roll out into ¼ inch thickness. Cut out the shapes and bake for 8-9 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before decorating.
For the Royal Icing, here’s what I do:
- Sift the powdered sugar, and mix it with meringue powder and water until combined. You do NOT want to overmix this, the icing becomes dull (not shiny) if you overmix it.
- Divide between balls, and add food coloring. I like to use gel food coloring as it does not dilute the mixture, and the colors are always bright and beautiful!
- Add icing to disposable piping bags, outline and flood each cookie with your desired colors. Allow the icing to set, and then add the top designs for decoration. Allow to set completely for at least 2 hours at room temperature but preferably overnight.
Tips For Making Cookies and Royal Icing
- Do not overbake the cookies. These cookies hold their shape nicely, but they’re also meant to be soft and melt in your mouth when you eat them. Once the edges start to slightly brown, remove them from the oven immediately.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely. If you ice the cookies too soon, the royal icing will heat up and start melting and you do not want that. So make sure to allow the cookies to cool completely before icing them.
- Don’t overmix the Royal Icing. It’s important that you mix the royal icing until just combined, if you beat or whisk it for too long it loses its shine.
- Make two different consistencies for Royal Icing. Typically you’d want a thicker consistency for outlining the cookie, and a thinner one to flood it. I did a 15-second (medium) royal icing for outlining, and 8-10 seconds for flooding.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store these cookies at room temperature for up to two weeks. You can also freeze the cookies (decorated or not) in a sealed container for up to 3 months.
You can make these cookies and decorate them within 7 days. Store at room temperature.
I hope that you enjoy these cookies as much as I do! They’re so simple but are fun to make, and can make a great gift too! Don’t forget to pin this recipe to easily find it later.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Easter Egg Sugar Cookies
Equipment
- 2 Cookie Sheets
- Egg Cookie Cutter
- Rolling Pin
- mixing bowl
- Piping Bags
Ingredients
For the sugar cookies:
- 1 cup unsalted butter 225g
- 1 cup granulated sugar 200g
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 3 ½ cups all purpose flour 420g
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Royal icing:
- 3 cups powdered sugar 360g
- 2 tablespoons meringue powder
- 6-7 tablespoons water
- Food coloring
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats and set aside.
- In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter with the sugar until smooth, light in color and creamy (2-3 minutes).
- Add vanilla and egg and mix again until the egg is just incorporated but don’t overmix.
- Add in the flour, baking powder, and salt and mix again until just combined. Scrape the sides with a spatula so no dry flour is left. The cookie should pull away from the sides of the bowl (if it doesn’t add ½ cup of flour).
- Divide the dough into 4 portions, and roll out each using a rolling pin into ¼ inch thickness. Cut out using a cookie cutter and with the help of a offset spatula transfer to the cookie sheet.
- Bake for 8-9 minutes rotating at 6 minutes for even browning (one sheet at a time). Allow to cool on the cookie sheet fo2 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Cool completely before icing the cookies.
- To make the royal icing, in a bowl combine the powdered sugar with meringue powder and water (add the water gradually, start with 6 tablespoons and then add more as needed). Whisk until combined but do not overmix (I learned from my mistake when I over whipped the royal icing in my stand mixer and my cookie turned out dull and lost the nice shine that you get with royal icing). We are looking for 15 seconds consistency for outlining and 8-10 seconds for flooding (which is perfect for this size of cookies, I used 10cm cookie cutter, please find a link on Amazon).
- To ice the cookies, divide the royal icing between bowls and add food coloring you’re using (I use Wilton gel colors, and add them with a toothpick) they do not change the consistency of the icing since they’re gel not liquid. I also use Wilton disposable pipping bags, and secure with a small rubber band. You can use a tip or not, but if you use a tip then a coupler is recommended so that the tip is not pushed inside. I use #2 tip to outline and flood the cookies. Outline and flood the cookies first, and then decorate starting from the first cookie you flooded so that it’s set and the decorations are not submerged with the flooding. Allow the icing to set for at least 2 hours at room temp but preferably overnight.
Notes
- Store these cookies at room temperature for up to two weeks. You can also freeze the cookies (decorated or not) in a sealed container for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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