Glazed Easter Cookies: the foolproof recipe. with a heart of colors. “For a magical and fragrant Easter morning, here are crisp cookies that taste like family.”
Beautiful to look at and very easy to prepare, they are the perfect heartfelt gift. “You can bake them comfortably in the oven or quickly in the air fryer.”
There is something magical about making Easter cookies: the scent of the shortcrust pastry filling the kitchen and the ritual of decorating.
Today I bring you into my home bakery to make tasty little shortbreads, glazed in white and decorated with an explosion of colorful nonpareils and a candied cherry on top for instant celebration. They are simple, cheerful and perfect to give as gifts or enjoy at Easter breakfast.
For me, the smell of lemon shortcrust and vanilla is not just the announcement of Easter, but an instant trip back to my neighbor Bruna’s warm kitchen.
I see myself as a child again, with flour-covered hands and eyes full of wonder, while I learned that a cookie is not just a sweet, but a gesture of sharing.
Making them together was a ritual: once ready, they were divided with love… a little for her son Mauro, a little for my little brothers.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Budget-friendly
- Rest time: 2 Hours
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Cooking time: 13 Minutes
- Portions: 25 pieces
- Cooking methods: Electric oven, Air fryer
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Easter
- Energy 119.06 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 18.25 (g) of which sugars 10.67 (g)
- Proteins 1.76 (g)
- Fat 4.63 (g) of which saturated 2.85 (g)of which unsaturated 1.73 (g)
- Fibers 0.23 (g)
- Sodium 7.37 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 34 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
Glazed Easter Cookies: The Foolproof Recipe
- 2 cups all-purpose flour ((about 250 g))
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar (erythritol (about 100 g))
- 8.5 tbsp butter ((about 120 g; ~8 tbsp + 1/2 tbsp))
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- to taste vanilla extract
- lemon (zested)
- 1 egg white
- 1 1/8 cup powdered (icing) sugar (sifted (about 130 g). Adjust to reach desired glaze consistency; you may need up to 150 g depending on egg white size.)
- to taste lemon (juice (to make the glaze glossy and very white))
- as needed candied cherries
- as needed colored nonpareils (sprinkles)
Tools
- Mixing bowl
- Kitchen scale
- Air fryers
- Parchment paper
- Baking sheet
- Cookie cutters
- Electric beaters
- Rolling pin
- Work surface board
Steps
Glazed Easter Cookies: The Foolproof Recipe
In a bowl, mix the flour with the sugar and the baking powder. Add the butter in pieces, the lemon zest and the vanilla. Work the ingredients with your hands until you obtain a sandy texture.
Work with your fingertips until the mixture becomes sandy.
Add the whole egg, the yolk and the grated zest of an organic lemon. Knead everything until you obtain a homogeneous mixture.
Add the whole egg and the yolk. Quickly knead until you get a smooth, fragrant dough ball.
Wrap in plastic wrap and let rest in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
Roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1/2 cm (about 1/5 in) on a lightly floured work surface, or between two sheets of parchment paper.
Cut out your cookies with cookie cutters.
Arrange the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake in a preheated conventional oven at 356°F for about 10–12 minutes.
Convection oven: 320°F for 10–12 minutes. Start checking the cookies after the first 8–9 minutes: they should be golden at the edges but still pale on the surface.
Air Fryer Settings
Temperature: 320°F (instead of 356°F). The air fryer is more aggressive than a conventional oven, so a lower temperature prevents them from overbrowning outside while remaining undercooked inside.
Time: 8–10 minutes. Check them already after the first 7 minutes: when the edges just begin to brown, they’re ready.
Tip… Arrange the cookies in a single layer in the basket. If you overcrowd it, the air won’t circulate and they won’t cook evenly. You’ll likely need 2 or 3 “batches”.
Parchment paper: Cut a piece of parchment to the exact size of the bottom of the basket. Don’t leave it too large, otherwise the edges of the paper will lift with the air and cover the cookies.
The cold-basket trick: Between batches the basket will be very hot. Wait one minute before placing the next cookies or reduce the cooking time of the second batch by 1–2 minutes.
Once baked and removed, let cool completely.
Place the egg white in a bowl with a few drops of lemon. Start whipping it with electric beaters (or in a stand mixer) at medium speed.
Begin to incorporate the sifted powdered sugar, one tablespoon at a time, continuing to whip. Sifting is essential to avoid lumps that would block the decoration.
The glaze should be thick and able to “write”: when falling from a spoon it should leave a visible trace for a few seconds. If too runny, add a bit more powdered sugar; if too thick, add a drop of water.Pour a generous teaspoon of glaze into the center of each cookie. Use the back of the spoon to spread it toward the edges, allowing it to create that tempting little “drip” at the side.
Before the glaze dries, place half a candied cherry in the center and sprinkle with colored nonpareils.
For a perfect result, decorate one cookie at a time. The glaze quickly forms a thin crust: if you wait too long to add the cherry and the nonpareils, they won’t stick!
Enjoy.
Tips
Use good-quality butter and, above all, very cold. If you feel the dough warming under your hands while creating the crumbs, stop for a minute and run your hands under cold water.
If you have time, once the cookies are cut out, put the baking sheet back in the fridge for 10 minutes before baking. This thermal “shock” ensures the scalloped edge stays very sharp after baking.
As shown in the photo, sprinkling a pinch of granulated sugar in the center of the cookie before baking creates a slightly rough surface that helps the egg-white glaze from slipping off.
Don’t add all the lemon at once. Proceed drop by drop. The perfect glaze should have the consistency of toothpaste: thick enough not to run everywhere, but fluid enough to level itself.
Creative Variations
Chocolate version: Replace 30 g of flour with 30 g of unsweetened cocoa powder.
Lactose-free: Use a good-quality vegetable butter or non-hydrogenated margarine.
Storage
Never close the cookies until the glaze is perfectly dry. It will take about 3–4 hours at room temperature. If you close them while the glaze is still damp, they will become soft and sticky.
The ideal container is a classic tin box or a glass jar with an airtight lid. This way they will stay crisp for 7–10 days.
If you need to stack them, insert a sheet of parchment paper between layers. This will prevent cherries or glaze from damaging the cookie below.
Baked shortcrust and glaze don’t like refrigerator humidity, which would make the sugar sticky. Store them in a cool, dry place away from heat sources.
More recipe tips
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