Easter Surprise Cookies

Name: Easter Surprise Cookies
Prep time: 120 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 140 min
Ingredients: 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter; ¾ cup sugar; 1 large egg; 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract; 3 ¼ cups all-purpose Flour; pinch salt; nonpareils for coating; purple, yellow, red, orange, blue, and green gel food coloring; egg white, for brushing the tops

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Colorful, easy and super fun, these Easter Surprise Cookies are a tasty, bright cookie shaped like an egg that are perfect for the special holiday.

Easter is fast approaching and these Easter Surprise Cookies are a super fun and colorful cookie to make. These are a favorite among family and we always bring them to our Easter gatherings and we never have any left to bring home! Kids love the surprise rainbow inside! If you are looking for a fun treat to bring to your Easter gatherings this year, I highly suggest you make this Easter Surprise Cookie recipe!

Easter Surprise Cookies stacked with one showing colorful layers.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Can I use regular food coloring?

I do not suggest using regular food coloring. Gel or paste is more concentrated so you will need to use less to achieve the bright colors that we are going for. You will want to wear gloves as well to keep from staining your hands.

Can I use another type of sprinkles?

If you can’t find or do not want to use nonpareils (the little ball sprinkles) you can use jimmies (the longer, thinner sprinkles) if you’d like. They may not stick as well because they are larger, but you can use them. Or you can use sanding sugar as well, you can mix various colors together or just use one color.

Does this dough need to chill?

Yes, you will want to chill the dough for at least 30 minutes before using. Then again for an hour after assembling before baking. Then again for another 30 minutes after brushing with your egg white.

Can I use other colors besides rainbow?

Of course! I’ve always made it with rainbow colors but you can use different colors. Pastels would be really fun for this as well. Use whatever colors you’d like!

Why do you brush the cookies with an egg white?

This gives a shine to the cookies after baking. It also helps to make these slightly golden.

How do I store leftover cookies?

These can be stored in an airtight container where they will keep for up to one week. They can also be frozen. Place cooled cookies in a freezer bag or container and they will keep for up to 6 months. To defrost, remove to countertop or refrigerator.

Pinterest image of Easter Surprise Cookies stacked with one propped up against stack showing colorful layers.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)

unsalted butter
sugar
egg
vanilla extract
all-purpose flour
salt
nonpareils, for coating
purple, yellow, red, orange, blue, and green gel food coloring
egg white, for brushing the tops

Ingredients needed: Unsalted butter, superfine sugar, egg, vanilla extract, all-purpose flour, salt, nonpareils, purple, yellow, red, orange, blue, and green gel food coloring and egg white.

HOW TO MAKE EASTER SURPRISE COOKIES:

In your stand mixer (you can also use a hand mixer for this) add in the butter and sugar, and mix till it’s smooth and creamy in texture.

Butter and sugar in bowl of stand mixer.

To this mixture add in the egg and vanilla extract and mix till the egg is fully incorporated into the mixture.

Egg and vanilla added to butter and sugar mixture in bowl of stand mixer.

Now add the salt into the flour and mix well. Add this to the butter-egg batter in batches and mix till the dough comes together.

Flour mixture added to butter mixture in bowl of stand mixture.

Make three equal portions of the dough and keep one portion of the dough in the refrigerator until we proceed to the next step.

Divide the remaining two portions into 3 equal portions each, you should now have 6 equal portions.

One large piece of dough with 6 smaller pieces of dough.

Color each dough portion with the colors listed above. Refrigerate the colored dough for at least half an hour.

Six of the dough balls colored with one dough left the same.

Between two parchment papers, roll out each colored dough in the form of a rectangle. Place each rolled colored dough on top of the other, brushing egg white in between the layers. The height of the stacked layers should not exceed the diameter of your cookie cutter. For example, if your cookie cutter has a diameter of 6 cm, then the height of each rolled dough should approximately be 1 cm. Refrigerate the stacked dough layers for at least an hour and then start slicing them vertically. You should be able to see beautiful uniform layers of colors after slicing. Now using your egg cookie cutter, cut out the cookies.

Layered dough with colors on parchment paper.

Stack the cutout cookies while brushing egg white between them to form a colored easter egg cookie roll. Refrigerate the roll for half an hour. Meanwhile, take out the uncolored portion of the dough which we had kept in the refrigerator initially and roll it out into a uniform sheet. Use it to cover the stacked cookie roll forming a cylinder. Apply egg white all over the cylinder-shaped dough and roll it in the bed rainbow nonpareils, making sure to cover it well. Slice the dough for baking. Refrigerate till your oven is getting preheated.

Preheat the oven to 320 degrees F and bake for 18- 20 min. Let them cool on the pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy Easter with these colorful cookies!