I wanted to make Jelly Bean Cookies for Easter and dug in my old standard recipes, trying to decide what to make the base cookie out of.
I found this really good basic sugar cookie (not a cut-out cookie) and remembered a wonderful butter cream frosting that would go great on them.
I then did some jelly bean tasting (now I'm a jelly bean expert) and found Starburst jelly beans had the best flavor - sweet and just barely tart.
You probably noticed the cute green grass the jelly beans are sitting on. I found that in the middle of the Easter stuff at Target and thought it was so cute! It's edible, but not really that tasty. If you're wanting cute cookies, go for it!
If you want awesome cookies, make the sugar cookie, frost it generously with the butter cream and put the little jelly beans on top, leaving the grass off. You could also dye some shredded coconut green and use that for grass.
Here's a photo of the different ways I decorated the cookies - sugar cookies with frosting, sugar cookies with jelly beans and no frosting (those were cute, too), and cookies with the frosting, grass and jelly beans. Oh, and some have frosting with just jelly beans on top. I tried to make the ones with just jelly beans look like bunny feet.
I think my favorite are the cookies with the purple jelly beans. The flavor combinations are just perfect.
Bret doesn't like jelly beans (what?), so I made some plain and some with just frosting. These cookies are so cute and perfect to make with the kiddos for Easter, or really any time!
Easter Jelly Bean Cookies
Terrific sugar cookie with a dreamy butter cream frosting and sweet dots of jelly beans. Perfectly Easter!
Ingredients
- 1 C (2 sticks) butter, softened
- 1 ½ C granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 ¼ C all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Frosting
- 1 ½ C powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 ½ tablespoon butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 to 2 tablespoon milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or silpat.
- Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and mix until well combined.
- Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Add the flour, 1 cup at a time, into the butter mixture, then add the vanilla. Mix until combined.
- Roll a heaping tablespoon of dough into a ball and place on the cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart. Slightly flatten the cookie. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Bake for 9-12 minutes, until lightly browned on the bottom. The top will not brown. Cool cookies on rack completely before frosting
- For the frosting, sift the powdered sugar into a medium bowl, Add the softened butter and mix until combined and smooth. Add the vanilla and stir. Add the milk, 1 tablespoon at a time until the consistency you want (kind of thick).
- Frost the cookies generously, then sprinkle with grass (if using) and gently press jelly beans on top into the frosting.
Notes
Be sure and use a heaping tablespoon of dough - you want these to be larger than usual so you can decorate them.
I always put cookie dough in the refrigerator between batches.
If you're not going to use the frosting and want to make bunny feet, press the jelly beans gently onto the cookies before baking (4 across the top and 1 sideways on the bottom).
If you'd rather use dyed coconut for the grass, it would work, too.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 30 Serving Size: 1 cookieAmount Per Serving: Calories: 108Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 38mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 0gSugar: 16gProtein: 1g
Nutrition Values are Approximate
sblades
Let's meet in the middle for lunch - I'm flexible on my schedule. You're so sweet. I'm glad you enjoy the recipes!
Patricia Scali
Girl--I need to see you. Been years, but from your blog, I know we could pick back up! Enjoy your recipes so much. You are a favorite and we're so beautiful at our wedding.❤️