Decorated Sugar Cookies are the favorite of many Easter Treats my grandchildren love.
One of my daughters hosted a large Easter Egg Hunt at her home along with a fishing derby and fish fry a few years ago. They have a beautiful, large lake on their property. Everyone brought Easter Treats, and the weather was perfect with beautiful sunshine.
Decorated Sugar Cookies are the treat they always want me to make. I obviously am not an expert at decorating, but my children and grandchildren are always impressed.
This is the recipe I have been using to make these cookies for over 40 years, making them for my children when they were growing up, and now for my grandchildren.
I remember baking cookies with my mother from the time I was a very young girl. This is one of the special memories I wanted to create with my own children and grandchildren.
HOW TO MAKE DECORATED EASTER SUGAR COOKIES:
INGREDIENTS:
Flour
Baking Powder
Salt
Butter
Sugar
Eggs
Vanilla
Confectioner Sugar
Crisco
Water
Food Coloring
Sprinkles/Decorative candies
Variety of Easter shaped cookie cutters
INSTRUCTIONS:
*Whisk together the dry ingredients and set side.
*Beat together the butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Combine well, form into a ball. Chill dough for an hour.
*Roll sections of the dough out onto a flat, lightly floured surface. Roll dough out to a 1/4 inch thickness.
*Dip cookie cutter into a dish of flour and cut out cookies. Place them on a parchment lined baking sheet.
*Bake about 9-10 minutes or until cookies are light golden brown around the edges. Remove baking sheets from oven and allow to set 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire cooling rack.
*To make the frosting, place the confectioner sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add the shortening, vanilla and 1/3 cup water. Slowly beat together on the lowest speed of mixer. Add additional water a tablespoon or 2 at a time and increase speed on the mixer. Beat until smooth.
*Divide icing into separate small bowls. Using a toothpick or end of a plastic butter knife, add the coloring paste to each bowl. If icing is too thick, add drops of water and stir to desired consistency; if too thin, add small amounts of confectioner sugar.
*Decorate cookies as desired. Place some of the icing in pastry bags also to decorate cookies.
These decorated sugar cookies are the best Easter Treats to make with your children and grandchildren.
HELPFUL TIPS:
*Metal or copper cookie cutters work better than plastic ones that have a lot of details in them. The dough sticks in the plastic ones more frequently.
*I always use my baking stones, they keep the bottoms from becoming too dark and the cookies remain softer.
*When I am preparing the icing, I divide it out into heavy disposable bowls and use plastic silverware . EASY CLEAN-UP!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Can these cookies be frozen?
Yes! They are the best if you freeze them before you decorate them. Sometimes the colors in the icing run. Bake and allow them to cool. Place in Ziploc freezer bags and then into airtight containers.
EASTER DECORATED SUGAR COOKIES
Ingredients
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter softened (Land O Lakes Unsalted Butter)
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup flour for dusting
- 2 lb bag confectioner sugar
- 1/3 cup solid shortening Crisco
- water
- food coloring paste
- sprinkles/other decorative candies
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. ( I use baking stones)
- In a large mixing bowl,stir together the flour,baking powder,and salt. Set aside.
- In another large mixing bowl,using an electric mixer on a medium speed ,beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Add the sugar and combine well. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Gradually add the dry ingredients in 3 parts,beating only enough to combine. Shape dough into a ball,cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Place the remaining flour into a small bowl. Sprinkle some of the flour onto a flat work surface. Scoop out about 3 tablespoons of the dough and place on surface. Dip cookie cutters and small rolling pin into the bowl of flour. Roll dough out to about 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out the cookies and place on baking sheets. Continue to cut out all of the cookies, re-rolling the pieces of dough.
- Bake about 10 minutes or until cookies are light golden brown around the edges. Remove baking sheets from oven and allow to set 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire cooling rack.
- To make the frosting,place the confectioner sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add the shortening and 1/4 cup water. Slowly beat together on the lowest speed of mixer. Add additional water a tablespoon or 2 at a time and increase speed on the mixer. Beat until smooth.
- Divide icing into separate small bowls. Using a toothpick or end of a plastic butter knife,add the coloring paste to each bowl. If icing is too thick,add drops of water and stir to desired consistency;if too thin,add small amounts of confectioner sugar. Decorate cookies as desired.
Notes
I also put together the cupcake/candy treat bags to serve at the egg hunt.
Here are the instructions to do these cute Easter Treat Bags. I use the same method for Halloween and Christmas Treat Bags, but change the candy for the occasion. No two bags ever look the same and even though they are such a simple thing, all of the kids enjoyed the Easter treat bags.
Children love to help make these bags.
This post was shared on Sweet Little Bluebird Weekend Potluck.
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