Easter Egg Sugar Cookies (Printable Version)

Soft, buttery sugar cookies iced in pastel shades perfect for festive spring occasions.

# 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:

01 - Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. 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 - Mix in egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract until fully incorporated into the butter mixture.
04 - Gradually add dry ingredients to wet mixture, mixing just until dough comes together. Avoid overmixing.
05 - Divide dough in half, flatten into discs, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for minimum 45 minutes.
06 - Preheat oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
07 - On lightly floured surface, roll one dough disc to 1/4-inch thickness.
08 - Cut egg shapes with cookie cutter and place 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets.
09 - Bake for 8-10 minutes until edges just begin turning golden. Cool completely on wire racks.
10 - Mix powdered sugar, meringue powder, and water until smooth and reaches pipeable consistency.
11 - Divide icing into separate bowls and tint with gel food coloring to desired pastel shades.
12 - Pipe or spread icing onto cooled cookies creating festive Easter egg patterns. Allow icing to set completely before serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The dough bakes up pillowy soft with just the right amount of sweetness to let the icing shine
  • Kids and adults alike get lost in the meditative joy of decorating each egg with their own patterns
  • These cookies actually taste as good as they look thanks to that perfect buttery vanilla almond base
02 -
  • Chilling the dough is mandatory I once skipped this step and ended up with egg shaped blobs that spread into each other
  • Royal icing consistency is everything too thick and it tears your cookie too thin and it runs off the edges
03 -
  • For ultra smooth icing surfaces let the base layer dry completely for 2 hours before adding any details or designs on top
  • Warm your cookie cutter between your hands before cutting to get cleaner edges that do not stick to the metal

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