Description
These Easter Chocolate Chip Cookies are soft, chewy, and loaded with chocolate chips and colorful pastel candies. Perfect for Easter baskets and spring celebrations!
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour — the base that gives these cookies structure
- 1 teaspoon baking soda — helps cookies rise and spread just right
- ½ teaspoon baking powder — adds a little extra lift for soft, fluffy centers
- ½ teaspoon salt — balances the sweetness and brings out the chocolate flavor
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature — make sure it’s soft! Cold butter won’t cream properly
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar — keeps cookies soft and adds deep, caramel-like sweetness
- ½ cup granulated sugar — for the perfect sweet balance and a bit of crispness
- 2 large eggs, room temperature — binds everything together and creates that tender texture
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract — the secret to that homemade cookie aroma
- 1 ½ cups chocolate chips — use milk chocolate for sweet, semi-sweet for balance, or a mix!
Optional Easter Add-Ins
- ½–1 cup pastel candy-coated chocolate pieces — think mini M&M’s or pastel chocolate candies in pink, yellow, blue, and green
- ½ cup chopped Easter candy — mini chocolate eggs, peanut butter eggs, or whatever your family loves
- A pinch of cinnamon or orange zest — adds a subtle springtime twist
For Rolling (Optional)
- 2–3 tablespoons sugar — for a sweet sparkle on top
- Pastel sanding sugar — makes them extra festive and pretty
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper or lightly grease them with butter or cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until well combined.
Set this aside—you’ll add it to the wet ingredients in a few minutes. Whisking ensures everything is evenly distributed so you don’t get pockets of baking soda in your cookies.
In a large bowl, beat the room-temperature butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar with an electric mixer (or a sturdy wooden spoon if you’re feeling strong!) until the mixture is light, fluffy, and almost cloud-like. This should take about 2–3 minutes.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. This helps them incorporate smoothly without deflating all that air you just whipped in.
Stir in the vanilla extract and give it a final mix until everything is silky and golden.
Gradually add your dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing gently until just combined. The dough should come together but still look a little shaggy—that’s perfect!
Overmixing after adding flour develops too much gluten and makes cookies tough instead of tender.
Now for the fun part! Gently fold in the chocolate chips and any optional pastel candies or chopped Easter treats you’re using.
Using a cookie scoop or tablespoon, scoop rounded portions of dough and place them about 2 inches apart on your prepared baking sheets. They’ll spread a bit while baking, so give them room to breathe.
If you want that bakery-style sparkle, roll the tops lightly in granulated sugar or pastel sanding sugar before baking.
Bake for 9–12 minutes, keeping a close eye on them. You want the edges to be set and just starting to turn golden, while the centers still look soft and slightly puffed.
Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes—this lets them firm up without breaking. Then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Add a sprinkle of flaky sea salt on top right after baking for a sweet-salty contrast that’s absolutely addictive
- Use a mix of chocolate chips — combine semi-sweet, milk chocolate, and white chocolate for more complex flavor
- Press extra candies into the tops of cookies right after they come out of the oven for that picture-perfect look
- Don’t crowd the pan — leave 2 inches between cookies so they bake evenly and don’t merge into one giant cookie blob
- Rotate your pans halfway through baking if your oven has hot spots
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American