Spring Easter Cookies (Printable)

Buttery sugar cookies with pastel royal icing, shaped into eggs, bunnies, and flowers for spring celebrations.

# What You’ll 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

→ Royal Icing

09 - 2 cups powdered sugar
10 - 1 1/2 tablespoons meringue powder
11 - 3–4 tablespoons water
12 - Gel food coloring in pastel pink, yellow, green, purple
13 - Easter-themed sprinkles

# Directions:

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 until fully incorporated into the butter mixture.
04 - Gradually blend in dry ingredients, mixing just until combined. Avoid overmixing.
05 - Divide dough into two equal portions, shape into flat disks, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for minimum 1 hour.
06 - Heat 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 cutouts 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake for 9–11 minutes until edges are lightly golden.
09 - Transfer cookies to wire rack and allow to cool completely before decorating.
10 - Combine powdered sugar, meringue powder, and water in medium bowl. Mix until smooth and glossy, adjusting water to reach desired consistency.
11 - Divide icing among small bowls. Tint each portion with pastel food coloring.
12 - Apply colored icing to cooled cookies. Add sprinkles while icing is wet. Allow icing to set completely before serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The dough is incredibly forgiving and rolls out like butter even if you overwork it a little
  • These cookies stay soft for days unlike other sugar cookies that turn into hockey pucks
  • The royal icing sets up perfectly smooth without any fancy techniques or tools
02 -
  • Warm dough is impossible to work with so dont skip the chilling time even if youre impatient
  • The icing consistency is everything too thick and it leaves peaks too thin and it runs off the edges
  • Let decorated cookies dry for at least 4 hours or overnight before stacking them or the icing will stick together
03 -
  • Rotate your baking sheets halfway through baking so all cookies brown evenly
  • Use gel food coloring instead of liquid to avoid thinning your icing too much
  • Keep a damp paper towel over your icing bowls while working to prevent crusting

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