Decorated Easter Cookies
This easy recipe for decorated Easter cookies starts with a simple sugar cookie dough cut out into egg shapes and decorated with royal icing. The perfect treat for Easter baskets or spring gatherings!
Servings: 24
Cost: $10
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter slightly softened
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 tablespoon almond extract
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 2¾ cups all purpose flour
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter with an electric mixer until smooth
- Add in the granulated sugar and mix together until fully combined and fluffy. This will take about 5 minutes
- Mix in the almond extract, vanilla extract and the egg
- Add in the salt, baking powder and half of the flour. Mix well
- Add in the rest of the flour and mix until fully combined. To avoid overworking the dough, finish mixing with a rubber spatula
- Divide the dough into 2 equal parts
- Place each portion onto a large sheet of plastic wrap and use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to ⅜ inch thick
- Cover rolled out dough with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight
- After the dough has chilled, preheat oven to 350℉
- Unwrap the chilled dough and use egg-shaped cookie cutters to cut out cookie shapes
- Place cut out cookies 2 inches apart onto a prepared baking sheet lined with either parchment paper or a silicone baking mat
- Bake for 10-14 minutes or until cookies are no longer oily looking and have very lightly browned edges
- Allow cookies to cool completely before decorating
Notes
Make sure to use room temperature softened butter -- not melted.
Cream the butter and the sugar together for at least 5 minutes to ensure the butter and sugar are emulsified. This will prevent any spreading.
Be sure to chill the dough for 4 hours or overnight.
Re-roll any remaining dough and cut into shapes until all dough is used, or freeze leftover dough. You can use your favorite Easter cookie shapes here.
Both the dough and baked cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months.
To make the easy royal icing -- follow the directions on the package of meringue powder. They will vary between brands. I have tested and loved both brands LorAnn and Judee's meringue powders. Add 1 tsp each of vanilla and almond extracts and 1 tablespoon corn syrup.
Nutrition
Calories: 158kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 113mg | Potassium: 31mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 248IU | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 1mg
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