Easter Sugar Cookies (Cut Out Cookies)

A close up of a plate of Easter Sugar Cookies on a white dish

Easter Sugar Cookies (Cut Out Cookies)

For an easy spring and/or holiday dessert, make these Easter sugar cookies! Use this cut out cookie recipe to create adorably sweet treats!

Course Cookies, Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 10

Total Time 25

Servings medium cookies

Calories 56kcal

Author Liz Marino

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter softened (2 sticks)
1 cup granulated white sugar
1 large egg
3 tablespoons milk any dairy or non-dairy variety
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt *omit if using salted butter
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400℉. Grease or line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Add the butter and granulated sugar to a large mixing bowl. Using an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together on high speed for 1-2 minutes, until pale and creamy.
*If using a stand mixer, you may need to scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice.
Add the egg, milk, and vanilla extract to the bowl. Mix on medium speed to combine, scraping down the insides of bowl as necessary.
Add the flour and baking soda, then use low speed to mix, just until there are no visible streaks of flour. Do not over mix.
On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough to a thickness of ¼ to ⅙ inch.
Use your favorite spring or Easter cookie cutters to cut out shapes from the dough.
Use a thin metal spatula to transfer cookies to the prepared baking sheet. Space cookies at least 1 inch apart to prevent them from baking together.
Sprinkle tops of unbaked sugar cookies with colored sugar or sprinkles, if desired.
Bake for 5-8 minutes until browned on edges
Note: After cutting out the first batch of shapes, gather any scraps and form them into a ball. Reroll and cut additional cookies.
Cookie Baking Tip: Add a piece of scrap dough to your cookie sheet. You can lift this scrap piece to check if the bottom of the cookies is golden brown. This prevents damaging one of your perfect cut out cookies!
Cool the cookies on the cookie sheet for 3-4 minutes, or until firm, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling

Notes

Watch cookies to prevent burning! These go from perfectly golden brown to burnt quickly!
Measure your ingredients correctly - It is super important to measure your ingredients correctly, specifically the flour! Check out this tutorial on how to measure flour correctly.
Use flour when rolling out the dough. Make sure to flour your work surface and the top of the dough/rolling pin when rolling out the cookie dough. Otherwise the dough will stick/be difficult to transfer the cut out cookies to a baking sheet.

These cookies stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks (if you don't eat them all before then!) You can freeze the dough and/or undecorated baked cookies for 3 to 4 months.

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