This Easter sugar cookies recipe is sure to elevate the desserts after Easter dinner. In a pinwheel shape, these pretty, colorful cookies are a gorgeous addition to any dessert spread.
While the cookies look ornate, this is such a simple recipe. Just grab the easy, standard ingredients, mix, and do a little refrigeration in between steps, and you’ll wind up with the most beautiful cookies.
If you’re searching for cookie recipes that will ultimately impress your guests this Easter (or for other special occasions), this sugar cookie recipe should be your go-to!
Common Questions about Easter Sugar Cookies
Do you put sugar crystals on cookies before baking?
While we don’t call for them in this recipe, we do note that you can use various toppings or additions. When it comes to ingredients like this, you should add them before baking.
Do you decorate cookies hot or cold?
While these cookies aren’t a decorated cookie, you certainly could if you choose to. If so, do wait until the cookies are completely cooled.
Making Sugar Cookies for Easter Ahead of Time
You can make the dough and store for up to 24 hours.
Storage
Store cooled cookies in an airtight container or ziploc bag — they’ll remain soft for several days. Refrigerating and freezing are not recommended.
Tips For The Best Easter Sugar Cookies
- Be sure to chill the dough. It helps the ingredients to mingle for a better flavored cookie and the dough stays together better when baking.
- Allow the butter to come to room temperature. This makes it far easier to mix which results in a better cookie once the dough is baked.
Ingredients
Besides the food coloring and optional sprinkles and sanding sugar, you may already have all of these simple ingredients on hand.
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Butter (room temperature)
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Pink gel food coloring (I used fuschia)
- White sanding sugar or sprinkles if desired
Kitchen Supplies You’ll Need
You’ll need just a few supplies to whip up these easy sugar cookies.
- Bowls
- Stand mixer with a paddle attachment or hand mixer
- Pizza cutter or pastry cutter
- Pastry brush
- Baking sheet
- Wire rack
- Rolling pin
How to Make Easter Sugar Cookies
This easy recipe comes together in nearly no time.
- Pour the flour, salt, and baking powder into a large bowl. Either sift it into the bowl or whisk it together to combine.
- In a separate bowl, mix the softened butter and sugar until creamed.
- Then, add eggs and vanilla and beat until completely combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl as you mix.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter and egg mixture in intervals until all ingredients are equally dispersed.
- Divide dough into halves and dye one portion with the food coloring, mixing it in using the stand or electric mixer.
- Once the dough is dyed, form each half of the sugar cookie dough into a ball on a lightly floured surface, flatten, and then form into a rectangle.
- Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
- After chilling, roll the dough balls and place one on top of the other before trimming the edges with a pizza cutter.
- Roll into a log, press in sprinkles, and refrigerate again for at least 1 hour.
- After removing the dough from the refrigerator, slice the log into cookies and place them on the prepared cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Bake the cookies then let them come to room temperature on a cooling rack.
What to Serve With Sugar Cookies for Easter
When it comes to sugar cookies, you can serve nearly anything with them. These pretty pinwheels definitely can stand alone but they’re also deserving of tasty accompaniments.
- Warm drinks – Coffee, tea, and hot chocolate are all perfect for these sweet, pretty cookies.
- Whipped cream – Offer up some whipped cream for smearing or dipping.
- Ice cream – Who doesn’t love ice cream with dessert? Scoop some on top or serve the cookies as a garnish in the bowl.
- Marshmallow fluff – Just like whipped cream, marshmallow fluff makes a good spread or dip.
Why You Should Make This Recipe
It’s so pretty and perfect for Easter there are very few reasons not to make these fantastic cookies for Easter!
- Easy – Sugar cookies are an easy but beloved style of cookie. While there are a few steps to making these pinwheel cookies, each step is incredibly easy and there’s actually not a lot of hands-on prep time.
- Festive – These cookies are an elevated way to celebrate the holiday.
- Affordable – With few ingredients you don’t have to break the bank to make a gorgeous dessert.
Variations and Add-ins
There are plenty of ways to turn these cookies into your own signature Easter cookies.
- Alternative flours – If you’re trying to avoid gluten, experiment with using a different type of flour.
- Extracts – While we love vanilla in this recipe you can try any extract you enjoy. Almond extract is a great alternative.
- Different colors – Use any food coloring that you like!
- Decorating – You can frost these cookies with buttercream frosting (use a piping bag to make it pretty), dust them with powdered sugar, or drizzle a glaze icing over the surface of the cookie.
- Chocolate – Fold mini chocolate chips or chocolate shavings into the batter for a chocolate version.
- Citrus – Add a splash of lemon juice or lemon extract to the batter to make bright lemon cookies.
- Cookie cutters – Use cookie cutters to create different shapes for the holiday. An egg-shaped cookie cutter works especially well for this recipe.
If you love this easy Easter pinwheel cookies recipe, you’re going to love these other sugar cookies too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!
Other Delicious Cookies
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Easter Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup butter at room temperature
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp pink gel food coloring – I used fushia
white sanding sugar or sprinkles if desired
Instructions
- Combine the flour, salt, and baking powder in a bowl, mix and set aside.
- In another large mixer bowl, cream together the softened butter & sugar.
- Once smooth, add the eggs and vanilla and beat well.
- Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture a little at a time. Mix until the dough is smooth and flour is fully incorporated.
- Separate the dough into two equal parts.
- Color one of the portions of dough pink, and leave the other alone unless you want a different color pattern. Use the mixer to beat the color into the dough until you have reached the desired shade. Be sure to rinse out the bowl and the beater inbetween the colors (if you are doing multiple colors) so that you don’t cross the colors and end up with something other than the desired color.
- Once the dough is tinted to the desired color – form it into a ball, then flatten it into a patty and then reshape the edges to form a rectangle.
- Wrap each flattened rectangle in plastic, and allow the dough to firm up in the refrigerator for about an hour or two.
- Roll out each ball of dough to about ⅛ – ¼” thick, and stack them on top of each other (I did pink on the bottom, then the untinted dough on top).
- Trim the edges with a pizza or pastry cutter so you have nice, straight edges.
- Roll the dough into a log, wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
- If desired – Pour some sprinkles into your hand & brush the outside of the dough with a bit of water and then press the sprinkles into the outside of the dough log before chilling.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Cut the log of dough into ¼ – ½” thick cookies and place the rounds on a parchment lined baking sheet – approx 2 inches apart. The thinner the blade used to slice them, the better. A thick blade will tend to squish the dough.
- Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes, or until no longer shiny on top.
- Cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Equipment
- Rolling Pin
- Mixer
Nutrition
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate. Please double-check with your own dietary calculator for the best accuracy. We at Yummi Haus cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
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