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–+ servings
Easter sugar cookies. Easy to make and fun to decorate buttery vanilla biscuits for Easter, perfect to let your creativity shine! Recipe by movers and bakers
5 from 1 vote

Easter Sugar Cookies

Get creative this Easter with uniquely decorated Easter sugar cookies! My no-spread sugar cookie recipe ensures your biscuits keep their perfect sharp edges every time. Finished with a pretty royal icing piping, these cookies are the ultimate canvas for your Easter creativity.
Servings 16 servings
Prep Time 2 hours
Cook Time 10 minutes
Chill Time 2 hours
Total Time 4 hours 10 minutes

Equipment

  • Baking tray
  • Digital kitchen scales
  • Measuring spoons
  • Mixing bowl
  • Handheld electric mixer
  • Rolling Pin
  • Cookie cutter
  • Piping bag

Ingredients

  • 110 g (½ cup) unsalted butter
  • 100 g (¼ cup + 3 tbsp) caster sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 280 g (2 cups) plain (all purpose) flour
  • 0.25 tsp baking powder
  • 0.25 tsp salt
  • 250 g (1 ¾ cups + 2 tbsp) royal icing sugar
  • food colouring (I used pink, purple and yellow)

Instructions

  • In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and caster sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add in the egg and vanilla and beat again until combined.
    110 g (½ cup) unsalted butter, 100 g (¼ cup + 3 tbsp) caster sugar, 1 large egg, 1 tsp vanilla
  • Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt. Beat again until the mixture comes together into a stiff dough.
    280 g (2 cups) plain (all purpose) flour, 0.25 tsp baking powder, 0.25 tsp salt
  • Press the dough together, shaping into a flat disc. Wrap it tightly in cling film and place in the fridge to chill for at least two hours.
  • Once the dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 160C/320F and line two baking trays with parchment paper.
  • On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to roughly ¼" thickness and stamp out biscuits using a cookie cutter. Place them on the prepared baking tray, leaving a little space between for even baking.
  • Bake the biscuits in the preheated oven for 9-10 minutes until firm and the edges are just turning golden. Cool for a few minutes on the baking tray, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before decorating.

How to decorate sugar cookies with royal icing

  • After all the biscuits have been baked and are cool, its time to make some icing and decorate! Mix the royal icing sugar with enough water to form the icing. It should have the consistency of lightly whipped cream. When drizzled off a spoon back into the bowl, the icing should take about 15 seconds to blend back in. This is the consistency you are looking for.
    250 g (1 ¾ cups + 2 tbsp) royal icing sugar
  • Divide the mixture into four separate bowls, colouring them each a different colour, as you wish (I used pink, purple, yellow and left one white). Place each colour of icing into four separate piping bags. Snip a tiny hold into the end of each one, so you can use the ends to draw with the icing and flood the cookies.
    food colouring (I used pink, purple and yellow)
  • Outline each cookie in a colour before flooding the middle to cover with icing. Give each cookie a little shake to level the icing, using a toothpick or pin to pop any air bubbles in the icing. Leave to set before adding further icing decoration and details over each cookie. Leave this final decoration to set and dry completely before storing or serving the biscuits. Enjoy!

Notes

  • Use butter at room temperature, as it mixes better with all the other ingredients. If you have forgotten to take it out of the fridge, leave it out at room temperature for about an hour before making up the dough.
  • Always use block butter when making these cookies. Spreadable butter will not firm up enough and will result in baked cookies that are likely to spread more and not hold their shape.
  • When adding in the dry ingredients, mix until combined before squeezing the dough together into a disc. Over beating the dough can result in overworking the gluten, creating tough cookies and not soft, melt-in-your-mouth ones.
  • Chilling the dough is important, for two reasons. It allows the gluten to relax, making sure the cookies are not tough when baked. And it also allows the butter to chill again, ensuring the cookies hold their shape during baking.
  • Keep an eye on the cookies as they bake. They can catch on the edges very easily, so if you want the cookies to remain pale and not golden, it could be the difference in a minute of baking time!
  • When making the royal icing, add in the water just a few drops at a time. A little goes a very long way when it comes to making icing! You are looking for a fairly thick texture that still flows back together and blends smooth after about 15 seconds.
  • Always use gel colours when colouring royal icing. Gel colours are more concentrated so you will require less to achieve the colour you want. They also contain less water, so will not affect the consistency of the icing.
  • You can use a nozzle if you prefer rather than cutting the end of the piping bag. If using a nozzle I would recommend not using a larger tip than no. 3.
  • Pipe the outline of the cookie shape before filling it in with icing. Once filled in, gently shake the cookie to spread the icing out and level it. Use a toothpick or a pin to remove any air bubbles and smooth the icing over before leaving the base layer to set.
  • The way I have decorated the cookies here is by allowing the main base colour to dry completely before adding details on top. You can add the details to the wet base colour of course. However, this would result in the icing all being one layer, not textured.
  • Leave the icing to dry completely for a few hours before storing in an airtight container.
    • Author: Andrea
    Calories: 227kcal
    Course: Dessert, Snacks
    Cuisine: American, British
    Keyword: Buttery Vanilla Biscuit Base, Decorated Easter Biscuits, Easter Egg Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing, Easy Royal Icing Easter Cookies, Outlining and Flooding Technique, Smooth and Velvety Royal Icing, The 15-Second Royal Icing Consistency

    Nutrition

    Calories: 227kcal