Adorable egg cookies are perfect for Easter! My version uses a buttery shortbread cookie base and bright homemade lemon curd filling for a tasty and oh so cute sandwich cookie treat.
Egg Cookies for Easter
I know the concept of these egg cookies might seem a bit silly, but have you seen cuter cookies?! They are tasty too–similar to lemon bars in taste and texture, with a crisp, buttery shortbread cookie base, tart lemon filling, and a dusting of powdered sugar on top. They would be so fun for Easter!
These cookies were my sister’s suggestion… She actually saw them on Instagram and wanted them remade for Easter. We made them, then hunted through her feed for the original source and found it: Bonne maman. Their recipe seemed to go for more of a Linzer cookie approach, using almond flour. I opted for a shortbread base instead and used my homemade lemon curd instead, though you could certainly use their their curd.
Why You’ll Love Them
- Flavorful and fun! Buttery shortbread pairs so well with lemon. These aren’t just cute–they are delicious too!
- Simple and surprisingly easy to make with just seven ingredients.
- A great way to serve “eggs” at Easter without having to boil or dye anything. And honestly, with how expensive eggs are in the US right now, these are a wonderful alternative to the real thing! 😅
- Great for making in advance, since the dough needs to chill for at least an hour. I provide instructions for you to prep the dough up to five days in advance (gives you a chance to get a head start on your other Easter desserts!).
What You Need
Just seven ingredients today! This cookie recipe is super simple.
- Flour and cornstarch. Using a mix of flour and cornstarch has two benefits: helping the cookies hold their shape in the oven and creating a super tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- Powdered sugar. This goes in the dough (just like in the shortbread crust I use for my lemon tart!) and then is sprinkled on top once our cookies cool.
- Butter. Pick a good quality butter if you can, as this will largely flavor our shortbread. European butter (like Kerrygold or Plugra) would be an especially good choice here!
- Flavoring. Including vanilla extract and salt. I personally like using my homemade vanilla extract in my baked goods–it’s easy to make and has such a good flavor! It also makes a great homemade gift, if you need something for mom for mother’s day 😉
- Lemon curd. I prefer homemade, but you can of course use store-bought. Keep in mind fresh homemade lemon curd tends to be a bit brighter in color than the store-bought versions that have been preserved to be shelf stable.
SAM’S TIP: If you only have salted butter, you can use that and skip the additional salt in the recipe.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Egg Cookies
Make & cut the dough
Prepare the dough, then wrap in plastic and let chill before rolling. You can customize the thickness/final texture of your cookies; the thicker you roll them, the softer and chewier they’ll be (but they also may spread a bit more). Thinner cookies will be crisper (and you’ll get more cookies from your dough). I like to roll mine just under ¼″ thick.
Cut the egg centers out of just half of your egg cookies (these will be the tops of each sandwich!), placing the cutter in the lower half of the cookie.
Bake, separating the cookies with the cutouts on their own cookie sheet, that way they all bake evenly. Don’t let your cookies get too dark in the oven or they’ll be dry and crumbly–pull them out when the edges just start to turn a very, very light golden color.
Assemble & decorate
Once they have cooled completely, dust all of the top cookies (the cookies with cutouts) with powdered sugar.
Take the remaining bottom cookies and flip them over so that the side that was on the parchment paper is now facing up. Add lemon curd, then top with the sugared cookies before gently pressing the two halves together.
SAM’S TIP: Add the powdered sugar before assembling the egg cookies, otherwise you’ll cover up your “yolk” filling!
Frequently Asked Questions
You could, but the bright yellow lemon curd is what really makes these egg cookies look like eggs! Apricot jam/preserves, pineapple curd, or mango curd would be my recommended alternatives if you don’t like lemon but still want an eggy look.
Yes! The cookies can sit at room temperature for a few hours, but after that they should go in the fridge, due to the lemon curd. Make sure you store them in an airtight container. Personally I think they’re still excellent when served cold, but if you prefer you could let them come back to room temperature before enjoying.
Sometimes (but not always) the powdered sugar will dissolve after a day or two, especially after the cookies have been in the fridge. This tends to happen due to the sugar being exposed to moisture (a humid day can also cause this, or if you added the sugar while the cookie was still warm). If this happens, you can try and dust the tops with powdered sugar again, but you might lose the yellow yolk look if you do. I have two of these cookies sitting in my fridge (in an airtight container, of course) that were made 4 days ago and the powdered sugar is completely intact, so it doesn’t always dissolve, either.
If you make these cookies for Easter this year, please let me know how they turn out for you!
Enjoy!
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Egg Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter softened
- ¾ cup (95 g) powdered sugar + additional for decorating
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- ½ cup (120 ml) lemon curd
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
Make the dough
- Place butter in a large mixing bowl and use an electric mixer to beat until smooth and creamy.1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter
- Add powdered sugar and mix until sugar is completely absorbed and mixture is smooth.¾ cup (95 g) powdered sugar
- Add vanilla extract and stir to combine.1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- In a separate, medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, and salt until combined.2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour, 2 Tablespoons cornstarch, ½ teaspoon table salt
- Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, stirring on low-speed until completely combined.
- Form dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 60 minutes (see note).
- When the cookie dough is finished chilling and you are ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350F (175C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
Roll & cut out out the cookies
- Remove dough from the refrigerator and place on a clean, lightly floured surface. Use a rolling pin to roll dough out to ⅛”-¼” (about 0.5 cm) thickness. Use your egg-shaped cookie cutter to cut out as many cookies as possible. Gather any remaining scraps into a ball and re-roll to make more cookies.
- Using your circle cookie cutter, make a circular cut into half of the egg cookies (I like to make the circle cut centered in the lower half of the egg). You can reroll the circle pieces you’ve rolled out.
- Transfer cookies to prepared baking sheet, spacing cookies at least 2” apart (it is best to bake the cookies without cutouts on one pan, and the cookies with cutouts on a separate pan so that they will all bake evenly).
- Bake in center rack of preheated 350F (175C) oven for 8-10 minutes, until the edges of the cookies are just beginning to turn a light golden brown. Allow cookies to cool completely before assembling.
Assembly
- Once cookies are cooled, dust all of the eggs with cutouts only with powdered sugar (I place the cookies on a piece of wax paper for easy cleanup, then use a small sifter to sift sugar all over these cookies).
- Take a whole egg cookie and flip it over so the bottom is facing up. Dollop a teaspoon of lemon curd into the center.½ cup (120 ml) lemon curd
- Take a sugared cookie and gently but firmly settle over the lemon curd, lining up the edges of the cookies and gently pressing so they stick together. Repeat with all cookies.
Notes
Lemon curd
You can use store-bought curd or my homemade lemon curd (I prefer to use mine!). I make a full batch and save the extra curd for snacking, but you could get away with making a half batch and you’ll still have a little bit left over.Chilling
The dough requires at least an hour of chilling before it’s rolled out, but can keep, tightly wrapped in the refrigerator, for up to 4 days before being rolled out and baked. Note that if the dough is chilled much longer than an hour it can become quite firm and may need to sit at room temperature for a bit (15-20 minutes or so) to be soft enough to be rolled without cracking.Storing
These cookies can stay at room temperature for several hours but otherwise keep them stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Janet Miller
I have not made these yet, but the recipe “looks great” on paper, and they are absolutely adorable!
Sam
I hope you love them! 🙂
Janet Miller
Sam, I am looking at this recipe again (still have not made them, sorry), and you say to dollop a teaspoon of the curd onto the bottom of the cookie. The photos, though, seem to show more than a teaspoon (I’m thinking measuring teaspoon). Can you tell me more realistically, how much curd do you put on the bottom cookie? Is the curd to cover the bottom cookie once the top one is placed? Thanks!
Sam
Hi Janet! I use a teaspoon size cookie scoop, but a measuring spoon will work. 🙂
BCGirl
these look adorable!
BCGirl
these look adorable! I’ve never seen an egg shaped cookie cutter though 😔 Any recommendation as to where to get?
Sam
I actually link to the ones I bought on Amazon right above the recipe. 🙂
Emilia
These look so cute! Can’t wait to try them
Sam
I hope you love them, Emilia! 🙂