Martha's Easter Sugar Cookies Recipe (With Video)

Prep Time:

1 hr 20 mins

Total Time:

2 hrs 45 mins

Servings:

20 to 30

Every year, Martha hosts an egg hunt at her farm in Bedford, and these are the Easter sugar cookies she makes—hundreds of them! Her recipe has been perfected over time and we’re sharing it with you so you can make these foolproof sugar cookies for the holiday. The dough rolls out evenly and holds its shape without bubbling during baking. Once the cookies are baked, try Martha's favorite royal icing recipe tinted in gorgeous Easter shades, along with her tried-and-true technique for dipping and decorating using three easy-yet-impressive designs.

colorful frosted spring themed and easter egg sugar cookies — Credit: Marcus Nilsson

Martha's Tips for Easter Cookie Success

Chill the dough twice—once after rolling it out and again after punching out the shapes. This ensures that the cookies will keep their sharp edges and have smooth, flat surfaces for dipping and decorating.
For easy dipping, pour the icing into a low, flat vessel, like a pie plate or a wide food-storage container.
If you aren't using the icing right away, lay plastic wrap directly on its surface to prevent a crust from forming. When ready, stir until smooth again.

Why You Should Make These Cookies Ahead

This cookie dough is best made ahead. Martha recommends that you make it at least one day before you cut out, bake, and decorate the cookies to allow the flavor of the dough to develop. It should be stored in the refrigerator—and can be made as far as five days ahead.

Martha thinks the baked cookies actually taste better a few days later, so she always stashes a few away to savor after the holiday.

Directions

Combine dry ingredients:

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder.
Beat butter and sugar; add eggs and Cognac:

In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, granulated sugar, and vanilla on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and Cognac until well combined.
Add flour mixture:

Add flour mixture; beat on low until just combined.
Divide and shape dough; chill:

On a lightly floured surface, divide dough evenly and shape into 2 disks; wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, at least 45 minutes and up to 5 days.
Preheat oven and prep baking sheets; roll out dough and chill:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough 1/4 inch thick. Refrigerate until very firm, about 30 minutes, or freeze 10 minutes.
Cut out cookies:

Stamp out shapes. Transfer cutouts to prepared sheets, about 1 inch apart. Reroll scraps; stamp out more shapes and transfer to sheets.
Chill cookies:

Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes, or freeze 10 minutes.
Bake:

Bake until set and golden around edges, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheets to wire racks; let cool completely.
Make royal icing:

In a bowl, whisk together confectioners' sugar, egg whites, and 2 teaspoons lemon juice until smooth. If necessary, add more lemon juice or confectioners' sugar to reach desired consistency. Divide and tint with gel-paste colors as desired. Pour some into squeeze bottles for detailing.

Note that raw eggs (used in the icing) should not be consumed by pregnant women, young children, the elderly, or anyone with compromised health.

How to Mix Martha's Favorite Easter Icing Colors

frosted chickens and easter egg sugar cookies on marble countertop — Credit: Marcus Nilsson

Martha's favorite icing shades are inspired by her chickens' eggs. Use the formulas below for every 1 cup of royal icing. They are based on AmeriColor gel-paste colors, except Buckeye Brown and Golden Yellow, which are from Chefmaster. These food colorings are available from New York Cake, as are various Easter–themed cookie cutters.

Blue: 1 1/2 drops Royal Blue + 1/2 drop Leaf Green + 1 drop Ivory
Brown: 3 drops Buckeye Brown + 1 drop Golden Yellow
Green: 1 drop Leaf Green + 1 drop Avocado + 1 drop Ivory
Beige: 2 drops Copper (not metallic)
Golden Yellow (not shown): 2 drops Golden Yellow

For a more accurate "drop" of gel-paste color, dip the tip of a toothpick into the bottle and stir it into the icing. If you put in too much color, dilute it by stirring in more plain royal icing, or adding Chefmaster Liquid-Whitener Gel Paste, one small squeeze at a time.

3 Quick Easter Cookie-Decorating Techniques

Martha's streamlined decorating technique calls for dipping each cookie in royal icing flavored with a bit of fresh lemon juice, letting the excess drip off, and embellishing with polka dots and other simple patterns.

Polka Dots

martha dipping cookie face down in frosting — Credit: Marcus Nilsson

Holding a cookie by its edge, dip top side into icing so entire side is covered.
Tilt cookie to allow any excess icing to drip back into bowl.
For raised dots: Let icing dry completely, then squeeze on dots. They'll be embossed when dry, providing a three-dimensional effect.
For flat dots: Squeeze dots in a different color and variety of sizes while the icing is still wet. They'll expand slightly as the icing dries.

martha putting polka dots on cookies — Credit: Marcus Nilsson

Chevrons

martha using toothpick to draw chevron pattern on cookies — Credit: Marcus Nilsson

Holding cookie by its edge, dip top side into icing so entire side is covered.
Tilt cookie to allow any excess icing to drip back into bowl.
While icing is still wet, squeeze thin horizontal lines in another icing color, approximately 1/2 inch apart.
While lines are still wet, drag a toothpick or skewer through icing vertically in approximately 1/2-inch increments to create a zigzag pattern. Let dry completely.

Tie-Dye

Pour equal amounts of three different icing colors (such as white, light blue, and yellow) into a shallow bowl.
Stir gently with a skewer until colors are just slightly swirled together, but are not bleeding into one another.
Dip cookies one at a time. Tilt each cookie to allow any excess icing to drip back into bowl.
Transfer to a wire rack; let dry completely.