{ Photos by Galie Photography }
Easter is a great excuse for making sugar cookies — but really, who even needs an excuse? They make any day a special occasion.
Here’s what’s great about sugar cookies:
- They’re simple in taste and texture: Everyone likes them.
- With the right cookie cutter, they work for any occasion, interest, or party theme. (Zombie apocalypse? There’s a cookie cutter for that. Jane Austen Day? Yup.)
- With even the most basic cookie cutter, the decoration possibilities are endless.
- Plus decorating is a great group activity — a bonding experience for family and friends that often turns into a tradition.
For Easter cookies, an egg-shaped cookie cutter is really all you need. (Other options: Flowers, carrots, bunnies, chicks.) Our photo shoot included two sizes of egg cookie, but otherwise the cutter shapes were generic — it’s all in the decoration. To inspire you I asked Lola’s former head decorator, Jillian Cimino, to share some of her favorite Easter designs.
Jillian has been honing her skills for years, of course, but cookie decorating is fun for anyone. Even small kids can use royal icing to decorate sugar cookies: I’ve found that anyone over 10 years old can handle a pastry bag with a little instruction, and younger kids can apply icing with a butter knife, embellishing with sprinkles. After some practice — remember, you don’t need a special day to make these cookies — everyone will start to push their own artistic envelope, which is great to see.
By the way, Jillian sometimes takes orders for special occasions. You can reach her here.
[ As with all my cookie recipes, please read these baking tips before you start. ]
- 1½ sticks butter, cut up into chunks
- ½ cup shortening (such as Crisco)
- 8 oz granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp almond extract
- 13 oz all-purpose flour
- 2½ oz corn starch
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- Put the butter, shortening, and granulated sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer. Set the mixer on low speed and mix until the butter chunks are broken down, then increase the speed and beat until it is light and fluffy.
- Scrape down the bowl, then beat in the egg and extracts.
- Stir the flour, corn starch, baking powder and salt together in a separate bowl, then add them to the mixer on low speed and stir until well combined.
- Remove the dough from the mixer and pat it into two slabs; wrap each slab in plastic wrap. Put the dough in the refrigerator and chill for about an hour.
- After the dough has chilled, take it out and roll it thin (but not too thin!) on a lightly floured surface.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Use a cookie cutter to cut your cookies.
- Bake the cookies on prepared trays (silpats, parchment or greased) for 10-14 minutes depending on the size and shape of your cookies. The cookies should be just starting to brown on the bottoms when you take them out.
- Let the cookies cool completely before decorating with royal icing
From 2002 to 2013, Lola's was an award-winning, all-scratch cookie and cupcake business. Now I'm sharing my recipes with our wonderful customers and fans.