Description
Delightfully soft and buttery Easter Egg Sugar Cookies decorated with smooth, colorful royal icing. These charming cookies are perfect for festive celebrations, featuring a tender crumb and beautifully detailed icing made from meringue powder and powdered sugar. Ideal for kids and adults alike, they hold up well for days, making them a wonderful gift or party treat.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Cookies
- 1 cup softened unsalted butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Additional flour for rolling
For the Royal Icing
- 8 cups powdered sugar
- 6 tbsp meringue powder
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 12 tbsp warm water
- More water to thin the icing
- Gel food coloring in desired colors
Instructions
- Prepare the cookie dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat softened butter for 3 minutes until creamy. Add sugar and vanilla, and beat until incorporated. Add the egg and mix until fully combined.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing until the flour is fully incorporated into a dough.
- Chill the dough: Form the dough into a ball, wrap tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight to firm up.
- Roll and cut cookies: Remove dough from fridge, divide into two equal balls. Roll each ball between parchment paper to about 1/4 inch thickness. Using an egg-shaped cookie cutter, cut out the cookies. Re-roll scraps as necessary, but minimize re-rolling to keep cookies smooth.
- Bake the cookies: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Place cut-outs on a baking sheet lined with silicone mat or parchment paper. Bake for 10-11 minutes until just beginning to turn golden at the edges. Let cool on the baking sheet 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
- Make the royal icing: In a clean bowl of the stand mixer with paddle attachment, combine powdered sugar, meringue powder, vanilla, and 12 tablespoons warm water. Beat on medium speed for about 8 minutes until the icing becomes thick, shiny, and holds peaks.
- Color and thin the icing: Divide icing into portions and add gel food coloring a little at a time until desired colors are achieved. Thin icing with a small amount of water to reach a 20-second consistency for flooding cookies.
- Decorate the cookies: Fill piping bags fitted with Wilton #2 tips with the colored icing. Outline and fill the cookies with the base color and let the icing set for at least 8 hours. Add additional decorative details as desired and allow the icing to fully dry.
- Store the cookies: Keep decorated cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 10 days, or individually package each cookie to maintain freshness and designs.
Notes
- For best results, chill the dough overnight to improve flavor and ease of handling.
- Use gel or paste food coloring to avoid thinning the royal icing too much.
- Allow royal icing to fully dry and set for at least 8 hours before stacking or packaging cookies.
- If icing thickens too much while decorating, adjust consistency with small amounts of water.
- Store cookies in an airtight container to keep them fresh and crisp.
