These Easter sugar cookies take my classic gluten-free sugar cookie recipe and dresses them up for the holiday with royal icing, pastel sugar crystals and Easter-themed wafer paper to create decorative, delicious cookies perfect for the holiday.
Making cookies for the holidays is so much fun, but Easter cookies tend to be my favorite. The array of colors of the holiday are so appealing. I am a big fan of all the pastel colors along with the cute bunnies and rabbits. These gluten free cut out sugar cookies are the ultimate Easter treat because they combine royal cookie icing and decorative Easter-printed wafer paper for a lovely presentation.
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Why You'll Love These Easter Sugar Cookies
- Easy Ingredients: This recipe uses just a few simple ingredients.
- Simple: Although these cookies look fancy, they're very easy to make.
- Perfect for the Holiday: The cookie icing and Easter-themed wafer paper make them an adorable addition to any holiday dessert table.
- Classic: Sugar cookies are a classic sweet treat that everyone loves.
Ingredients
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These cookies are made with a basic, gluten-free sugar cookie dough, royal icing, and wafer paper. There's nothing fancy here, and you can find it all at your local grocery store and online.
Cookies
- Gluten-free 1:1 flour (I prefer Cup4Cup for cookies)
- Sugar
- Egg - room temperature
- Vanilla extract
- OliveNation almond extract
- Salted butter
- Milk
Icing
- Fancy Flours royal icing
- Water
For the Easter Print Decoration
- Fancy Flours Happy Easter Mini Postcard
- Fancy Flours Rabbits with Carrots
- Fancy Flours sanding sugar - pink, yellow, and blue
See the recipe card at the end of the post for exact quantities.
Equipment
- Measuring cups or digital food scale
- Measuring spoons
- Stand mixer
- Fancy Flours round cookie cutters
- Fancy Flours rectangle cookie cutters
Variations and Substitutions
- If you are not gluten-sensitive, you can use regular flour.
- Omit the Easter decorations and serve these cookies any time of year.
- Change the color of the sugar crystals to suit different holidays.
If you love sweet Easter treats in pretty pastel colors, then check out these easy mini donuts with pastel candies.
How to Make Easter Sugar Cookies
These cookies look fancy, but they're actually incredibly easy to make. The decorations are simple sugar wafer paper, so there's nothing to it.
1: Preheat the oven and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2: Mix the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3: Add the milk, vanilla extract, almond extract, and egg and mix again.
4: Mix in half the flour. Then, scrape down the bowl and mix in the remaining flower.
5: Chill the dough until it's nice and cold.
6: Roll out half the dough and cut out square shapes. Then, roll out the other half and cut out round shapes.
7: Bake until golden, then cool the cookies for 5 minutes.
8: Mix the icing and water until smooth.
9: Brush the cooled cookies with icing. Then, place the wafer paper firmly on the cookies.
10: Dip the sides of the cookies into bowls with sprinkles.
Hint
Be sure you chill your cookie dough until it's very cold so the cookies hold their shape.
Storage
Store these cookies in an air-tight container in a cool, dry place for up to a week.
What to Serve with Easter Sugar Cookies
These sweet cookies are perfect with a glass of milk for the kids or a cup of coffee or tea for the adults. They're also the perfect treat to add to a larger Easter dessert table.
- White Chocolate Reese's Brownies
- Oreo Peanut Butter Pie
- Dairy-Free Cupcakes with Hazelnut Buttercream
Tips
- Cup4Cup is my favorite 1:1 gluten-free flour for cookies because it makes dough that holds it shape, cuts easily and evenly.
- Be sure to scrape down the sides of your mixing bowl while mixing the dough to ensure even mixing.
- Chill the dough until it's very cold so the cookies hold their shapes.
- Keep half the dough in the refrigerator while working with the other half so it remains as cold as possible.
FAQ
Cup4Cup has a neutral flavor that won't change the taste of the cookies. In addition, it creates a dough that cuts clean, holds its shape and maintains nice edges.
Wafer paper is an edible confection decoration used on cakes, cookies, and other similar desserts. It's gluten-free and vegan.
Not all cookie dough needs refrigeration. However, cookie dough with butter and gluten free flour should be chilled before baking so the cookies don't flatten out too much or lose their shape.
Only use about half your dough at a time, leaving the other half in the refrigerator. This ensures that your dough doesn't get too warm while you make your cookies.
More Cookie Recipes
If love all things cookies, then you'll want to try these delicious recipes!
Related
📖 Recipe
Easter Sugar Cookies
Equipment
- Fancy Flours round cookie cutters
- Fancy Flours rectangle cookie cutters
Ingredients
- 2 cups Cup4Cup gluten-free 1:1 flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon OliveNation almond extract
- 1 stick salted butter - softened
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 4 oz Fancy Flours royal icing
- 2 ¼ tablespoon water
- Happy Easter mini postcard wafer paper
- Rabbits with Carrots wafer paper
- Sanding sugar - pink, yellow, and blue
Instructions
- First cream the butter and sugar in a stand mixer for 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Then, add the milk, vanilla extract, almond extract, and egg and mix again until combined.
- Next, half the flour to the wet ingredients and mix on low. Scrape down the bowl and mix in the remaining flour on low until combined.
- Cover the mixing bowl tightly with plastic wrap and chill for 1 ½ hours in the refrigerator or 45 minutes in the freezer until the dough is very cold.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Dust a clean surface or silicon mat with flour and roll out half the dough to ¼-inch thickness.
- Next, use the square cookie cutter to cut out cookies and place them on the baking sheet.
- Roll out the other half of the dough and use the round cookie cutter to cut out round cookies and place them on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 9 to 11 minutes until the edges are lightly golden.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheets. Then, transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
- Mix 4 ounces of royal icing with 2 ¼ teaspoons water on low speed. Increase the speed to medium and mix for 5 minutes.
- Brush the cooled cookies with the icing.
- Press the decorative wafer papers firmly onto the iced cookies, using the appropriate paper for the appropriate cookie shape.
- Lastly, dip the sides of the cookies into a bowl with sprinkles to coat the exposed icing.
Notes
- Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to a week.
- Freeze for up to 3 months in an airtight container. Place cookies in single layers separated by parchment paper.
- Bring to room temperature before serving.
- Keep half your dough in the refrigerator while working with the other half to ensure it stays as cold as possible.
- Mix your cookie dough until combined, but don't overwork it. Mixing too much will make the cookies tough.
- Chill the dough before baking to control spread.
Tisha says
These are so cute and perfect for upcoming Easter celebration!
Anonymous says
This worked exactly as written, thanks!
Sonja says
Those super cute bunny pictures really got me hooked! They reminded me so much of my childhood Easter. Never saw them before to stick on cookies and it makes such a pretty and delicious addition to easter baskets!
Ieva says
Great recipe. I just made a batch with my nieces in preparations for Easter, and these will definitely make an appearance over Easter again. We had so much fun decorating too!
Juyali says
These cookies were so fun to make! The dough was easy to work with, and the wafer paper made decorating effortless.
Liz says
These turned out adorable!! Thanks for the introduction to wafer paper....my friends were so impressed!!!
Criss says
These Easter Sugar Cookies turned out great! The recipe was easy to follow, and they came out perfectly soft and delicious. Definitely making these again!
Swathi says
Easter sugar cookies are delicious, I have tried them, and my kids approved of it.
DK says
Love how this just not satisfy my cravings for sweets but also the fact that they're gluten-free sugar cookies! No more guilty pleasure after munching on so many Easter sugar cookies!
Anonymous says
These sugar cookies are so beautiful! My little one is currently obsessed with bunnies so she had the best time making them. They taste amazing, too!
Anonymous says
These are just the cutest. I can't beleive I decorated them to look like this. THey taste good too!