7 Best Easter Cookies + 3 Tips on How to Decorate Them

Diana Barkley (Senior Editor)

Easter is an important Christian celebration, commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It’s also a time when both adults and children enjoy the story of the Easter bunny and the consumption of vast amounts of chocolate eggs. Here you’ll find the best ideas for easter cookies.

Easter cookies only really became a ‘thing’ in the 1970s, when they were traditionally baked in South-Western England. Nowadays, Easter cookies are baked anywhere Easter is celebrated, and there are numerous styles and lovely designs.

Easter cookies make for a great homemade tradition to try with children. They’re also great as little gifts for friends, teachers, and anyone else you want to spoil with chocolatey pastel-colored goodness.

Best Easter Cookie Ideas

Best Easter Cookie Ideas

There are Easter cookies that look like the infamous bunny, Easter cookies that incorporate chocolate eggs, and lovingly ‘painted’ cookies — and then there are even more than that.

Below, we’ve collected some of our favorite Easter cookie styles. Try one or try all, and incorporate them into your own special Easter festivities.

Italian Easter Cookies – Sicilian Cuddura

Italian Easter Cookies – Sicilian Cuddura

Cuddura stem from way back in Byzantine Christianity, when gifting eggs was seen as a symbol of the Resurrection of God. Sicilian Cuddura ‘cookies’ are essentially individual pastry nests with eggs in the middle and covered in sprinkles.

These cookies are frequently made in fun shapes, too, including nests, bells, doves, or little Easter baskets. These make great little Easter gifts as well.

Easter Cookies Without Sugar

If you’re following a sugar-free diet or just want to cut back on your consumption of sugar, Easter cookies may sound impossible to make.

Yet there are plenty of wonderful alternatives to sugar-based recipes you can try. One such option is sugar-free cashew butter cookies, which are made with just four ingredients, including maple syrup.

They’re vegan and gluten-free as well, perfect for those with multiple dietary restrictions.

Easter Egg Chocolate Cookies – Mini Egg Cookies

Easter Egg Chocolate Cookies – Mini Egg Cookies

These are essentially chocolate chip cookies with mini chocolate eggs rather than chocolate chips. Follow our basic recipe below to make them.

Easter egg chocolate cookies are particularly yummy because the chocolate slightly melts inside the small candy casings, giving them just the right level of gooeyness and crunch.

If you can’t find mini eggs, opt for M&Ms instead. Add some crushed and whole M&Ms for the ultimate chocolatey goodness.

‘Painted’ Easter Egg Sugar Cookies

‘Painted’ sugar cookies are amongst the easiest to make, yet so effective and pretty. Simply whip up a batch of egg-shaped sugar cookies per your favorite recipe.

Next, make some royal icing, which is made of sugar, egg whites, and food coloring, and enjoy coloring and decorating the ‘eggs.’

If the raw egg whites in the royal icing worry you, opt for pasteurized eggs or meringue powder to make it. Pastel-colored sugar cookie eggs make great gifts — if you can stop yourself from eating all of them first.

Greek Easter Cookies – Koulourakia

Greek Easter Cookies – Koulourakia

Koulourakia are also sometimes referred to as Lenten cookies. These little buttery treats have been baked since at least the Minoan civilization between 3000 BCE and 1100 BCE.

They’re made with plenty of butter, sugar, baking powder, milk, eggs, vanilla extract, flour, and orange zest.

Koulourakia are particularly good served with coffee, so they make for a perfect treat to have while you’re baking more Easter cookies, too.

Easter Bunny & Chick Biscuits

Easter Bunny & Chick Biscuits

These are really just another variation of the ‘painted’ sugar cookies above, but simpler. The idea behind Easter bunny and chick biscuits is to give younger children a selection of Easter-themed cookie cutters.

Whip up your favorite sugar cookie dough, chill, and roll out small batches. Allow kids to enjoy cutting out their own shapes, and decorate them with sprinkles and icing. These make the perfect gift for grandparents and teachers.

Carrot Cake Cookies

Bunnies like carrots, and the Easter bunny is… well, a bunny. It therefore makes perfect sense to bake some carrot cake cookies for Easter.

To make these, mix butter, brown sugar, egg, flour, oats, baking powder, spices, carrots, and, if you like, raisins and chopped walnuts. Bake dollops of the batter until golden brown yet chewy.

Once they’ve cooled (if you can wait as long) you can drizzle each cookie with cream cheese-flavored frosting to really make these perfect.

Tips and Ideas on How to Decorate Easter Cookies

Tips and Ideas on How to Decorate Easter Cookies

Decorating your Easter eggs needn’t be a difficult or daunting task: it should be fun and something you can enjoy with the whole family.

Below are some of our top tips to make decorating your Easter cookies easy and enjoyable – for the best Easter cookies ever.

Take Your Time

The best way to achieve truly delicious bakes is by taking your time. Baking is quite an exact art, so trying to whip up a batch of cookies very quickly isn’t usually a good idea.

You’ll neither enjoy it nor will they turn out exactly right, unless you’re an expert baker. Instead, set aside some time to really follow your recipe. Our basic recipe below is a great one to start with.

Set Out Decoration Materials in Advance

Set Out Decoration Materials in Advance

This step is vital if you’re baking with children. Make sure you set out pre-measured amounts in advance (as though you’re on a baking show.)

Set aside decorations in small bowls rather than giving kids the whole containers. This will result in much more fun and less mess to clean up afterwards, too.

It’s All about the Journey

What we mean is, make decorating a fun activity in itself rather than a dreaded task to get done. Why not set out some snacks and lovely beverages to enjoy while decorating your cookies? You might even wish to put on a nice Easter movie or children’s TV show you can all watch together while you decorate.

Simple Recipe for Easter Cookies: A Guide

Simple Recipe for Easter Cookies: A Guide

The best cookies are often the simplest ones: we love an Easter cookie that’s essentially a chocolate chip cookie but with colorful mini eggs (or M&Ms if you can’t find mini eggs.)

The eggs melt inside for a chocolatey burst of deliciousness, while the gooey cookies are just so satisfying alongside a nice hot cup of coffee. Convinced yet? Why not make these today?

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 cup of brown sugar
• 3 cups of all purpose flour
• ½ cup of softened, salted butter
• ½ cup of vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp of baking powder
• 1 tsp of baking soda
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract
• Colorful mini eggs or M&Ms

And here’s how you do it:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 F and prepare two baking trays with parchment paper.
2. Mix the sugar, brown sugar, butter, and oil in a mixer until pale and creamy.
3. Add the eggs to the sugar mixture and whisk until it’s fluffy.
4. Add the baking powder, baking soda, vanilla, flour, and salt and mix again until smooth and lump-free.
5. Add a mix of chopped and whole mini chocolate eggs or M&Ms.
6. Roll your dough into balls and spread them out on the prepared baking trays. Add a few more mini eggs or M&Ms to the top of each cookie ball if you like.
7. Bake for 7-8 minutes each and allow to cool on the baking sheet before removing.

Best Quotes & Captions to Write on Easter Cookies

Best Quotes & Captions to Write on Easter Cookies

You could bake one large cookie to decorate with a lovely message, write a message on your cookie platter to go along with your baked goodies, or adorn each individual cookie with a few words.

Below are our favorite quotes and captions to use for your Easter cookies:

• "Happy Easter"
• "He is Risen"
• "Easter Bunny"
• "Hoppy Easter"
• "You’re a Good Egg"
• "There’s No-Bunny Like You
• "Faith and Blessings"

Here you’ll find more beautiful happy easter quotes.

Beautiful Gift Ideas for Easter

Beautiful Gift Ideas for Easter

Easter is traditionally a time for gifting chocolate eggs and sweets hidden by the Easter bunny. With that said, you can do so much more for your Easter presents.

There are plenty of creative ideas for both kids and grown ups alike. Below are some of our all-time favorites:

Bespoke Easter Goodies: in a time when everything can be made bespoke, it’s no surprise that you can have your Easter things personalized, too.

Easter baskets for chocolate eggs, wooden crates for gifts and goodies, and egg cups can all be bought with bespoke names and designs. Fill a custom basket with some homemade Easter cookies and you’ve got a wonderful gift both little ones and parents will love.

Easter Collectables: older friends will adore beautiful Easter egg cups and bunny dishes or collectables. You can get porcelain rabbits that are beautifully handpainted, which make great collectable items people will cherish for years to come.

Easter Bath Hamper: you can buy Easter-egg shaped bath bombs and beautifully scented soaps — some of these are even available in egg cartons. Gift these to a favorite friend or relative, particularly one who doesn’t love sweets. They make a great DIY surprise gift, too.

Easter Crafts: it’s worth noting that crafts and Easter seem to go hand-in-hand, with many people lovingly painting eggs to decorate their home with. Gift some egg-painting accessories or other Easter craft kits, such as paintable terracotta ware for outdoors or bunnies. These make good handmade presents as well.

Alternatives to Easter Cookies

Alternatives to Easter Cookies

Not everyone loves baking cookies – perhaps it’s too warm this Easter and the thought of standing in front of an oven fills you with dread.

Perhaps you just need a quick treat to gift rather than a selection of homemade baked goods. Below are some of our favorite alternatives to Easter cookies.

Easter Eggs

It goes without saying that the ultimate Easter cookie alternative is the humble chocolate egg. There are lots of different varieties available, too, from colorful children’s eggs to luxury chocolate ones.

Gift a selection of eggs, perhaps made with different kinds of chocolate for the ultimate indulgent Easter present.

Easter Cupcakes

Easter Cupcakes

Easter cupcakes are a great alternative to cookies if you still want to bake, just not specifically cookies. Simply follow your favorite recipe for cake or use a box mix to whip up a batter for cupcakes.

Once your cupcakes have fully cooled, frost them with your favorite buttercream. Top with crushed pieces of chocolate eggs or pastel sprinkles. If you like, add bunny ear cake toppers for a cute little treat.

Easter Cake (Simnel Cake)

Simnel cake is a beautiful traditional cake made for the end of Lent and associated breaking of the 40-day fasting period. It’s made with layers of marzipan and decorated with 11 marzipan balls on top.

The marzipan balls symbolize the 12 apostles minus Judas Iscariot. The cake itself is a delicious fruitcake made with spices, citrus zest, candied peel, and dried fruits.

Beautiful Easter Traditions That Involve Easter Cookies

Beautiful Easter Traditions That Involve Easter Cookies

The original Easter cookies were made with Cassia oil, which was said to have been used in the embalming of Jesus after his crucifixion.

They were meant to be quite reverent and likely inspired much conversation about Jesus, his sacrifice, and the Easter holidays in general.

Modern Easter traditions are more focused on the baking of cookies together as well as decorating them as a family. These traditions are about spending time together as a family to craft and create something nice.

All of the Easter cookie ideas above make for a beautiful time spent baking together.

Whether you’re more interested in the old traditions or the modern – or both, the most important message here is to spend time together.

Easter is all about being mindful and appreciating the message of Jesus. Whichever traditions you follow or create for your own family, it’s that togetherness which counts.

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