Description
This classic Easter Sugar Cookies recipe features tender, buttery sugar cookies decorated with smooth, colorful royal icing. Perfect for holiday gatherings or festive celebrations, these cookies combine a simple homemade dough with a beautiful finishing touch of vibrant icing that you can customize with your favorite colors and designs.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Sugar Cookies:
- 280 g plain, all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 170 g unsalted butter, softened
- 150 g caster or granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Icing:
- 500 g royal icing sugar, sifted
- 9–10 tablespoons room temperature water
Instructions
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set this mixture aside while you prepare the wet ingredients.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the softened butter until it becomes pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and continue to cream together for an additional 2 minutes.
- Add Egg and Vanilla: Add the egg and vanilla extract to the butter and sugar mixture and beat on high speed until fully combined. Make sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed to incorporate all ingredients evenly.
- Combine Dry and Wet Mixtures: Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture while mixing on low speed until just combined, avoiding overmixing to keep the cookies tender.
- Roll and Chill Dough: Divide the dough into two equal parts. On a flat surface, place a sheet of baking paper or silicone mat lightly dusted with flour. Place one half of the dough on the paper, cover with another sheet, and roll out to about 5mm thickness. Transfer the rolled dough to the fridge, repeating with the second piece if stacking, cover the top piece to prevent drying. Chill for at least 1-2 hours or ideally overnight.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Trays: Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Line baking trays with baking paper.
- Cut Cookies: Remove one rolled dough piece from the fridge. Use your favorite cookie cutters to cut shapes, rerolling scraps to use all dough. Repeat with the second dough piece.
- Bake Cookies: Place cut cookies on baking trays and bake on the middle oven shelf for about 10 minutes, rotating the trays halfway through. Cookies are done when edges turn lightly brown. Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes on the tray before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Prepare Royal Icing: In a mixer bowl fitted with a whisk attachment, combine the sifted royal icing sugar and water. Beat for about 2 minutes until well combined. The icing should drizzle smoothly and solidify within 10-12 seconds when drizzled from the whisk.
- Adjust Icing Consistency: If the icing is too thick, add water a teaspoon at a time. If too thin, add more sifted royal icing sugar until the desired consistency is reached.
- Color the Icing: Divide the icing into separate bowls and add gel food coloring drops to each. Stir with a toothpick or skewer to mix colors thoroughly. Transfer colored icing to piping bags and snip the tips.
- Decorate Cookies: Pipe border lines around each cookie and allow to dry for a few minutes. Then, flood the interior of each cookie with icing using a top-to-bottom or edge-to-center motion. Use a toothpick to fill any gaps and tap cookies gently to spread icing evenly. Allow the icing to dry completely before adding additional layers or decorations.
Notes
- Storing: Store plain or decorated cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days.
- Freezing Cookies: Freeze plain or decorated cookies layered between baking paper in freezer-friendly containers for up to 3 months.
- Freezing Cookie Dough: Divide dough into two disks and wrap in double clingfilm layers; freeze up to 3 months. Thaw in fridge, then bring to room temperature for 45 minutes before rolling and chilling again for 1 hour prior to baking.
- Making Royal Icing Ahead: Prepare 2-3 days in advance, store covered in fridge, whisk before use.
- Freezing Royal Icing: Store in a zip-lock bag with air squeezed out; freeze up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or in fridge before using.
- Royal Icing Alternatives: See notes for possible substitutions if royal icing sugar is unavailable.
Keywords: Easter sugar cookies, holiday cookies, royal icing cookies, decorated sugar cookies, festive cookies