With an easy-to-make dough that doesn’t require any electric equipment—just a bowl and clean hands—these are our go-to easy Easter Sugar Cookies. You can make them plain or top with a simple icing, too.
My kids have always liked baking together, so we’ve made a lot of cutout cookies over the years. This recipe, which is based on my easy Sugar Cookie recipe, is the one we turn to for Easter because it’s so darn easy.
This method just requires you to put the ingredients into a bowl and mix them together. It can be rolled and re-rolled as needed without becoming tough. You can make the dough ahead of time and use it later. It works with gluten-free all-purpose flour and nondairy ingredients.
In short, it’s the best option for making with little kids since it’s just foolproof.
(You may also like Easter recipes for kids, Easter breakfast recipes, Sprinkle Cookies, and Fruit Pizza for this time of the year.)
Table of Contents
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Ingredients You Need
Here’s a look at the ingredients you need to have on hand to make this Easter Sugar Cookie recipe so you can ensure you have what you need.
- All-purpose flour: I prefer to use all-purpose flour in this recipe since it’s easy to work with and makes tender cookies with slightly crisp edges.
- Sugar: The best sweetener in this easy cookie recipe is granulated sugar since it blends nicely into the batter and adds sweetness, even in the very small amount that we use.
- Baking powder: A little baking powder helps ensure that the cookies rise slightly and bake through properly.
- Butter: I use unsalted butter in my kitchen and baking so I can control the added salt. You’ll want your butter to be softened at room temperature so it blends easily into the cookie batter.
- Milk: I prefer to make this recipe with whole milk since that’s what I use in my kitchen, but it will work with any type of milk including nondairy milk.
- Vanilla extract: You can use pure or artificial vanilla extract in this recipe to add flavor according to your own preference and budget.
- Easy Icing (optional): You can mix together powdered sugar, a drop or so of milk, and food coloring to make a simple frosting for the cookies.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Below is an overview of how to make these Easter Sugar Cookies. Jump to the recipe for the full information, including the timing and amounts of ingredients.
Step.1 Add the dry ingredients to a medium bowl. Stir.
Step 2. Add the wet ingredients to the bowl.
Step 3. Use clean hands to mix the dough together into a ball.
Step 4. Roll the dough out between 2 sheets of parchment paper with a rolling pin. Cut out and bake.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can use royal icing or the simple glaze I share in the recipe at the bottom of the post which is simply powdered sugar, milk, and food coloring.
Yes, you can make it ahead of time and store the ball of dough in the refrigerator in a sealed plastic bag. Or you can use a freezing method where you freeze the dough (also in a freezer bag) and then let it thaw at room temperature and continue with the recipe.
Sure, there are no electric tools required to make this cookie recipe, just a bowl, a spoon, and a rolling pin.
How to Store
Store fully cooled Easter Sugar Cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for about 5 days. (They will likely last longer just fine.)
Best Tips for Success
- If the dough is at all crumbly, make sure it’s mixed thoroughly and then add a drop or s moore milk.
- If the dough is at all sticky as you try to roll it out, chill it for a few minutes. That will help firm up the butter in the dough to make it less sticky.
- Serve plain or top with a simple icing (see the end of the recipe, below). Let the icing set briefly before serving.
Related Recipes
Desserts
Favorite Sprinkle Cookies
Breakfast
Healthy Carrot Cake Muffins
Breakfast
Favorite Easter Bunny Pancakes
I’d love to hear your feedback on this recipe, so please comment below to share!
Easter Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup unsalted butter (softened at room temperature)
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Easy Icing (optional)
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 teaspoons milk
- 1-2 drops food coloring (optional)
Instructions
To make the cookies:
- Place the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Stir together.
- Add the remaining dough ingredients and use your hands to mix together to form a dough. (You can also use a food processor If you prefer.) If the dough is a little crumbly, be sure that it's thoroughly combined and then if it's still crumbly, add 1/2-1 tablespoon additional milk until it comes together.
- Make two flattened disc of dough and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate while the oven preheats.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Working with one ball of dough at a time, roll about ¼-inch thick between two additional pieces of parchment paper.
- Cut out the dough with a cookie cutter and transfer to the prepared baking sheets. Re-roll the scraps of dough and continue cutting out. (If you have any difficulty moving the cutouts, lightly flour the parchment paper.)
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, until lightly browned around the edges. (If you have some smaller shapes than others or some thinner cookies than others, you may need to remove them from the baking pan first, and allow larger or thicker ones to bake for an additional few minutes.)
- Remove from the oven, let cool on the baking sheet for a minute, and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Meanwhile, repeat with the remaining dough.
Easy Icing (optional)
- Stir the ingredients together in a small bowl. You want it to be able to spread easily on the cookies and not be too thick. If you place some on the cookies and it runs right off, add a little more powdered sugar. If it's too thick to spread, add a drop or so of milk. You can color the icing with a drop of food coloring if desired.
- Use a small butter knife or paintbrush to spread on the icing or pipe on as desired. If adding sprinkles or other decorations, add them to the iced cookies right away before it dries.
Equipment
Notes
- Store fully cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days.
- If the dough sticks after you initially chill the dough and roll it out, cut out the shapes and put it back into the fridge without trying to get the shapes out so it firms up more. Let the sheet pan chill for 10 minutes, then use a flat knife to pop up the shapes.
- If the dough is a little crumbly, be sure that it’s thoroughly combined and then if it’s still crumbly, add 1/2-1 tablespoon additional liquid until it comes together.
- To make this dough ahead: Store it in the fridge wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 24 hours. It will need to sit at room temperature for about an hour to soften up, or you can remove it from the plastic, put it onto a plate, and microwave for 5-10 seconds.
- Gluten-Free: Use this gluten-free cup-for-cup style flour.
- Dairy-Free: Use plain unsweetened nondairy milk in place of dairy milk. Use coconut oil, just softened (so not totally liquid, but softer than when it comes out of the jar at room temp) instead of butter. I tested it with about 10 seconds in the microwave in a heat-safe bowl.
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