Liberty Lifestyle Blog: Easter Sugar Cookies

Carrots for the Easter Bunny, cookies for the kids! This year try a different take on decorating Easter eggs with these Easter Sugar Cookies! This recipe doubles wonderfully and is the perfect activity to keep your kids happy and engaged! Helpful hint for decorating with kids…use condiment containers to put icing in…super simple and not messy. Decorating does not have to be perfect, pass them the bottles and let them have some Easter fun!

With a few simple ingredients and a little chill time, you will have a wonderful Easter treat. This recipe calls for almond extract, which deepens the already wonderful taste of this sugar cookie. Some recipes say it is optional, but we do not…you will not regret using it!

We also recommend using a silicone mat or parchment paper under your cookies. It will help them cook evenly and brown on the bottom beautifully!

Once the cookies are out, let them cool. Follow our recipe below for Royal Icing and have some creative fun! Happy Easter Sugar Cookies!!! Don’t forget your Carrots for the Easter Bunny Embroidery Kit too!

Liberty Lifestyle’s Easter Sugar Cookie Recipe

Sugar Cookie Ingredients

2 1/4 All-purpose flour
1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
1/4 Tsp Salt
3/4 cup Butter
3/4 cup Sugar
1 Large egg, room temperature
2 Tsp Vanilla
1/2 Tsp Almond Extract

Icing Ingredients

4 Cups Powdered Sugar
5 Tbsp. Warm Water
3 Tbsp Meringue Powder

Sugar Cookie Directions

1. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl using a handheld or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until completely smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla, and almond extract and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low until combined. Dough will be a bit soft. If the dough seems too soft and sticky for rolling, add 1 more Tablespoon of flour.
4. Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Place each portion onto a piece of lightly floured parchment paper or a lightly floured silicone baking mat. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness. Use more flour if the dough seems too sticky. The rolled-out dough can be any shape, as long as it is evenly 1/4-inch thick.
5. Lightly dust one of the rolled-out doughs with flour. Place a piece of parchment on top. (This prevents sticking.) Place the 2nd rolled-out dough on top. Cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, then refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours and up to 2 days.
6. Once chilled, preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2-3 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Carefully remove the top dough piece from the refrigerator. If it’s sticking to the bottom, run your hand under it to help remove it—see me do this in the video below. Using a cookie cutter, cut the dough into shapes. Re-roll the remaining dough and continue cutting until all is used. Repeat with 2nd piece of dough.
7. Arrange cookies on baking sheets 3 inches apart. Bake for 11-12 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. If your oven has hot spots, rotate the baking sheet halfway through bake time. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating. Plain or decorated cookies stay soft for about 5 days when covered tightly at room temperature. For longer storage, cover and refrigerate for up to 10 days.

Royal Icing Directions

1. Pour confectioners’ sugar, meringue powder, and 9 Tablespoons of water into a large bowl. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat icing ingredients together on high speed for 1.5 – 2 minutes. When lifting the whisk up off the icing, the icing should drizzle down and smooth out within 5-10 seconds. If it’s too thick, beat in more water 1 Tablespoon at a time. I usually need 10 Tablespoons but on particularly dry days, I use up to 12-14 Tablespoons. Keep in mind that the longer you beat the royal icing, the thicker it becomes. If your royal icing is too thin, just keep beating it to introduce more air OR you can add more sifted confectioners’ sugar.
2. When applied to cookies or confections in a thin layer, icing completely dries in about 2 hours at room temperature. If icing consistency is too thin and runny, it will take longer to dry. If the icing is applied very thick on cookies, it will also take longer to dry. If you’re layering royal icing onto cookies for specific designs and need it to set quickly, place cookies in the refrigerator to help speed it up.