Easter Cookies

Our favorite cookies to bake every spring! These soft, chewy treats are loaded with pastel M&M’s, creamy white chocolate, and fun sprinkles for a colorful, festive touch.

They’re bursting with flavor from vanilla, brown sugar, pastel M&M’s, and white chocolate chips.

Every bite delivers soft and chewy centers with just the right amount of crisp around the edges.

Super quick to make with hardly any hands-on time—perfect for busy days.

The perfect sweet treat for spring celebrations, Easter, or any cheerful gathering.

Bright, fun, and festive thanks to the pretty pastel M&M’s and a sprinkle of pastel sprinkles on top.

Our favorite cookies to bake every spring! These soft, chewy treats are loaded with pastel M&M’s, creamy white chocolate, and fun sprinkles for a colorful, festive touch.

What Makes Them Irresistible

These Easter-inspired cookies do more than look adorable—they’re a breeze to make, always delicious, and just right for celebrations. Wondering if you should bake them? Here’s why they’re a total win.

• Soft, chewy centers with crisp edges: Pull these cookies out when the edges are firm but the centers still look a little soft. Letting them finish cooking on the warm baking sheet gives you that perfect chewy softness we all crave.
• Quick and low-effort: Just cream the butter and sugars for a minute or two, add the egg and vanilla, then mix in your dry ingredients and goodies—no complicated steps or fancy techniques needed.
• Bright, festive, kid-approved: The pastel M&M’s, white chocolate, and sprinkles add cheerful colors and fun textures, making these a hit at spring parties, school events, and family get-togethers. Bonus: Kids love pressing the dough into sprinkles!
• Make-ahead and freezer-friendly: Scoop the dough balls and freeze them to bake fresh cookies anytime, or freeze the baked cookies for up to three months. You can bake straight from the freezer, just add a couple of minutes to the bake time.
• Endlessly customizable: Feel free to swap out the candies, chips, nuts, oats, or even add cocoa powder. For a nutty, texture-forward variation, try these crisp and chewy chocolate chip pecan cookies. There are options here for gluten-free and vegan needs, too (check below for ideas).
• Consistently reliable results: Small tips in the recipe—like using softened but still cool butter, fresh brown sugar, and a cold egg—help stop the cookies from spreading too much, so you get the same amazing results every single time.
• Bakery-style finish: Press a few extra M&M’s or white chocolate chips on top right when the cookies come out of the oven. Plus, use the simple tricks (like a glass or spoon) to shape them into perfect round cookies—great for gifting or displaying. Want to cut out and decorate Easter shapes? Start with The BEST Sugar Cookies.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• 1½ cups plus one tablespoon all purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• 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

Mixing and Baking Steps

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
3. Beat unsalted butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar for 1–2 minutes until light and fluffy.

4. Add the cold egg and vanilla extract and mix until combined, scraping down the bowl as needed.
5. On low speed, add the flour mixture and mix just until combined—do not overmix.
6. Gently fold in pastel M&M’s and white chocolate chips.
7. Pour pastel sprinkles into a shallow bowl.

8. Scoop dough into 1½–2½ tablespoon balls.

9. Press the top of each dough ball gently into the sprinkles to coat, keeping the tops rounded.
10. Optional: chill dough balls about 20 minutes for thicker cookies.
11. Arrange dough balls on prepared baking sheets, leaving 1–2 inches between each and mounding slightly so cookies stay thick.

12. Bake 8–11 minutes, pulling cookies when the edges are set but the centers still look soft (adjust time for dough size).

13. Right out of the oven, shape cookies into neat rounds by placing an upside-down glass/bowl over each cookie and swirling, or gently nudge edges inward with the back of a spoon.
14. Press a few extra M&M’s or white chocolate chips onto the tops while cookies are still warm, if desired.

15. Transfer baking sheets to wire racks and let cookies cool completely.

    

Baker’s Tips for Best Results

• Make sure your butter feels soft but still cool to the touch. Butter that’s too soft can cause the cookies to spread too much while baking.
• Use brown sugar that’s soft and fresh—this keeps the cookies nice and chewy with great moisture.
• When pressing cookie dough balls into sprinkles, be gentle. You want the dough ball still rounded on top—not flattened; they’ll spread enough as they bake.
• Don’t over-bake! For that crisp edge and soft center combo, take the cookies out just before the centers look done (see the timing cues in The BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies). They’ll finish cooking as they cool on the baking sheet.
• Use one of the shaping tricks below to get photo-perfect, round cookies right out of the oven.

Option 1: When the cookies are fresh from the oven, quickly place a round glass, bowl, or cookie cutter (bigger than your cookie) upside down over each cookie. Then, swirl it around gently but quickly in a circle. This nudges the edges to bump into the glass’s inside, forming a perfect circle. Remember, this works only while the cookies are hot and still on the baking sheet.

Option 2: Or right out of the oven, softly push the cookie edges inward with the back of a spoon. This simple step gives you clean, round edges without any fuss.

Mix-Ins and Substitutions

If you want to shake things up or have dietary needs, give these tweaks a try:

• Swap the pastel Easter M&M’s for regular size, mini M&M’s, chopped milk or dark chocolate, or peanut butter chips for a totally new taste and texture.
• Use colored sanding sugar or nonpareils instead of sprinkles if you want less melting and a slightly different look.
• Add in ½ cup of chopped toasted nuts like pecans or walnuts for a nice crunch.
• Mix in ½ cup old-fashioned oats to make the cookies extra chewy.
• For a double chocolate twist, replace up to ¼ cup of the flour with unsweetened cocoa powder. Just keep in mind, you might want to reduce the baking powder a little to balance.
• Give it a citrusy pop by swapping 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract for ½ teaspoon lemon or orange extract. If you love lemon-forward cookies, check out Lemon Curd Thumbprint Cookies.
• Make these gluten-free by swapping the all-purpose flour for a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend. If your dough feels softer, chilling it for a bit before baking helps. Or try Lemon Cut Out Cookies (Gluten Free, Paleo) for a dedicated gluten-free option.
• To make vegan or dairy-free cookies, use vegan butter and an egg substitute like a flax egg or commercial replacer, along with dairy-free white chocolate chips.

Storage and Make-Ahead Tips

Keep these cookies fresh and ready whenever you want them with these storage and make-ahead tips:

• Room temperature: Once fully cooled, store your cookies in an airtight container at room temp for up to 3 days. Slip in a slice of bread to keep them soft longer—it’s a neat little trick I swear by.
• Refrigerator: Keep in an airtight container for about a week. They will firm up when chilled, so let them sit at room temp or warm briefly before serving if you want soft centers again.
• Freezing baked cookies: Freeze cookies flat in a single layer on a baking sheet first, then transfer to a freezer bag or container. They’ll keep up to 3 months frozen. Thaw at room temperature for a few hours before enjoying. This method works especially well for sturdy bakes like Pistachio Shortbread Cookies.
• Freezing dough: Scoop the dough balls, freeze them on a tray until firm, then store in a sealed bag for up to 3 months. When ready, bake straight from the freezer—just add an extra 1–2 minutes of baking time. For a step-by-step example, see Classic Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Cookies.
• Reheating: Refresh your cookies by microwaving for 8-12 seconds or warming them in a 300°F oven for 4-6 minutes. This brings back those soft, melty centers.
• Make-ahead dough: You can chill dough balls for about 20 minutes before baking to get thicker cookies or refrigerate the whole dough up to 48 hours for a deeper, richer flavor. If the dough’s chilled longer, let it rest at room temperature for 10-15 minutes so it’s easier to scoop.

Common Questions Answered

Q: Can I swap out the pastel Easter M&M’s for regular or other candies?

A: Definitely! Regular-sized, mini M&M’s or chopped chocolate candies work perfectly. Just know that larger or peanut M&M’s might make your cookies spread out more, so chilling the dough or using smaller portions helps keep things tidy.

Q: Why is it important that my butter is softened but still cool?

A: Softer butter that’s still cool helps it blend without turning greasy and slows spreading during baking. The result is thicker cookies with chewy centers and nice crisp edges.

Q: The recipe says to use a cold egg. Is that really necessary?

A: Using a cold egg helps keep the dough firmer upfront, so cookies don’t spread too much while baking. You can use a room-temp egg if you need to, but expect a little more spread.

Q: Can I freeze either the dough or baked cookies?

A: Yes to both! Freeze scooped dough on a tray then bag it for up to 3 months, baking straight from frozen (adding 1–2 minutes). Baked cookies freeze well too—just thaw at room temp before enjoying.

Q: My sprinkles or candy colors sometimes bleed—any tips to avoid that?

A: Use sprinkles and candies specifically labeled for baking. Press them gently onto the dough instead of submerging. Keep dough surface moisture low and if you want bright colors, wait to add a few extras on top of the warm cookie after baking. For a festive example that keeps colors vibrant, see our Christmas cream cheese sugar cookies with buttercream frosting.

Q: How can I get soft cookie centers with crisp edges every time?

A: Pull the cookies out of the oven when the edges look set but the centers still appear slightly underdone. Let them finish cooking as they cool on the baking sheet for that perfect soft middle. If you want a cookie that naturally stays ultra-soft, try these Pistachio Pudding Cookies.

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