Easter Blossom Cookies

Easter Blossom Cookies are soft, tender sugar cookies rolled in granulated sugar and topped with pastel chocolate candies. They’re simple to make with basic ingredients like butter, sugar, flour, and eggs, and they’re perfect for Easter celebrations, spring parties, or anytime you want a beautiful and delicious cookie.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Chewy sugar cookies topped with colorful chocolate kisses for a festive spring treat. With pastel colors and a classic blossom shape, they’re as cute as they are delicious. Perfect for Easter baskets, parties, or baking with family.

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Ingredient List

Cookie Dough

• 1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt

Coating & Topping

• ½ cup granulated sugar (for rolling)
• About 48 chocolate candies (pastel-colored chocolate kisses or similar)
• Optional: pastel nonpareils or sprinkles for extra decoration

Friendly Notes: You can absolutely use regular Hershey’s Kisses if you can’t find the pastel ones—they’ll still taste amazing! I’ve also made these with caramel-filled chocolates and even Rolos for a fun twist.

Why These Ingredients Work

The generous amount of butter (a whole pound and a half!) is what gives these cookies their rich, tender texture. It creates that perfect soft crumb that practically melts on your tongue. The sugar does double duty here—it sweetens the dough AND creates that gorgeous sparkly coating when you roll the cookie balls.

The single egg keeps the cookies soft without making them cakey. Too many eggs would give you a puffier, less tender cookie, and we definitely don’t want that! The vanilla extract adds warmth and depth to the buttery flavor.

Baking powder gives just a tiny lift to the cookies so they’re not flat as pancakes, but we don’t want them to rise too much or that chocolate candy won’t sit nicely on top. The salt balances all that sweetness and makes the butter flavor really shine.

And those chocolate candies? They’re not just pretty—they add a lovely chocolate contrast to the sweet, buttery cookie. When you bite into one, you get that satisfying crunch from the sugar coating, the soft cookie, and then the creamy chocolate center. Perfection!

Essential Tools and Equipment

• Large mixing bowl
• Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
• Separate medium bowl for dry ingredients
• Whisk
• Baking sheets (2-3 recommended)
• Parchment paper or silicone baking mats
• Cookie scoop (1-inch size) or spoon
• Small bowl for rolling sugar
• Wire cooling rack

How To Make Easter Blossom Cookies

Step 1: Preheat Your Oven

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line your baking sheets with parchment paper. This prevents sticking and makes cleanup SO much easier. Trust me on this one!

Step 2: Cream the Butter and Sugar

In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and 1 cup of granulated sugar together with your mixer until the mixture is light and fluffy—this should take about 2-3 minutes. You want it to look pale and creamy, almost like frosting. This step is super important because it incorporates air into the dough, which helps create that tender texture.

Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until everything is well combined and smooth.

Step 3: Mix Your Dry Ingredients

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisking helps distribute the baking powder and salt evenly throughout the flour, so you don’t end up with pockets of salty or extra-fluffy cookies.

Step 4: Combine Wet and Dry

Gradually add the dry ingredients to your butter mixture. I like to do this in three additions, mixing on low speed after each one. Mix just until the dough comes together—you don’t want to overmix or your cookies will be tough. The dough should be soft but not sticky.

Step 5: Shape and Roll

Put your ½ cup of rolling sugar in a small bowl. Scoop or roll the dough into 1-inch balls (about a tablespoon of dough each). Roll each ball in the granulated sugar until it’s completely coated. This is where those cookies get their signature sparkle!

Step 6: Bake to Perfection

Place your sugar-coated dough balls about 2 inches apart on your prepared baking sheets. They will spread a bit, so give them room to breathe! Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the edges are set and the tops look slightly crackled.

Step 7: Add Those Pretty Candies

This is the fun part! As soon as you remove the cookies from the oven, immediately press one chocolate candy into the center of each warm cookie. Press gently but firmly—you want it to stick, but you don’t want to flatten the cookie. The candy will soften slightly from the heat, which helps it adhere.

If you’re adding extra sprinkles or nonpareils for decoration, now’s the time to sprinkle them around the edges while everything’s still warm!

Step 8: Cool Completely

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes until they’re firm enough to move. Then carefully transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. The chocolate will set as they cool, creating that perfect little blossom on top.

You Must Know

Your butter MUST be softened to room temperature before you start. If it’s too cold, you won’t get that light and fluffy texture when you cream it with the sugar. If it’s too warm or melted, your cookies will spread too much and lose their shape. The butter should be soft enough that you can press your finger into it easily, but it shouldn’t be shiny or greasy looking.

Personal Secret: I always chill my cookie dough balls for about 15 minutes before baking if I have time. This helps them hold their shape better and prevents excessive spreading.

Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks

Use a cookie scoop for perfectly uniform cookies that bake evenly. A 1-tablespoon scoop is ideal here.

Don’t press the chocolate candies in when the cookies are piping hot fresh from the oven—wait about 30 seconds. If they’re TOO hot, the chocolate will melt into a puddle. You want them warm enough that the candy sticks, but not so hot that it completely melts.

Make sure your baking sheets are completely cool between batches, or your cookies will start spreading before they even get in the oven. I rotate between two or three sheets to keep things moving.

If your dough feels too soft to work with, pop it in the fridge for 15-20 minutes to firm up. This happens sometimes, especially in warm kitchens.

Save time by unwrapping all your chocolate candies BEFORE you start baking. There’s nothing worse than racing against the cooling cookies while you’re frantically unwrapping chocolates!

Flavor Variations & Suggestions

Almond Blossom Cookies: Replace the vanilla extract with almond extract for a more sophisticated, bakery-style flavor. So good!

Lemon Spring Blossoms: Add 1 tablespoon of lemon zest to the dough and use lemon extract instead of vanilla. These taste like sunshine!

Chocolate Dough: Replace ½ cup of the flour with unsweetened cocoa powder for chocolate cookies with pastel candy centers.

Peanut Butter Blossoms: Mix in ½ cup of peanut butter with the butter and sugar for a classic peanut butter blossom variation.

Colorful Sugar: Instead of plain white sugar for rolling, use colored sanding sugar or mix a few drops of food coloring into your rolling sugar for pastel-tinted cookies.

Different Toppings: Try using caramel-filled chocolates, peanut butter cups, or even mini chocolate eggs pressed into the center!

Make-Ahead Options

These cookies are perfect for making ahead, which is a lifesaver during busy Easter prep!

Make-Ahead Cookie Dough: You can prepare the dough up to 3 days in advance. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate. Let it sit at room temperature for about 15-20 minutes before rolling into balls—it’ll be easier to work with.

Freeze the Dough: Roll the dough into balls, place them on a baking sheet, and freeze until solid (about 1 hour). Transfer the frozen dough balls to a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to bake, roll the frozen balls in sugar and bake straight from the freezer—just add 1-2 minutes to the baking time.

Baked Cookies: Fully baked and cooled cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, or frozen for up to 3 months. Just make sure they’re completely cool before storing!

Recipe Notes & Baker’s Tips

The dough might seem a little crumbly at first, but keep mixing and it will come together into a smooth, cohesive ball. If it’s genuinely too dry and won’t hold together, add a teaspoon of milk or water.

Don’t worry if the cookies look slightly underdone when you pull them from the oven. They’ll firm up as they cool, and you want them soft and tender, not hard and crunchy!

If you’re making these with kids, let them help with the rolling in sugar and pressing the candies in. Just supervise the hot baking sheet part!

The cookies will flatten slightly as they bake, creating the perfect little nest for your chocolate candy. That’s exactly what you want!

Serving Suggestions

These Easter Blossom Cookies are perfect for:

• Easter brunch dessert tables alongside fruit salad and hot cross buns
• Tucked into Easter baskets for a homemade touch
• Spring baby showers or birthday parties
• Teacher appreciation gifts (put them in a pretty cellophane bag with ribbon!)
• Afternoon tea with lemonade or iced tea
• Cookie platters for church gatherings or potlucks

Serve them on a pretty spring platter with fresh flowers nearby for the most Instagram-worthy presentation. They also look gorgeous stacked in a glass jar or arranged in a decorative tin.

How to Store Your Easter Blossom Cookies

Room Temperature: Store completely cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. Layer them between sheets of parchment or wax paper to prevent sticking.

Refrigerator: These cookies don’t need to be refrigerated, but if your house is very warm and the chocolate is getting soft, you can store them in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Let them come to room temperature before serving for the best flavor.

Freezer: Freeze baked cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet until solid, then transfer to a freezer-safe container or bag. They’ll keep for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving.

Pro Tip: Don’t stack these cookies directly on top of each other without parchment between layers, or the chocolate candies will stick together!

Allergy Information

Contains: Wheat (gluten), dairy (butter), eggs

Egg-Free Option: You can try replacing the egg with 3 tablespoons of milk or a flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tablespoons water, left to sit for 5 minutes). The texture will be slightly different but still delicious.

Dairy-Free: Use dairy-free butter (like Earth Balance) and check that your chocolate candies are dairy-free. Many dark chocolate options work beautifully!

Gluten-Free: Substitute with a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend designed for baking. Bob’s Red Mill and King Arthur both make good ones. The cookies may be slightly more delicate.

Nut-Free: This recipe is naturally nut-free, but always check your chocolate candy labels if you have severe allergies, as some are processed in facilities with nuts.

Questions I Get Asked A Lot

Can I use salted butter instead of unsalted?

You can, but I’d reduce the added salt to just a pinch (about ⅛ teaspoon). Unsalted butter gives you more control over the saltiness of your cookies.

My cookies spread too much—what happened?

This usually means your butter was too soft or even melted. Make sure it’s softened but still holds its shape. Also, make sure your baking sheets are cool before putting the next batch on them! Chilling the dough balls for 15 minutes before baking can also help.

What if I can’t find pastel chocolate candies?

No problem! Regular Hershey’s Kisses work perfectly. You can also use any flavor of Kisses you like—caramel, dark chocolate, or even the ones with almonds inside. During non-Easter times, I make these with regular silver-wrapped Kisses and they’re just as delicious!

Can I make these cookies bigger or smaller?

Absolutely! Just adjust your baking time. Smaller cookies (½ tablespoon of dough) will take about 6-8 minutes, while larger cookies (2 tablespoons of dough) might need 11-13 minutes. Watch the edges—when they’re set, the cookies are done!

Do I have to roll them in sugar?

The sugar coating is pretty important for that signature sparkly look and slightly crisp exterior, but if you skip it, you’ll still have delicious cookies—they just won’t have that pretty finish or textural contrast.

My chocolate candies won’t stick—help!

Make sure you’re pressing them in while the cookies are still warm. If the cookies have cooled too much, the chocolate won’t adhere. You can also try placing the baking sheet back in the warm (turned-off) oven for 30 seconds to re-warm the cookies slightly.

💬 Tried this recipe? Leave a comment and rating below! I’d love to hear how your Easter Blossom Cookies turned out! Did you use a fun flavor variation?