Updated with improved techniques, bakery-style frosting, and elegant packaging ideas.
These Easter Basket Cookies are more than just adorable. They're a technique-driven, bakery-quality treat that's perfect for gifting, entertaining, or simply celebrating the season.
Each cookie starts with a sturdy sugar cookie base and is decorated with a Vintage Bakery Frosting (classic decorating Icing that pipes beautifully). I first learned how to make this frosting over 50 years ago and still use it today because it simply works, and is delicious!
The result? A cookie that is
- beautifully shaped
- easy to decorate
- stable enough for packaging
- and just as delicious as it looks
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Here's What You'll Need
- The Secret to Perfect Sugar Cookies (Don't Skip This)
- How to Make Perfectly Shaped Cookies
- How to Get Smooth Edges (Bakery Trick)
- Decorating the Easter Basket Cookies
- How to Package Easter Basket Cookies (Game-Changer)
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Chula's Test Kitchen Tips
- Want More Ideas for Easter Treats? Check Out These:
- Recipe
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Perfectly shaped cookies every time (no guesswork)
- No rerolling scraps, for tender consistent results
- Classic bakery-style frosting that pipes and sets beautifully
- Elegant packaging idea included - perfect for gifting
- Tested and refined over decades
Here's What You'll Need
For the Sugar Cookies
For the Vintage Bakery Frosting and Decorations
The Secret to Perfect Sugar Cookies (Don't Skip This)
This is where the recipe truly stands apart
Chula's Test Kitchen Method
Generally, when making sugar cookies, one rolls the dough out and ends up rerolling the scraps numerous times.
Instead of rolling and rerolling the scraps, this is what I do.
- Portion the dough ahead of time into 1.5 to 1.6 ounce pieces per cookie
- Roll each portion individually
- Use ¼-inch rolling pin rings for even thickness
- Roll the dough between parchment paper dusted with confectioners' sugar (not flour)
This technique minimizes handling the dough, prevents tough cookies, and ensures uniform size and baking.
How to Make Perfectly Shaped Cookies
The perfectly shaped cookies start with rolling each portion of dough to ¼ inch thickness. Then the dough is cut with a 4-inch egg-shaped cookie cutter. The cookies are baked at 375°F for 11 to 12 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
The critical step: As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, I re-cut them with the cookie cutter. This corrects any spreading and ensures a perfect, uniform shape.
How to Get Smooth Edges (Bakery Trick)
Once the cookies are completely cool, I "sand" the edges with the underside of a wire-mesh strainer. This removes the roughness resulting from trimming the cookies and creates a clean, professional finish.
(I learned this technique in a pastry class in Paris, and still use it today.)
Decorating the Easter Basket Cookies
- Basket Weave: Using a #5 round tip, I piped a horizontal line across the middle of the cookie. Then, I added vertical lines and piped short horizontal lines to create the weave.
- Finish the Basket (New and Improved): Using a #14 star tip, I piped stars to create the basket handle and around the basket edge for a finishing touch.
- Grass: For the grass, I used the #233 grass tip with frosting that I had colored green.
- Adding the Eggs: I used pastel M&Ms placed on the grass.
How to Package Easter Basket Cookies (Game-Changer)
These cookies aren't just cute. They're gift-ready. I used 4-inch-square boxes with a window for packaging. To start, I lined the box with a 4-inch piece of parchment paper, anchoring it with a dab of frosting. I added another dab of frosting to anchor the cookie.
I placed the cookie diagonally for the best fit and sealed the box with a 1-inch gold sticker.
This gave me a polished, bakery-style presentation that held the cookies securely.
These Easter Basket Cookies are the perfect combination of technique, presentation, and tradition. They're not just fun to make. They're designed to impress.
Once you try the Vintage Bakery Frosting, you may find yourself using it for years to come. Yum!
Frequently Asked Questions
Food coloring can be added to the sugar cookie dough to create vibrant colors for your Easter Basket cookies. Divide the dough into separate portions and add a few drops of food coloring to each one, kneading until the color is evenly distributed. Be sure to use gel or paste food coloring, as liquid food coloring can alter the dough's consistency.
You can, but it won't set enough for packaging like this frosting.
Easter Basket cookies will generally stay fresh for up to a week if stored in an airtight container at room temperature. You can also freeze decorated or undecorated cookies for up to 3 months.
The sugar cookie dough ahead of time. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw the dough in the refrigerator before rolling and cutting it into shapes.
Chula's Test Kitchen Tips
- One potential problem with making cut-out cookies is that the dough sometimes tends to stick to the work surface and rolling pin. To solve this problem, I like to dust the work surface with confectioners' sugar. I also like to roll the dough between two sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap to make it easier to handle.
- With this recipe, I made white Easter Basket Cookies. However, pink, yellow, light blue, and lavender also work well.
- The one time I made these cookies using store-bought cookie dough, I was surprised at how much the cookies spread and puffed up. If you decide to use the store-bought shortcut, keep this in mind.
- These adorable cookies make excellent gifts for friends and co-workers. Once the icing has hardened, I like to package individual cookies in flat, clear plastic treat bags tied with pastel-colored ribbon.
- When I once made these cookies, I used pastel-colored peanut M&Ms. However, I thought they were too big, so I consistently use the regular pastel-colored M&Ms.
Want More Ideas for Easter Treats? Check Out These:
Did you make this recipe? We'd love to know how it turned out! Leave a review below. Then, share a picture on Instagram and tag @pudgefactor so we can see it.
Don't forget to follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube, Flipboard, and Instagram.
Thank you so much for visiting PudgeFactor. We hope you'll come back!
Recipe
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, enjoy weekly doses of culinary inspiration as a bonus!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Pudge Factor.
Easter Basket Cookies - Easy and Adorable
Equipment
- 4-inch egg-shaped cookie cutter
- Disposable Piping Bag
- #5 round piping tip
- #18 star piping tip
- #233 grass piping tip
Ingredients
Sugar Cookies
- 1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup (7 ounces) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 Tablespoon milk
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 cups (15 ounces) all-purpose flour
- Confectioners' sugar for rolling out the cookie dough
Vintage Bakery Frosting
- 6 cups (20 ounces) confectioners' sugar
- 1 cup (6.33 ounces) shortening (Crisco)
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons (3 ounces) ice water
- ¾ teaspoon clear vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon butter flavoring
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Easter Basket Cookies
- 1 recipe for sugar cookies, cut into 4-inch egg shapes (See Tip 1 and 6)
- Vintage Bakery Frosting (above)
- Pastel colored M&Ms (See Tip 3)
Instructions
Sugar Cookies
- Place butter and sugar in a large bowl; beat until light in color. Add egg and milk and beat to combine. Add baking soda and salt; beat until combined. Gradually add flour; beat on low just until the dough comes together. Divide the dough in half, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate for 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 375º F. Sprinkle the surface where you will roll out dough with confectioners' sugar.
- Remove 1 wrapped pack of dough from the refrigerator at a time and place it on the prepared surface. Sprinkle the top with confectioners' sugar and cover with parchment paper. Portion the dough into 1.5- to 1.6-ounce pieces. Roll out dough to ¼-inch thick. Move the dough around and check underneath frequently to make sure it is not sticking. If the dough has warmed during rolling, place a cold cookie sheet on top for 10 minutes to chill. Cut with a 4-inch egg-shaped cookie cutter. Place at least 1 inch apart on a parchment or silicone-lined baking mat.
- Bake at 375°F for 11 to 12 minutes or until cookies are just beginning to turn brown around the edges. As soon as cookies come out of the oven, shape by cutting with a 4-inch egg-shaped cookie cutter. Yield: 20 egg-shaped sugar cookies.
Vintage Bakery Frosting
- Beat together the confectioners' sugar, shortening, water, vanilla extract, butter flavoring, and salt with an electric mixer until well blended and smooth.
Easter Basket Cookies
- Use the above recipe or your own sugar cookie recipe. Bake sugar cookies, cut into egg shapes with a 4-inch cookie cutter according to the recipe directions. As soon as the cookies are removed from the oven, re-shape them by cutting with a 4-inch cookie cutter. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. (See Tip 4)
- Smooth the edges of cookies by "filing" on a wire mesh strainer. (See Tip 5)
- Fill a pastry bag fitted with a #5 round tip and a pastry bag fitted with a #18star tip with vintage bakery frosting. Pipe a horizontal line in the middle of the cookie. Pipe a vertical line from the center, close to the edge. Pipe 4 or 5 spaced horizontal lines across the vertical line. Pipe another vertical line. Pipe horizontal lines to create a basket weave. Continue until the basket weave is formed.
- Pipe stars with the #18 start tip around the outer perimeter of the cookie, forming a handle and decorating the outline of the basket.
- Tint the remaining vintage bakery frosting green with several drops of green gel food color. Fill a piping bag fitted with a #233grass tip with the green decorator icing. Pipe grass at the top of the basket. Finish by placing pastel-colored M&Ms in the grass.
- Yield: 20 Easter Basket Cookies
Video
Tips/Notes
- If your sugar cookie dough is sticky, you'll want to dust your surface to prevent sticking. I use confectioners' sugar to do this rather than using flour. The reason is that I don't want to incorporate any more flour into the dough. The confectioners' sugar does as good a job as the flour in mitigating the sticking.
- I've tried using pastel-colored M&M peanuts. However, I thought that they were too big. Regular M&Ms tend to work better.
- Invariably, the cookies will spread slightly during baking. Therefore, as soon as they come out of the oven, I take the cookie cutter and cut the still-soft cookies to return them to their original size and shape.
- The downside to cutting the baked cookies is that their edges are no longer smooth. Therefore, I "sand" the edges using a wire mesh strainer. When Susan and I took a baking class in Paris, this was the technique used to produce smooth edges to the baked tart shells.
Razia Sultana says
Excellen