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32 Easter Cookies That Will Fuel Your Egg Hunts This Spring

While your Easter baskets may be ready to go, and the celebratory brunch menu may be in order, there's truly nothing sweeter than offering your guests a selection of festive homemade treats. And the easier they are to snack on while chasing after the kids, the better. That’s why we’re all about Easter cookies. They come in all shapes, sizes and flavors—simultaneously summoning springtime joy, while augmenting any dessert table. These recipes, ranging from super simple (like four-ingredient sugar cookies) to impressively advanced (oh hi, macarons), will provide just the sugary fuel to find all those eggs you hid.

37 Healthy Cookie Recipes That Will Actually Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth


easter cookies cake batter cookies
LIZ ANDREW/STYLING: ERIN MCDOWELL

1. Cake Batter Cookies

  • Time Commitment: 35 minutes
  • Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser

Let’s face it—cake batter doesn’t need to be limited to birthday celebrations. The springy hues will keep the Easter vibes alive and well at the dessert table, and the sugar will make for an incredible post-brunch pick-me-up.

easter cookies key lime pie cookies
GRANDBABY-CAKES

2. Key Lime Pie Cookies

  • Time Commitment: 20 minutes
  • Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser, <30 minutes

Nothing says spring quite like these citrusy bite-sized gems. And the graham cracker “crust” bits that are mixed into the batter truly make this a next-level and multi-layered treat.

easter cookies pistachio cookies
LIZ ANDREW/STYLING: ERIN MCDOWELL

3. Pistachio Cookies

  • Time Commitment: 40 minutes
  • Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients, special occasion-worthy

Your guests will go nuts for these homemade pistachio cookies. Emulating the taste of the popular ice cream flavor, they’re a not-too-sweet dessert for those of us looking to get full-on choco-wasted on chocolate eggs.

easter cookies blackberry macarons
SIMPLY LAKITA

4. Blackberry Macarons

  • Time Commitment: 45 minutes
  • Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients, special occasion-worthy

These macarons are dressed in their Sunday best. And although the French delicacy sounds difficult to execute, they don’t take long to make, and their spring aesthetic is on point. Serve them with afternoon tea, and your Easter gathering will be totally dreamy.

easter cookies little jam flower cookies
CHARLOTTE BLAND/LA VITA E DOLCE

5. Little Jam Flower Cookies

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour, 45 minutes
  • Why I Love It: kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy

As they say, April showers bring May flowers, which is why these cookies are fit for the season. Fill them with your favorite jam, a jar of Nutella, or even some Fluff, if the Peeps didn’t fulfill your ‘mallow fix—the world is your oyster.

easter cookies lemon sugar cookies
COOKIE NAMED DESIRE

6. Lemon Sugar Cookies

  • Time Commitment: 18 minutes
  • Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, kid-friendly

With minimal ingredients and a low amount of required effort, this is—by far—the easiest recipe to execute on this list. The zesty flavor wakes up our taste buds, and we think it’d be great paired with mimosas at Easter brunch. Just saying.

easter cookies berries and cream cookies
PHOTO/STYLING: KATHERINE GILLEN

7. Berries And Cream Cookies

  • Time Commitment: 40 minutes
  • Why I Love It: kid-friendly, crowd pleaser, <10 ingredients

We’re hopping mad for these pink and white beauties. Using your choice of freeze-dried berries, the pink hue will be all-natural. And whether you add them to Easter baskets or serve them mid-egg hunt, they’ll undoubtedly be gone within minutes.

easter cookies springtime cookies with royal icing
A CLASSIC TWIST

8. Springtime Cookies With Royal Icing

  • Time Commitment: 53 minutes
  • Why I Love It: kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy

Perfect for any Easter gathering, these melt-in-your-mouth cookies will blow any store-bought sugar cookie out of the water. Have your kids help decorate the cookies with icing as a fun Easter activity, and enjoy them in your garden after ransacking those Easter baskets.

easter cookies vanilla bean rose madelines
A COOKIE NAMED DESIRE

9. Vanilla Bean Rose Madelines

  • Time Commitment: 39 minutes
  • Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, <10 ingredients

The vanilla bean and rose extract flavors make for a truly dainty accompaniment to your coffee. Whether you’re about to take on a long-winded task of egg decorating, or if you’re simply gearing up for Easter crafts, it’s the ideal hint of sugar to pair with your morning cuppa.

easter cookies vegan strawberry shortcake cookies
MAKE IT DAIRY FREE

10. Vegan Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

  • Time Commitment: 55 minutes
  • Why I Love It: dairy-free, vegan, crowd-pleaser

Observe strawberry season appropriately with this colorful sweet dessert mashup. And trust us—the Golden Oreos are a next-level and ingenious crunchy addition to an already delicious treat.

easter cookies spring decorated cookies with buttercream
A CLASSIC TWIST

11. Spring Decorated Cookies With Buttercream

  • Time Commitment: 2 hours, 40 minutes
  • Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, special occasion-worthy

After securing a pipette and learning the ropes of cookie decorating, you’ll be ready for The Great British Bake-Off, Easter edition. The pastel colors and bunny, butterfly and chick shapes make for a truly adorable holiday snack.

easter cookies moss bunny cookies
Owlbbaking

12. Moss Bunny Cookies

  • Time Commitment: 45 minutes
  • Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, kid-friendly, special occasion-worthy

*Chandler voice* Could these BE any more festive? Every-bunny will absolutely love these carrot and bunny cookies with the crumb toppings, which add a little texture to the top of the icing. But keep in mind: These might be difficult to decorate with kids, so we recommend serving them ahead of time and bringing them out as a post-brunch surprise.

easter cookies no bake gluten free breakfast cookies
PHOTO: LIZ ANDREW/STYLING: ERIN MCDOWELL

13. No-bake, Gluten-free Breakfast Cookies

  • Time Commitment: 35 minutes
  • Why I Love It: gluten free, no bake, high protein

Cookies, for brunch? They’re acceptable on Easter, of course, but even your health-conscious aunt won’t be able to turn down these protein-packed, gluten-free treats. Trust.

easter cookies carrot cake cookies
ROCK RECIPES

14. Carrot Cake Cookies

  • Time Commitment: 32 minutes
  • Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser

Just like Santa loves his chocolate chip cookies, bunnies love carrots—so why not make carrot cake cookies to satisfy the Easter bunny on his big day? Sandwiching the cream cheese frosting between two makes for a delectable dessert, and even though your young ones may not be huge proponents of vegetables, we know they’ll love these.

easter cookies bird s nest funfetti sugar cookies
A CLASSIC TWIST

15. Bird’s Nest Funfetti Sugar Cookies

  • Time Commitment: 31 minutes
  • Why I Love It: crowd pleaser, kid-friendly, special occasion-worthy

Sorry kids—it appears as if Easter bunny stole all of the eggs from the egg hunt…and plopped them onto these Funfetti cookies. These are effortlessly cute, and only take a hair over 30 minutes to execute. And if your guests aren’t allergic, adding coconut shreds makes for a seriously tasty optional addition.

easter cookies earl grey shortbread and mixed fruit jam
COOKIE NAMED DESIRE

16. Earl Grey Shortbread And Mixed Fruit Jam

  • Time Commitment: 50 minutes
  • Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, special occasion-worthy, crowd pleaser

We never needed an excuse to have cookies for breakfast, but these are legitimately about to be the stars of your Easter brunch. Consider opting for some seasonal fruit for the jam (pineapple and mango come to mind) and serve with tea or coffee—a bellini would also suffice.

easter cookies vegan m m cookies
MAKE IT DAIRY-FREE

17. Vegan “m&m” Cookies

  • Time Commitment: 50 minutes
  • Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, vegan, dairy-free

Vegans can’t enjoy the Bird’s Nest Cookies above, so this is the next-best thing for those who avoid animal byproducts. You can opt for vegan candy-coated chocolates or even vegan chocolate eggs—it’s 2022, so at this point, you have many options.

easter cookies lemon easter cookies
A CLASSIC TWIST

18. Lemon Easter Cookies

  • Time Commitment: 30 minutes
  • Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, kid-friendly

These lemon cookies will leave no-bunny feeling sour. The festive shapes, sprinkles and icing will wow your brunch crew, and the coconut definitely gets us in the mood for that delicious spring weather.

easter cookies almond honey cookies
THE GRACIOUS PANTRY

19. Almond Honey Cookies

  • Time Commitment: 35 minutes
  • Why I Love It: gluten-free, <10 ingredients, low sugar

These gluten-free treats are about to have all of your guests asking for more. And since they’re made with honey and no flour, those celebrating Passover will be able to enjoy them, too.

easter cookies sugar free matcha snickerdoodles
THE SUGAR FREE DIVA

20. Sugar-free Matcha Snickerdoodles

  • Time Commitment: 27 minutes
  • Why I Love It: gluten-free, sugar-free, <30 minutes

It’s safe to say we love these snickerdoodle spin-offs very matcha. The green aesthetic and slightly Earthy taste screams “spring,” and the kids most likely won’t go for them as much as the other options—so us adults can have them all to ourselves.

easter cookies easter bunny butt no bake treats
THE CREATIVE BITE

21. Easter Bunny Butt No-bake Treats

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour, 30 minutes
  • Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, no bake, kid-friendly

If you already have Oreos on-hand, these are a super cute (and a relatively easy) way to jazz up the classic packaged cookie. And obviously, your kids will get a total kick out of their little fluffy bunny butts.

easter cookies sugar cookie fruit cups
BITZ N GIGGLES

22. Sugar Cookie Fruit Cups

  • Time Commitment: about 15 minutes
  • Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser

Pretend you’re eating fruit salad with these sugar cookie fruit cups. The tangy cream cheese and marshmallow crème filling are a nice complement to the fresh fruit and sugar cookie crust.

easter cookies peanut butter oatmeal easter egg cookies
A PRETTY LIFE IN THE SUBURBS

23. Peanut Butter Oatmeal Easter Egg Cookies

  • Time Commitment: not specified
  • Why I Love It: kid-friendly, crowd pleaser, special occasion-worthy

Combining two of the greatest cookies of all time — and adding festive Easter candy — results in these tasty morsels. The cookie itself is soft and chewy while the pastel-colored candies add a little crunch. Setting a cookie limit for yourself is imperative, though, unless you want to eat the entire batch in one go.

easter cookies easter shortbread cutout cookies
A PRETTY LIFE IN THE SUBURBS

24. Easter Shortbread Cutout Cookies

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour
  • Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, kid-friendly, special occasion-worthy

Grab your cookie cutters and cookie stamps, and get ready to get crafty. The cookie itself is buttery and flavorful, and the sprinkles add an adorable pop of color. TBH, our sweet tooth is off the charts right now.

easter cookies pineapple bars
THE CUPCAKE PROJECT

25. Pineapple Bars

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour
  • Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, crowd pleaser, special occasion-worthy

Although these aren’t specific to Easter, per se, pineapples are considered to be a seasonal spring fruit in many parts of the world. Welcome the warm weather and enjoy these refreshingly creamy, easy-to-make bars—make sure you spend a little time in the sunshine while doing so.

easter cookies cadbury egg cookies
TWO PEAS AND THEIR POD

26. Cadbury Egg Cookies

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour
  • Why I Love It: kid-friendly, <10 ingredients, special occasion-worthy

Is it really Easter if you don’t eat Cadbury eggs? These colorful cookies showcase the popular springtime treat, along with chocolate chips and toasted coconut—we’ll take 5, please.

easter cookies toasted coconut oatmeal chocolate chip cookies
LIFE BETWEEN WEEKENDS

27. Toasted Coconut Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

  • Time Commitment: 28 minutes
  • Why I Love It: <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser

These chewy, gooey oatmeal chocolate chip cookies get a glow-up, thanks to a little toasted coconut. That tropical flavor is just the twist to make these hearty treats feel light (and they’re the kind of unexpected riff that will get everyone talking).

easter cookies healthy carrot cake cookies
AMBITIOUS KITCHEN

28. Healthy Carrot Cake Cookies

  • Time Commitment: 19 minutes
  • Why I Love It: <30 minutes, dairy free, special occasion-worthy

Yes, this is the second carrot cake cookie option on here, but if you’re baking for a dairy-free crowd we strongly suggest opting for this one. The recipe substitutes butter for coconut oil and uses almond milk in the glaze, but we promise, you wouldn’t notice the dairy was missing if we hadn’t told you.

easter cookies paleo easter nest cookies
THE CLEAN EATING COUPLE

29. Paleo Easter Nest Cookies

  • Time Commitment: 47 minutes
  • Why I Love It: paleo, gluten free, dairy free

What, you really thought we’d forget about jelly beans this Easter? The springtime candy staple collides with gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free and paleo cookies, bringing them up several notches.

easter cookies nutella and white tea sugar cookies with hibiscus glaze
THE YELLOW BUTTERFLY

30. Nutella And White Tea Sugar Cookies With Hibiscus Glaze

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour to 1 hour and 20 minutes
  • Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly

These pastel purple cookies will make for the Easter aesthetic of your dreams. And while they look absolutely amazing, flavors of Nutella and hibiscus combine to make a super sweet and uniquely tasty dessert—unlike anything we’ve ever had before.

easter cookies raw oatmeal raisin cacao nib cookies
WHAT’S GABY COOKING

31. Raw Oatmeal Raisin + Cacao Nib Cookies

  • Time Commitment: not specified
  • Why We Love Them: vegan, gluten-free, low-sugar

Though these aren’t inherently Easter-themed either, they’re a divine snack or addition to Easter brunch, especially for your vegan and gluten-free guests. The flax and hemp seeds bring antioxidants and protein into the mix, and the cacao nibs give them that not-too-sweet flavor, as not to overshadow the rest of Easter brunch.

easter cookies 4 ingredient rolled sugar cookies
THE PIG + QUILL

32. 4-ingredient Rolled Sugar Cookies

  • Time Commitment: 30 minutes
  • Why We Love Them: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, egg free

With a hint of citrus and a satisfying crunch, it comes as a major surprise these only contain a handful of ingredients. And since they’re egg-free, you can lick the bowl before you pop ‘em in the oven—our favorite way of baking cookies.



purewow author

Freelance PureWow Editor