Delightful Easter Sugar Cookies (Printable)

Buttery soft sugar cookies with colorful royal icing, ideal for Easter celebrations and spring gatherings.

# What You'll Need:

→ Cookie Dough

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

→ Royal Icing

08 - 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
09 - 1 1/2–2 tablespoons milk or water
10 - 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
11 - 1/2 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
12 - Food coloring (assorted pastel colors)
13 - Assorted sprinkles and decorations

# How To Make:

01 - Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside for later use.
02 - Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl until fluffy, approximately 2–3 minutes. Incorporate egg and vanilla extract until fully combined.
03 - Gradually blend dry ingredients into wet mixture, mixing until just incorporated. Avoid overmixing to maintain tender texture.
04 - Divide dough in half, form into disks, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for minimum 30 minutes to firm.
05 - Heat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
06 - Roll chilled dough on lightly floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut shapes with Easter-themed cookie cutters.
07 - Arrange cutouts 1 inch apart on prepared sheets. Bake 8–10 minutes until edges are set but not browned.
08 - Let cookies rest on baking sheet 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool entirely before decorating.
09 - Whisk powdered sugar, milk or water, corn syrup, and vanilla or almond extract. Adjust liquid to achieve desired consistency.
10 - Portion icing and tint with food coloring. Apply to cooled cookies; add sprinkles before icing hardens. Allow decorations to dry completely.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The dough stays soft and workable, so you can cut out dozens of shapes without it fighting back or getting warm and fussy
  • They taste like the kind of sugar cookies that make people pause midbite and ask for the recipe instead of just grabbing another from the plate
02 -
  • Chilling the dough is not optional, warm dough spreads in the oven and your carefully shaped bunnies will turn into amorphous blobs
  • Work with one dough disk at a time while keeping the other in the refrigerator, because dough that warms up becomes sticky and frustrating
03 -
  • Rotate your baking sheets halfway through cooking time if your oven has hot spots, which keeps all your cookies evenly golden instead of some pale and some overdone
  • Add lemon zest to the dough for a bright spring twist that cuts through the sweetness and makes these feel even more special

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