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These Easter Sugar Cookies are an easy, cut out sugar cookie decorated with vanilla buttercream. They are absolutely adorable and totally addictive! Learn how to decorate sugar cookies for Easter with this easy tutorial.
This post is sponsored by Krusteaz. All opinions are my own.
I cannot get over how dang CUTE these Easter Sugar Cookies are! I love the soft colors but also the sprinkles, which are definitely required for sugar cookies. The buttery cut out sugar cookies are decorated with an easy vanilla buttercream.
If decorating sugar cookies is intimidating to you, have no fear! I am here to break it all down for you. I am not usually someone who has the patience to get through an entire batch of decorated cookies, but with a few simple piping tips, it makes it WAY easier!
First you need to start with a sugar cookie recipe, and I am about to blow your mind. This one is from a box! I had no idea that I could use a box of Krusteaz Butter Vanilla Sugar Cookie Mix to make cut out sugar cookies.
The Benefits of sugar cookie mix
This is such a huge time saver- plus it doesn’t require any time in the refrigerator! Just 3 ingredients are needed for these cookies: the Krusteaz cookie mix, butter and an egg.
All you need to do is reduce the amount of butter from ½ cup to 1/3 cup the dough is the perfect consistency to roll it out on a gently floured surface. Depending on the size of your cookie cutters, you can get about 24 cookies.
For these Easter Sugar Cookies, I used a collection of cookie cutters including bunnies, chicks, an Easter egg, and a carrot. The set came with more than I needed, and the Easter egg shape was too big for me, so I ended up purchasing a smaller one at a local craft store.
Want to make cookies from scratch instead?
I don’t want you to be intimidated to make these cookies, it is for sure a quick and easy process with a box of cookie mix, but I also have an easy cut out sugar cookie recipe you can use.
Once all your cookies are baked and cooled, the real fun starts.
I’ve covered how to decorate sugar cookies with buttercream frosting in great detail on a previous post. If buttercream isn’t your thing, I recently became obsessed marbling, which is what I did for my Valentine’s day cookies. For more info on this technique, check out my post on how to make sugar cookie icing.
make the frosting
To decorate these Easter cookies, you need a batch of my Perfect Vanilla frosting. This frosting is whipped, which makes it nice and fluffy and easy for decorating.
However, the recipe starts with cold butter, which means you need to whip the butter for several minutes at the start, prior to adding any powdered sugar, and continue to whip as the sugar is added. If you do not whip it enough, it will be a little too stiff for piping.
add color & Get some Sprinkles
Next, pick your color palette. Soft pastels colors such as yellows, pinks, blues and greens are great Easter selections that can be achieved with just a touch of gel color. A toothpick is a great way to transfer the gel colors when you’re trying to use only a small amount. The gel colors are more concentrated than food coloring, so only a tiny bit is needed.
For decorations, grab some festive sprinkles, sugar pearls or other edible decorations. If you hit up your local craft store, you can find mini bags of single colors of sprinkles that are perfect for occasions like this.
WHat piping tips to use
Okay so let’s go through the piping tips you’ll need for these cookies. They are all decorated with either a size 18 or size 21 open star tip and then a size 5 open round tip and that’s it! If you use a set of couplers with your piping bags, it’s even easier to change out the piping tips.
The Easter bunny cookie is a large one, so using an open star tip is a really quick way to decorate large cookies, plus it looks like fur! For the eyes and nose, I used some large sugar pearls, but frosting works well too. Then for the ears, I used the same pink frosting that I used on the Easter eggs.
I just love the way the Easter eggs turned out! Again, I used the small open star tip to alternate the pink and yellow colors, and then uses the same tip as the Easter bunny to make the horizontal lines. It breaks the pattern up a little bit, and I finished if off with some sprinkles.
For the carrots, simply frost the bottom half with white frosting then immediately press it into a pile of orange sugar sprinkles. It’s definitely a technique I use when I am looking to bust out a few quick cookies.
Finally, the mini chicks. Are they not the cutest?! I was inspired by my favorite buttercream cookie decorator, Jenny from Jenny Cookies. Start by drawing an outline around the outside of the cookie. These are frosted in horizontal and vertical lines back and forth continuously piping in one motion (as best as possible). I did use little orange sprinkles for the feet and beak and sugar pearls for the eyes.
Seriously, the open star tips are my favorite for decorating sugar cookies. It’s generally quick and super easy and there’s so many ways you can use this tip, including mini flowers or florets. Since you save so much time with the Krusteaz sugar cookie mix, you’ll have even more time to decorate your cookies.
This buttercream will lightly crust over but not enough where you can stack the cookies on top of each other, especially if they are large. I recommend storing them flat.
Want more ideas for your sugar cookie mix? Be sure to check out these adorable Football Cookie Cups and another quick and easy recipe for Almond Cookie Cups.
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Print
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 24 cookies
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
These Easter Sugar Cookies are an easy, roll-out sugar cookie decorated with vanilla buttercream. These festive Easter Cookies are so adorable!
Ingredients
For the cookies
- 1 package Krusteaz Butter Vanilla Sugar Cookie Mix
- 1/3 cup butter, softened but not melted
- 1 large egg
For the frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter, slightly softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
- ½ teaspoon clear vanilla extract
- Gel food coloring
Instructions
For the cookies:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine Krusteaz Butter Vanilla Sugar Cookie Mix, butter and egg and beat until well mixed.
- On a well-floured surface, roll out the cookie dough at least ¼-inch thick. Cut to desired shapes with cookie cutter. Place 1 inch apart on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Bake 8-10 minutes until the cookies are lightly golden brown around the edges. Allow the cookies to cool completely before frosting.
For the frosting:
- Cut the butter into 1 tablespoon-sized pieces and whip in a standing mixer 3-5 minutes, until the butter looks light in color.
- Add powdered sugar and mix on low speed until incorporated, then add heavy whipping cream and vanilla extract. Decrease speed to medium-high and beat for a couple more minutes to whip additional air into the frosting. It should be light and airy.
- To dye each frosting color, add a small drop of food coloring into the frosting and stir until well combined. Pipe designs on each cookie.
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: frosted sugar cookies, easy sugar cookies, easter cookies, easter dessert ideas
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