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Easter baking always turns into a full afternoon in our kitchen, with cookie sheets on every counter and kids waiting to help decorate. These soft sugar cookies are one of our favorite Easter traditions because they’re simple to make, easy to shape into eggs, and perfect for decorating with buttercream frosting and sprinkles. We often make these alongside Bakery-Style Cinnamon Rolls (Same Day or Overnight) for Easter morning, and sometimes add a mug of Homemade Hot Chocolate if it’s still chilly outside.
When we’re making a full dessert tray for family gatherings, these cookies fit perfectly next to Easy Meringue Cookies, Classic Scotcheroos (No Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars), and Perfectly Easy No-Bake Cookies.
Be sure to browse all my Cookie Recipes and my ever growing Desserts Category.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Soft, thick sugar cookies that hold their shape
- No cookie cutters required — just shape into eggs
- Perfect for decorating with buttercream frosting – I have several kinds in my Frostings category
- Great for Easter dessert trays and spring parties
- Kid-friendly recipe with simple steps
- Cookies stay soft for several days
- Buttercream frosting spreads easily and sets beautifully
Ingredients
- Butter
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Milk or cream
- Powdered sugar
- Food coloring
- Sprinkles (optional)
Equipment
- Stand Mixer – A stand mixer makes creaming the butter and sugar much easier and helps create a soft, fluffy cookie texture. It’s also helpful for recipes like Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake and Lemon Sugar Cookie Bars.
- Mixing Bowls – You’ll need separate bowls for dry ingredients and for making the buttercream frosting.
- Baking Sheets – Use light-colored baking sheets for even baking and soft bottoms.
- Parchment Paper – Helps prevent over-browning and keeps cookies from sticking.
- Cooling Rack – Allows cookies to cool evenly before frosting.
- Offset Spatula or Butter Knife – Perfect for spreading buttercream frosting smoothly over cookies.
- Cookie Scoop – Helps keep cookies uniform in size so they bake evenly.
How to Make
The dough for these cookies comes together like a classic soft sugar cookie dough, starting with creaming the butter and sugar together until the mixture becomes light and fluffy.
This step is important because it incorporates air into the dough, which helps create a soft, tender cookie instead of a dense one.
After adding the eggs and vanilla, the dry ingredients are mixed in just until a soft dough forms. Don’t skip the chill time! Skipping the chill time will cause the cookies to spread thin while baking.
Instead of rolling and cutting the dough, these cookies are shaped by scooping dough, rolling it into a ball, and gently flattening it into an oval shape to resemble an egg.
This method keeps the cookies thick and soft while also giving them that classic Easter egg look. Before baking, a light sprinkle of sugar is added to the tops, which creates a slightly crisp top while the inside stays soft.
The cookies bake just until the edges are set and the bottoms are lightly golden. It’s important not to overbake, because the cookies will continue to set as they cool.
A heaping scoop of Buttercream Frosting on each cookie makes them look like bakery-style frosted cookies, and this is the part kids usually love helping with the most.
I offer several frosting recipes – choose from my Classic Buttercream Frosting, Lemon Buttercream Frosting, Cream Cheese Frosting, or for a different flavor, try my Almond Buttercream Frosting. It has a light almond flavor and a soft, bakery-style texture.
The frosting should be thick, smooth, and easy to spread, similar to the frosting used on Sugar Cookie Bars with Buttercream Frosting. Finish off with Sprinkles (optional, but recommended!)
Complete your Easter Dessert spread by serving alongside these
Easy No Bake Egg Nest Cookies!
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
PrintEaster Egg Shaped Sugar Cookies
These Easter Egg Shaped Sugar Cookies are soft, tender, and perfect for decorating with buttercream frosting and pastel food coloring. This easy sugar cookie recipe makes thick, bakery-style cookies that hold their shape and stay soft, making them perfect for Easter baskets, spring parties, and family baking days.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Chill Time: 2 hours – overnight
- Cook Time: 9-10 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: About 24 large cookies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar (plus extra for rolling and pressing)
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Frosting of Choice (I have several recipes posted)
- Food coloring
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter, oil, eggs, granulated sugar, powdered sugar, and vanilla until smooth and fully combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and mix on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes until a soft dough forms and the mixture is smooth.
- Cover the dough and refrigerate for at least 1 to 2 hours, or overnight for best results.
- After chilling, remove the dough from the refrigerator and preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Using a cookie scoop, scoop heaping scoops of dough and roll them into balls in your hand.
- Place them on the prepared baking sheet, leaving 2 to 3 inches between each dough ball. Shape the dough into egg-shaped cookies. (These cookies will grow.)
- Using a fine mesh strainer, sift a bit of granulated sugar on top of your egg-shaped cookies.
- Bake for 9 to 10 minutes, until the cookies are set and just barely beginning to turn light golden on the edges. Do not overbake. The cookies will be soft, and that is okay. They will continue to set as they cool.
- Allow cookies to cool completely before frosting.
- Frost with almond buttercream, classic buttercream frosting, lemon buttercream, or cream cheese frosting. Add food coloring to the frosting to create pastel Easter colors before decorating.
Notes
- Chill the dough for at least 1–2 hours so the cookies hold their shape while baking. (The longer the better, overnight is the best, but 1-2 hours will work)
- Do not overbake. These cookies should stay soft and thick.
- Gel food coloring works best for frosting because it does not thin the buttercream, but standard food coloring is fine too!
- To make pastel Easter colors, use very small amounts of food coloring and mix well before adding more.
- These cookies are perfect for Easter baskets, cookie trays, spring parties, and decorating with kids.
- Store frosted cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Recipes That Pair Well With This
These cookies are perfect for holidays, cookie trays, or family gatherings. Try them along side:
- Homemade Hot Chocolate
- Hotel Style Waffles
- Bakery-Style Cinnamon Rolls
- Easy Meringue Cookies
- Classic Scotcheroos (No Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars)
- Perfectly Easy No-Bake Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
- Lemon Sugar Cookie Bars
- Sugar Cookie Bars with Buttercream Frosting
- For spring gatherings or Easter dessert tables, adding a pan of Oreo Cheesecake or Fruit Pizza creates a nice variety of flavors and textures.
More Recipes to Try
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
- Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
- White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
- Double Chocolate White Chocolate Cookies
- Easy Meringue Cookies
- Classic Scotcheroos (No Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars)
- Perfectly Easy No-Bake Cookies
- Oreo Cheesecake
- Classic Cheesecake with Pecan Praline Sauce
While you’re here, check out all my Dessert Recipes
Tips for Little Helpers
This is a great recipe for kids to help with because there are several simple steps they can do. Kids can help roll the dough into balls, flatten the cookies into egg shapes, sprinkle sugar on top before baking, and spread frosting on the cooled cookies. Letting kids decorate with frosting and sprinkles is usually the highlight of the whole baking day.
Tips for Success
Make sure the butter is softened but not melted so the cookies keep their shape. Do not overmix the dough after adding the flour, because overmixing can make the cookies tough instead of soft. Slightly underbaking the cookies helps keep them soft for several days. Let the cookies cool completely before frosting so the buttercream does not melt. If the frosting feels too thick to spread, add a very small amount of milk or cream until it reaches a smooth, spreadable consistency.
FAQs
Can I make these cookies ahead of time?
Yes, these cookies can be baked a day or two in advance and stored unfrosted until you are ready to decorate them.
Do these cookies hold their shape while baking?
Yes, because the dough is rolled into balls and flattened rather than rolled and cut, they hold their egg shape very well.
Can I freeze these cookies?
Yes, both the baked cookies and the dough freeze well.
Can I use store-bought frosting?
You can, but homemade buttercream gives the cookies a much better flavor and texture. Choose from
Storage
Store frosted cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. If stacking cookies, place parchment paper between layers to prevent the frosting from sticking.
Freezing Instructions
Unfrosted cookies can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature and frost after thawing. Cookie dough can also be frozen and baked later.
Variations
- You can shape these cookies into circles, eggs, or other simple shapes without cookie cutters.
- The buttercream frosting can be colored for different holidays or events.
- Sprinkles, sanding sugar, or pastel frosting colors make these perfect for Easter, but the same cookie base can be used year-round for different holidays.
Final Thoughts
These Easter egg sugar cookies are simple, soft, and perfect for decorating, which makes them ideal for baking with kids or making for holiday gatherings. The cookies stay soft, the buttercream frosting spreads easily, and the egg shape makes them perfect for Easter trays and spring dessert tables.
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