50 Easter Cookie Recipes That Are Bunny-Approved
Updated: Jun. 21, 2024
Easter calls for favorites like deviled eggs, jelly beans, baked ham and, of course, all kinds of cookies. Here are all the Easter cookie recipes you'll ever need.
No matter how you celebrate Easter, delicious cookies should always be a part of the plan. Whether you’re decorating Easter eggs, prepping a sugar-glazed ham for a brunch centerpiece or designing Easter baskets for the kids, a dessert table featuring our most popular Easter cookie recipes will be the icing on the cake…er, cookie. Below are Easter cookies that might even beat the cutest of bunny-shaped recipes.
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Easter Egg Cookies
Quick-cooking oats make these cookies delightfully soft and chewy. The whole family can decorate these sweet treats, just like Easter eggs.
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Lemon-Ricotta Cookies
Calling all lemon recipe lovers: Both the dough and the frosting contain real lemon juice and zest. And since the recipe makes three dozen cookies, you’ll have plenty to share.
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Easter Sugar Cookies
If you thought decorated sugar cookies were just for Christmas, think again. Use bunny, chick and even carrot cookie cutters to create a festive dessert plate fit for the Easter bunny.
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Lavender Shortbread
Yes, this recipe calls for real lavender flowers! They’re one of the many edible flowers that totally elevate humble cookies. Buy them from a spice shop or snip off a few sprigs from your garden—just make sure it hasn’t been treated with any pesticides or chemicals first.
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Tender Italian Sugar Cookies
These cute little goodies would taste great with coffee or tea. Use pastel food coloring to get the delicate colors of Easter instead of more pigmented primary colors.
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Pineapple Coconut Tassies
While these tropical treats might look tricky, they’re actually really simple to make if you have a mini muffin pan. Enlist the kids to help pour and mix ingredients.
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Lemon Butter Cookies
Lemon extract, rather than fresh lemon juice, brings a punch of tart flavor to these pretty petal cookies. Yellow sugar sprinkles add a pop of color, but any springy sugar sprinkles will work.
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Strawberry Cookie Cups
You’ll need a flower-shaped cookie cutter to make these cute little cups. To cut down on prep time, make the dough in advance, then freeze it and thaw it again when you’re ready to make the cookies.
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Jelly-Topped Sugar Cookies
Don’t let jelly beans have all the fun this Easter. These jelly-topped thumbprint cookies can be made with any type of jam or jelly you like. We love raspberry jam and orange marmalade.
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Carrot Spice Thumbprint Cookies
Butter, cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla extract team up to create the winning cream cheese frosting. But if you aren’t a frosting fan, one reader says the cookies are just as delicious if you omit it.
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White Velvet Cutouts
There’s a secret ingredient that makes these treats melt in your mouth: cream cheese. Use pastel food coloring to create the perfect Easter frosting.
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Berry-Cream Cookie Snaps
If you like cannoli, then you’ll love these cream-filled cookies. But if you’re not up to rolling and filling them, you could also bake the dough like a traditional flat cookie then use the frosting as a dip.
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Rhubarb-Filled Cookies
Scour the local farmers market for rhubarb, which is usually available during Easter. You can also use frozen rhubarb—just measure it while it’s still frozen, then thaw it completely. Drain it gently into a colander without pressing the liquid out and it’s ready to use. Use up any leftover rhubarb in grandma’s favorite rhubarb recipes.
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Jelly Bean Cookies
Step aside, M&M’s. This recipe couldn’t be simpler or more festive. For extra colorful cookies, reserve a few jellybeans to press into the tops of the cookies right before you bake them.
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Cream Cheese Dainties
These adorable cookies are surprisingly low-maintenance: If you have four ingredients and 35 minutes, you can have them on the table quickly for your Easter party.
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Pistachio Cookies
Pistachio pudding mix makes these cookies quick and easy to make. They can be stored for up to three days at room temperature in an airtight container. You’ll definitely want to add these to your roundup of quick and easy cookie recipes.
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Rosemary-Lemon Shortbread Sandwich Cookies
Lemon curd and fresh rosemary sprigs make this dessert fancy enough for company. Serve with vanilla ice cream and lemon sorbet.
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Cream Wafers
These colorful little sweets are a fantastic addition to any cookie table. Just go easy on the red and green food coloring to give the frosting a pastel hue.
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Berry Shortbread Dreams
While the recipe calls for raspberry jelly, you can use blueberry, fig or even marmalade to jazz up these cookies. Check out more thumbprint cookie ideas for inspiration.
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Soft Honey Cookies
Sweet and soft with a hint of cinnamon, these cookies are begging to be dunked into a cup of hot tea. Plus, they’re ready in about 25 minutes!
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Buttery Spritz Cookies
This tender spritz cookie recipe is quite eye-catching on my Christmas cookie tray. The dough is easy to work with, so it’s fun to make these spritz cookies into a variety of festive shapes. This is hands-down the best spritz cookie recipe ever. —Beverly Launius, Sandwich, Illinois
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Berry-Filled Butter Ribbons
You’ll need a cookie press fitted with a ribbon disk to make these treats. If desired, make the dough in advance, then freeze it. When you’re ready to make cookies, thaw the dough overnight before putting it in the cookie press.
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Lavender and Lemon Biscochitos
Biscochitos, the state cookie of New Mexico, are traditionally made with anise seeds. Here, they’re made with lavender and lemon instead. If using fresh herbs, brush an egg wash on the cookie before you gently press on the herbs.
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Chocolate-Dipped Strawberry Meringue Roses
Who needs a bouquet when these rose-shaped cookies could be the centerpiece? This six-ingredient recipe uses freeze-dried strawberries and strawberry gelatin to achieve a vibrant pink color.
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Poppy Seed Thumbprints
We’ve never met a thumbprint cookie we didn’t like, and this lightning quick version with poppy seeds and raspberry preserves is one of our favorites. The recipe makes five dozen cookies, so there will be lots of extras to share. Find more big-batch cookie recipes here.
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Frosted Chocolate Delights
This Easter, ditch the cake and cupcakes in favor of these decadent frosted cookies. And thanks to unsweetened chocolate, they aren’t cloyingly sweet.
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Buttery Spritz Cookies
This tender spritz cookie recipe is quite eye-catching on my Christmas cookie tray. The dough is easy to work with, so it’s fun to make these spritz cookies into a variety of festive shapes. This is hands-down the best spritz cookie recipe ever. —Beverly Launius, Sandwich, Illinois
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Dipped Cherry Cookies
Chopped maraschino cherries (the same type of cherry you probably have for your cocktails) and almond extract give these cute-as-a-button cookies a unique flavor and color. Store them in an airtight container until you’re ready to serve them.
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Greek Holiday Cookies
These orange twist cookies are known as “Koulourakia” in Greece. This version uses only eight ingredients and takes just 40 minutes to prepare.
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Lemon Meltaways
The recipe for these soft and citrusy cookies calls for cornstarch, which is used as a thickener. Don’t over-stir, however, or the cornstarch will lose its thickening power.
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Chocolate Coconut Neapolitans
You’ll need a loaf pan to make these tri-colored delights. The dough needs to freeze for at least four hours, so it’s best to prepare it the day before you want to eat the cookies.
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Grandma Brubaker’s Orange Cookies
Buttermilk, shortening and the juice and zest of navel oranges come together to create this festive Easter sweet. One reader suggests putting white chocolate chips in the batter before baking.
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Palmiers
If you think you have no time to make Easter cookies, these are the treats for you. With only a sheet of frozen puff pastry and a cup of granulated sugar, they’ll be ready to eat in about 35 minutes, plus freezing time.
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Carrot Cookie Bites
You can freeze these cookie bites until you’re ready to bake them. Just drop rounded spoonfuls of dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment, then freeze until firm. Transfer the cookie dough balls into an airtight container and keep them in the freezer for up to three months.
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Almond Spritz Cookies
You could use light or dark brown sugar for this recipe. If you prefer a bolder flavor, go with dark brown sugar, and if you prefer a more delicate flavor, try light brown sugar.
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Gooey Butter Cookies
Topping these chewy butter cookies with confectioners’ sugar before baking will give them their signature crinkle. Cream cheese adds a luxurious texture and flavor to the dough.
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Thick Sugar Cookies
If the phrase “sugar cookies” conjures up images of paper-thin sweets with royal icing, it’s time to try this extra-thick recipe. They’re softer and chewier, topped with creamy icing and sprinkles.
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Baklava Thumbprint Cookies
This cookie is inspired by baklava, the flaky phyllo dough dessert from Turkey, Greece and the Middle East. If you’d like to serve these desserts warm out of the oven, make the dough in advance and keep it in the fridge overnight.
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Lemon Shortbread Cookies
While rich, buttery lemon shortbread is decadent enough on its own, drizzling your own homemdae icing on top makes them extra fancy. Best of all, the icing only has two ingredients: confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice.
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Lavender Cookies
Nothing says spring like a cookie laced with dried lavender flowers. Thanks to the shortening in this recipe, the cookies should stay a uniform shape.
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Key Lime Butter Cookies
These seven-ingredient cookies are just as delicious without the key-lime glaze. If you want to make them extra festive, use a few drops of green food coloring to brighten them up.
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Egg Yolk Cookies
Old-school egg yolk cookies deserve a revival just like these other vintage cookie recipes. Store any leftovers between layers of waxed paper in an airtight container for up to a week.
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Coffee Shortbread
Your Easter guests will be delighted to dunk these pretty shortbread cookies into coffee, cocoa or tea. Check out more of our favorite shortbread recipes.
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Strawberry Shortcake Cookies
If you don’t have a dough cutter to cut in the butter for this recipe, don’t sweat it. You can use two knives, or smash the butter into the dry ingredients with a fork.
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Old-Fashioned Whoopie Pies
If you like sandwich cookies, you’ll love whoopie pies. The Northeastern classic is traditionally a chocolate cookie with vanilla frosting, but red velvet whoopie pies would also be delicious for Easter.
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Mimosa Butter Cookies
Spoon the dough into a piping bag, then use a #1M star tip to create flower shapes. Bake the cookies on a parchment-covered cookie sheet to help keep their shape.
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Sugar Cookies
Sure, you could run to the bakery for beautiful sandwich cookies…or you could make your own at home with only seven basic pantry ingredients. They’ll be ready to eat in about 20 minutes, plus chilling time.
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Blueberry Cookies
If you’re having vegan guests over for Easter, look no further than these naturally vibrant treats. Thanks to the moist, flavorful blueberries, there’s also no need to include any eggs.
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Lemon Thyme Icebox Cookies
Minced fresh thyme and lemon zest join forces for a rich and buttery cookie that couldn’t be easier to pull off. The recipe yields two dozen cookies, so it’s perfect for when you’re baking in bulk.
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Orange Sugar Cookies
You could cut these cookies into any shape you want, but you’ll need a flower cookie cutter to achieve the results pictured. Add a few drops of orange food coloring to make the icing centers pop.Originally Published: March 14, 2022
