Baking at Easter is a popular tradition in many cultures around the world. One reason people bake during this holiday season is to celebrate the arrival of spring and the renewal of life after the cold winter months. In addition, many Easter treats are made with ingredients that have symbolic significance, such as eggs which represent new life. Baking is also a great way to spend time with family and friends and create delicious treats to share with loved ones during the holiday.
We think this recipe by Siúcra’s to make Easter Egg Sugar Cookies is the perfect sweet treat to get creative in the kitchen with the kids this Easter.
Easter Egg Sugar Cookies
Prep Time: 2 hours
Makes: 24 3-inch cookies.
Total Time: 3 hours
Difficulty: Intermediate
Ingredients for the cookies:
280g plain flour
½ tsp baking powder
170g butter, at room temperature
150g Siúcra Granulated Sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
Ingredients for the royal icing
3 egg whites
450g Siúcra Icing Sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Food colourings of your choice
Method:
Whisk the flour and baking powder together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
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 for about 2 minutes, until completely smooth and creamy. Add the egg and vanilla 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.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low until combined. If the dough seems too soft and sticky for rolling, add another tbsp of flour.
Lightly flour a surface. Roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness. The rolled-out dough can be any shape, as long as it is evenly 1/4-inch thick.
Wrap the dough with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1-2 hours.
Once chilled, preheat oven to 180c/160°c fan/gas mark 4. Line 2-3 large baking trays with parchment paper. Using an egg-shaped cookie cutter, cut the dough into shapes. Re-roll the remaining dough and continue cutting until all is used.
Arrange cookies on baking trays 3 inches apart. Bake for 11-12 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. If your oven has hot spots, rotate the baking tray 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.
In the bowl of a stand mixer or large mixing bowl, beat egg whites on medium-low speed for about 1 minute until frothy. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add in the icing sugar and vanilla. Once fully incorporated, increase speed to medium-high and beat until stiff peaks shiny peaks form.
Divide icing up between a few bowls to colour using food dyes. We used blue, yellow, purple and pink food colouring, ensuring to leave some icing white. Fill a piping bag with your colours and cut a very small hold at the bottom. Outline and flood with your base colours. Allow icing to set. Add decorative designs in different colours like polka dots, flowers, marbling, or stripes. Icing will completely set in about 2 hours at room temperature.
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