Spring Easter Sugar Cookies (Printable)

Light, buttery sugar cookies with pastel icing and Easter shapes for spring celebrations.

# What You Need:

→ Cookie Dough

01 - 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
03 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
04 - 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
05 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
06 - 1 large egg
07 - 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
08 - 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)

→ Royal Icing

09 - 2 cups powdered sugar
10 - 1 1/2 tablespoons meringue powder
11 - 3-4 tablespoons water
12 - Food coloring: pastel pink, yellow, green, purple (gel preferred)
13 - Assorted Easter-themed sprinkles (optional)

# How-To:

01 - Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside for later use.
02 - Beat butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, approximately 2-3 minutes.
03 - Mix in egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract if using, until fully incorporated.
04 - Gradually add dry ingredients to wet mixture, mixing just until combined. Do not overmix.
05 - Divide dough in half, form into disks, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
06 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
07 - On lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into Easter shapes using cookie cutters.
08 - Place cookies 1 inch apart on prepared sheets. Bake for 9-11 minutes until edges begin to lightly brown.
09 - Let cookies cool completely on wire rack before decorating.
10 - Whisk powdered sugar, meringue powder, and water until smooth and glossy. Adjust water consistency as needed.
11 - Divide icing into small bowls and tint with food coloring to desired pastel shades.
12 - Apply colored icing to cooled cookies and add sprinkles if desired. Allow icing to set completely before serving.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The dough is incredibly forgiving so even first time bakers get picture perfect results
  • These cookies stay soft for days unlike the hard crunchy kind that disappoint everyone
02 -
  • Chilling the dough is non negotiable because warm dough spreads into blob shapes that look nothing like cute bunnies or eggs
  • The baking time seems short but pull them out when edges just start coloring or they will be hard as rocks
03 -
  • Rotate your baking sheets halfway through baking so every cookie gets evenly golden edges
  • Use gel food coloring instead of liquid drops to keep your icing from getting too thin

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