Easter Cookies {So Easy!} - Celebrating Sweets

Published: Mar 20, 2023 by Allison · 3 Comments

If you’re ready to get started with spring baking these pretty pastel Easter Cookies are just the thing to make! Soft and chewy cookies made with seasonal M&M’s, white chocolate, and sprinkles.

This recipe is a mashup of our popular M&M Cookies and Sprinkle Cookies. They’re colorful, festive, and perfect for spring holidays and celebrations.

Closeup of cookies topped with pastel M&M's and sprinkles.

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These cookies are

Flavored with vanilla, brown sugar, M&M’s, and white chocolate chips.

Soft and chewy throughout with crisp edges.

Quick and easy with very little hands on time.

Perfect for spring holidays or celebrations.

Colorful, fun, and festive thanks to pastel M&M’s and sprinkles.

Stack of M&M cookies with white chocolate chips and pastel sprinkles.

Recipe tips

Make sure your butter is softened but still cool to the touch. Using butter that is too soft will make the cookies spread too much in the oven.
Your brown sugar should be soft and fresh. The moisture in the brown sugar helps make these cookies chewy.
When pressing the dough balls into the sprinkles, do NOT press so hard that you flatten the dough balls. When they enter the oven they should still be ball/dome shaped.
Do NOT over-bake! For crisp edges and soft centers, do not wait until these cookies look done to pull them from the oven. Remove them from the oven just prior to being done and then they will finish cooking as they cool on the baking sheet.
Use the tips below to shape the cookies when they come out of the oven.

Stack of three cookies topped with pastel M&M's and sprinkles.

How to get perfectly round cookies

Option 1: Immediately after the cookies come out of the oven place a round glass, bowl, or cookie cutter (larger than the cookie) upside down over the top of the cookie. Gently but quickly swirl the glass/bowl/cookie cutter in a circular motion. The edges of the cookie will bump against the inside of the glass creating a perfectly round shape. This only works when the cookies are hot, straight from the oven, and still on the warm baking sheet.

Option 2: Immediately after the cookies come out the oven use the back of a spoon to gently push the edges inward to create clean edges and a round shape.

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Recipe

Easter Cookies

Our go-to cookies for spring baking! Soft and chewy cookies made with pastel M&M's, white chocolate, and sprinkles.

5 from 4 votes

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 9 minutes

Total Time: 29 minutes

Servings: 15 – 20

Calories: 200kcal

Author: Allison – Celebrating Sweets

Ingredients

▢ 1½ cups plus one tablespoon all purpose flour, see note
▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder
▢ ½ teaspoon baking soda
▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
▢ ½ cup unsalted butter, softened but still cool
▢ ½ cup granulated sugar
▢ ⅓ cup brown sugar, lightly packed, make sure it’s fresh and soft
▢ 1 large egg, cold, straight from the fridge
▢ 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
▢ ¾ cup Easter/spring M&M's , plus extra for topping, if desired
▢ ½ cup white chocolate chips or chunks, plus extra for topping, if desired
▢ ¼ cup pastel sprinkles

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and both sugars for 1-2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla extract, mixing until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. On low speed, add in flour mixture and mix until just combined.
Gently stir in M&M's and white chocolate chips. Place the sprinkles in a shallow bowl.
Scoop balls of cookie dough, between 1½ and 2½ tablespoon portions. Gently press the top of each ball into the bowl of sprinkles. You can bake the cookies right away or chill the dough balls in the fridge for about 15 minutes for slightly thicker cookies.
Place dough onto prepared baking sheets leaving an inch or two for spreading. I like to make sure the dough balls are mounded higher rather than wider so that the cookies aren't too thin.
Bake for 8-11 minutes (see note), until the edges of the cookies are set but the center is still slightly underdone; this will create a soft cookie. See note about shaping the cookies as soon as they come out of the oven.
Place the baking sheets on wire racks and allow the cookies to cool completely. If desired, you can press some M&M's and/or chocolate chips onto the top of the cookies when they are still warm.

Notes

TO PROPERLY MEASURE FLOUR: Fluff the flour with your measuring cup, scoop a heaping portion, and level it off with the back of a knife.BAKING TIME: Adjust according to the size of dough balls. HOW TO GET PERFECTLY ROUND COOKIES:Option 1: Immediately after the cookies come out of the oven place a round glass, bowl, or cookie cutter (larger than the cookie) upside down over the top of the cookie. Gently but quickly swirl the glass/bowl/cookie cutter in a circular motion. The edges of the cookie will bump against the inside of the glass creating a perfectly round shape. Note: This only works when the cookies are hot, straight from the oven, and still on the warm baking sheet.

Glass bowl over a chocolate chip cookie on a baking sheet,

Option 2: Immediately after the cookies come out the oven use the back of a spoon to gently push the edges inward to create clean edges and a perfect round shape.