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🍓Fruit Pizza: The Perfect Light Easter Dessert

Easter may have a reputation for being all about the chocolate and jelly beans, but that doesn’t mean we can’t sneak in a little fresh produce every now and again! If you want a break from the non-stop candyfest, give my Easter fruit pizza a try this year.

🍇What is fruit pizza?

I grew up eating fruit pizza, but if you’ve never had one, you may be a bit confused or skeptical. Pizza? Fruit? Haven’t we already done this with Hawaiian pizza?

Fruit pizza is typically made with a sugar cookie crust, topped with frosting, and finished with a variety of fresh fruit. Although it’s most often in a large round pizza shape, you can also make mini individual pizzas, rectangular pizzas, or do what I did here, and make it into the shape of an Easter egg!

🥭When do you serve fruit pizza?

One of the best things about fruit pizza is its versatility. It’s piled high with fruit, so it makes a wonderful brunch or tea time dish. But the sugar cookie crusts and cream cheese frosting can also push it into the after-dinner dessert category. And honestly, it’s so good, I find myself nibbling on it for any and every meal.

🧾What You’ll Need

Ingredients

The good news: this fruit pizza is made with common baking ingredients, so you probably already have most, if not all, of the ingredients you’ll need! Here are a few tips to keep in mind as you make this recipe. (Links are affiliate links and I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.)

For the Cookie Crust

I love making fruit pizza with a homemade cookie crust. However, to save time feel free to use a premade storebought cookie dough in place of the ingredients below.

• Flour: Use all-purpose flour for the base of the cookie dough. Make sure to measure carefully, using a food scale if possible.
• Baking soda
• Unsalted butter and salt: Use unsalted butter that has been softened to room temperature. If you only have salted butter, omit the excess salt.
• Sugar: Use regular, white granulated sugar.
• Lemon zest: I love the fresh taste that a bit of lemon zest gives to the sugar cookie crust. If you don’t have 2 large lemons, you can swap in another citrus zest, like orange or grapefruit, or just omit it entirely.
• Eggs: It’s important to use large eggs (not extra large or medium). Bring them to room temperature before getting started.
• Cream: You can use either heavy cream or heavy whipping cream.
• Lemon extract: To flavor the cookie crust, use a high-quality lemon extract.

For the Frosting

Looking for a quicker way to frost the crust? You can use a storebought cream cheese frosting, other canned frosting, or even storebought strawberry cream cheese spread instead of making your own.

• Cream cheese: Use full-fat, brick-style cream cheese for the best flavor. Bring it to room temperature to make it easier to mix with the other ingredients.
• Strawberry jam: To flavor the frosting, you’ll need strawberry jam. Bring it to room temperature before mixing it into the frosting to prevent lumps. If desired, you can use other flavors of jam like raspberry or cherry.
• Powdered sugar: Helps to sweeten and thicken the frosting.

For the Toppings and Glaze

• Fresh fruit: You’ll want to gather ALL THE FRUIT — the more colorful and bountiful, the better! Feel free to use whatever is readily available to you, but my personal must-haves are lots of fresh berries, mangoes, clementine slices, and grapes. Combined, these have a lot of different colors and textures that make the fruit pizza look fresh and vibrant. If you have access to fun fruits like dragon fruit or star fruit (featured below!) that’s just the cherry on top…pardon the fruity pun. ;)You’ll need about 8 cups of assorted fresh fruit, washed and sliced. The only fruit I don’t recommend is bananas because of how quickly they brown.
• Apple jelly: To give the glaze a lovely shine, use apple jelly, or other light-colored jelly. It also prevents the fruit from wilting and drying out after it’s cut.
• Water: To thin the glaze.

Equipment

You’ll only need a few basic kitchen tools to make this Easter dessert. Here’s what you should know. (Links are affiliate links and I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.)

• Microplane: Use a microplane to zest fresh lemons.
• Mixer: You’ll want a mixer to whip up the cookie dough and cream cheese frosting. I prefer using a stand mixer, but you can also use a hand mixer.
• Plastic wrap: It’s helpful to have some plastic wrap on hand to wrap the dough in before chilling it.
• Rolling pin: For easy rolling, place your dough between two sheets of parchment paper and use a rolling pin to smooth it out.
• Parchment paper: The easiest way to move a giant cookie crust around? Bake it on parchment so you can slide it right off the baking sheet, no awkward contortions required!
• Baking sheet: You’ll want to use a half-sheet pan (approx 13×18″) so you have enough room for the large cookie crust. Look for a sturdy one with a thick bottom so the bottom of the cookie doesn’t burn before it’s cooked through. I use and love these Nordic Ware baking sheets.
• Cookie cutters: If you want to cut shapes into some of the fruit slices, you can use small cookie cutters. You could use flowers, hearts, stars and more!
• Pastry brush: Use a pastry brush to glaze the top of the pizza.
• Pizza cutter: I like to use a pizza cutter for slicing up the fruit pizza. You can also use a large knife.

1. Beat cream cheese: Use a handmixer to beat 8 oz cream cheese until smooth and free of lumps.
2. Mix in jam and sugar: Add 1/3 cup strawberry jam and 6 oz (1 1/2 cups) powdered sugar, beat until well-mixed.
3. Prep the fruit: Time to get slicing! Prep your fruit right before you are ready to use it. Cut up any large fruit (strawberries, mangoes, star fruit, etc) into slices. For larger grapes and berries, you might want to cut them in half so it’s easier to decorate with them. Small berries can be left whole. If desired, use small cutters on some of the slices to make pretty shapes.

💭Variations

There are a million and one ways to make a fruit pizza! Consider some of these twists:

• Use another flavor in your cream cheese: Lemon, orange, and raspberry would all be delicious.
• Decorate for another holiday: Try a Fourth of July variation in the shape of a flag with red and blue berries. Halloween time? Make the base in the shape of a pumpkin, use pumpkin spice cream cheese, and fill the top with citrus fruits to keep the orange theme.
• Make the pizzas personal-sized: Mini fruit pizzas are the cutest! Make palm-sized cookie crusts so everyone gets their own. Use an egg cutter to make the mini pizzas look like Easter eggs!

🐇It’s a Panoramic Sugar Easter Egg…Cake!

Growing up, my parents had a set of panoramic sugar Easter eggs they would pull out every Easter. You might be familiar with the type of eggs I’m talking about. They’re large eggs made of hard-packed sugar, usually in pastel colors, decorated with royal icing flourishes and candy accents. They’re delicate, beautiful…and to childhood me, they were complete torture.

Think about it. These gorgeous, colorful eggs were made out of SUGAR! Nectar of the gods! And yet, they were completely inedible, never intended to be eaten at all. They were brought out as decorations year after year, then painstakingly wrapped up after Easter with the rest of the decor. It was a cruel trick. 

I obviously still harbor a little bit of a grudge against those delicious-but-forbidden sugar eggs. Now that I’m an adult, I’m here to recreate those panoramic sugar Easter eggs…in cake form. It’s whimsical, beautiful, and definitely a show-stopper on the Easter table! 

🧾What You’ll Need

Ingredients

Although this cake has several steps, the ingredients themselves are pretty simple. Take a look at these ingredient tips to help you get everything you’ll need. (Links are affiliate links and I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.)

For the Pound Cake

• Unsalted butter and salt: I prefer to use unsalted butter so that I can add just the right amount of salt to the batter. If you don’t have unsalted butter, omit the extra salt. You’ll also want to use room temperature butter because it blends much more easily and helps to prevent overmixing the batter.
• Cream cheese: It’s best to use full-fat, brick-style cream cheese (avoid whipped or low fat varieties). Bring it to room temperature before mixing it into the batter.
• Granulated sugar
• Eggs: Use large, room temperature eggs (not medium or extra large).
• Vanilla extract: My absolute favorite brand of vanilla extract is Nielsen Massey. Using a high-quality extract will give your cake the best flavor.
• All-purpose flour: It’s important to measure the flour properly so that the cake doesn’t become dense or dry. If possible, use a kitchen scale for accurate weight measurements.
• Baking powder

For the Frosting

• Egg whites: For the best results, use the whites from large eggs (not medium or extra large).
• Granulated sugar
• Unsalted butter and salt: I also recommend using unsalted butter for the buttercream frosting. Salted butter will likely make it taste too salty. The butter needs to be soft but still cool to the touch.
• Vanilla extract
• Gel food coloring: I highly recommend using gel food coloring for this project because the coloring is highly concentrated and won’t water down the buttercream. I like to use Americolor brand: I used Regal Purple and Electric Purple for the purple buttercream and Leaf Green for the flower leaves.

For the Decorations

• Purple sparkling sugar: To make the textured outside coating of the sugar egg, I used purple sparkling sugar.
• Royal icing daisy flowers: Since this cake is a little labor intensive, I decided to use some premade decorations. These royal icing daisy flowers are optional, but very cute and easy to use.
• Easter candy: Use your creativity to design the cut-out Easter scene. You can use chocolate figurines, jelly beans, chocolate eggs, or any other seasonal candy you’d like.

Equipment

To get the right look, you’ll need some specialty equipment and tools. Take a look and make sure you’ve got everything you need to get started. (Links are affiliate links and I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.)

• Football cake pan: I used a 12x8x3-inch football cake pan to make the egg shape. You’ll need to make the cake twice — once for the top of the egg and once for the bottom of the egg. To save time, you could purchase two football pans and bake the top and bottom at the same time. I recommend spraying the pan(s) well with nonstick cooking spray.
• Stand mixer: It’s best to use a stand mixer for this recipe, especially when making the buttercream. It needs to mix for an extended amount of time and your arms will be exhausted if you try making it with a hand mixer.
• Wire rack: Place the cakes on a wire rack to cool.
• Small saucepan: Choose a small saucepan that lets you fit the base of the stand mixer snugly into the top of the saucepan—this will be your makeshift hot water bath.
• Whisk: You’ll need a whisk to whip the egg whites and sugar over the water bath.
• Cake boards: Use a cake board, trimmed to the size of the cake, to build the cake on. Having a cake board on the bottom will also be helpful when it is time to cover the cake with the sparkling sugar because it gives you something to hold on to while decorating.
• Rimmed baking sheet: For easy clean up, decorate the cake with sparkling sugar over a rimmed baking sheet to catch excess sugar.
• Piping tools: To make the panoramic scene you’ll need the following piping tools: piping bags, piping couplers, a small leaf tip, a grass tip, a small or medium open star tip to make the shell borders, and a small round tip to make the vines or pipe a message.
• Offset spatula: Use an offset spatula to frost the cake.
• Serrated knife: To shape the cakes into an egg shape and create layers, you’ll need a serrated knife. You’ll also use the knife and a spoon to scoop out an space for the panoramic scene.

💭Decorating A Sugar Easter Egg Cake

Decorating this cake is the most fun part! To come up with my design, I browsed the Internet, looking at lots of different panoramic sugar egg designs to get inspiration. They ranged from simple to quite ornate, and I think my final design ended up somewhere in the middle of the spectrum. You can go as big or as restrained as you want.

One thing all sugar eggs have in common is the central panoramic scene. They almost always include Easter figures like chicks, bunnies, ducks, or geese, along with Easter eggs and flowers. For my cake, I first filled in the cake’s center with some buttercream grass and leaves, then added a white chocolate rabbit with chocolate eggs and royal icing flowers.

Then along the outside and top of the cake, I added a shell border, green vines and leaves, and some buttercream roses. Over the top, or just the right amount of extra? You decide!

Other things you can add to your sugar egg cake: 

• Coconut grass
• Jelly beans
• Candy carrots
• Marshmallow flowers
• Fondant ribbon
• Sprinkles and other small decor
• Custom frosting messages

💡Tips and FAQs for Success

When attempting a labor intensive cake, avoid common mistakes by reading through these tips and common questions before getting started. You’re guaranteed to make the most beautiful cake!

These Easter Egg Brownies have triple the chocolate flavor! They’re rich, fudgy brownies, topped with a glossy dark chocolate frosting, and finished with colorful Cadbury mini eggs on top.

🥚 Cadbury Mini Egg Brownies

Fudgy brownies get a holiday makeover with the addition of colorful chocolate eggs to make these Easter Egg Brownies!

Top these rich homemade brownies with a layer of glossy chocolate frosting and festive chocolate eggs, and you’ve got a showstopping treat that’s perfect for Easter celebrations or any spring occasion.

You’ll love the balance of flavors and textures – the brownies are moist and chewy with a deep chocolate flavor, the frosting is light yet indulgent, and the chocolate eggs add a fun crunch and pop of color.

There are 3 simple steps to making these: Bake the brownies until they’re just set in the center, then let them cool completely before frosting. The real magic happens when you spread on the luscious frosting and arrange the chocolate eggs on top. Slice and serve these decorated brownies for an Easter dessert that’s guaranteed to have guests going back for seconds.

🧾 What You’ll Need

Ingredients

Here’s what you need to know as you gather ingredients for these brownies. (Links are affiliate links and I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.)

• Chocolate: Semi-sweet chocolate is chopped and used twice in the brownie recipe: some is melted into the batter, and some is left in chunks and folded in at the end. Avoid using chocolate chips – instead, opt for good-quality bar chocolate.
• Cocoa powder: Cocoa powder is used in both the brownies and the frosting. I recommend using a high-quality cocoa powder for the best results. My personal favorite is Cacao Barry Extra Brute – it hits that sweet spot between very high quality but also pretty affordable since it is sold in bulk. Whatever you use, look for cocoa that is dutch-processed (also known as alkalized), because it has a deeper, richer flavor and color.
• Granulated sugar: Is whisked with eggs in the brownie batter
• Powdered sugar: Make sure you sift the powdered sugar after measuring, but before adding to the frosting.
• Eggs: Use large eggs, and make sure they are at room temperature.
• Flour: We’re using just a bit of all-purpose flour to hold the batter together.
• Vanilla and salt: Two must-have flavorings for both the brownies and frosting!
• Milk: You can use any fat percentage of milk in the frosting – just make sure it’s at room temp.
• Butter: We’re using unsalted butter in both the brownies and frosting. You can swap in salted butter – just reduce (or omit) the additional salt.
• Baking powder: Gives the brownies a little lift and keeps them from being too dense.
• Cadbury mini eggs: You can use any chocolate eggs you’d like. Or forgo the eggs entirely and use your favorite Easter sprinkles, pastel jimmies, or whatever other decorations you’d like!

Equipment

• 8×8 baking pan: An 8×8-inch pan is the perfect size for these brownies. If you like thin brownies, you can use a 9×9 pan instead. Or double the recipe and bake it in a 9×13-inch pan.
• Whisk: No mixer required –  a whisk is truly the only tool you need to combine the batter!
• Wire strainer: I recommend using a wire strainer to sift the dry ingredients into the brownie batter. It prevents lumps in the batter and gives the brownies great texture.
• Parchment paper:Line your pan with parchment paper for easy removal and clean-up.

📸 Photo Tutorial: How to Make Easter Egg Brownies

Here’s a step-by-step guide for making Easter Egg Brownies. Grab a printable version of this in the recipe card above.

To Make the Brownies:

1. Prep the chocolate: Chop 8-oz of semi-sweet chocolate, and divide it in half. Set 4-oz aside for now.
2. Melt half the chocolate with butter: Combine the other 4-oz of chocolate with 3-oz of butter, and melt them together in the microwave in 30-second increments, stirring well between each heating until smooth. Or, heat over low heat on the stove, stirring constantly until completely melted and smooth.

3. Cool chocolate mixture: Once the chocolate mixture is fully melted and combined, let it cool on the countertop for a few minutes while you continue with the recipe.
4. Whisk eggs and sugar: Whisk 2 large eggs and 4.5 oz granulated sugar (2/3 cup) together in a large bowl for about 2 minutes. They should look light yellow and frothy at the end.
5. Add vanilla to egg mixture: Whisk 2 tsp vanilla extract into the eggs.

6. Add chocolate mixture to the egg mixture: Pour the melted chocolate mixture into the eggs, and whisk them together for 1 minute, or until well-combined. The batter should be glossy and smooth, with the texture of chocolate pudding. Don’t skimp on this step – it improves the texture of the brownies and gives them that crackly top!
7. Sift dry ingredients into the batter: Set a wire strainer over the bowl, and sift 1.50 oz (1/3 cup) flour, 0.75 oz (1/4 cup) cocoa, 1/4 tsp baking powder, and 1/4 tsp salt on top.
8. Stir to combine: Gently stir just until the streaks of flour disappear and everything is combined.

9. Fold in chocolate chunks: Add the reserved 4-oz of chopped chocolate to the brownie batter and stir it in.
10. Fill baking pan: Spread the batter in an 8×8-inch pan lined with parchment and sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
11. Bake and cool: Bake the brownies at 350 F for 22-25 minutes, until they are puffed, shiny, and crackly on top. A toothpick inserted into the center should have just a few moist crumbs attached. Let the brownies cool completely.

To Make the Frosting:

1. Melt butter: Melt 2-oz of butter in a large microwave-safe bowl.
2. Add cocoa powder: Add 1-oz (1/3 cup) high-quality cocoa powder to the warm butter, and whisk until smooth, glossy, and free of lumps.

3. Whisk in salt, vanilla, and milk: Add 1/4 tsp salt, 1 tsp vanilla, and 3 TBSP of milk to the bowl, and whisk those in as well.
4. Add powdered sugar: Finally, add 2 cups of sifted powdered sugar, and whisk until everything is smooth and shiny.
5. Frost immediately: Scrape the frosting on top of the baked and cooled brownies. It’s important to frost the brownies right away, since it will firm up as it cools down and be difficult to spread.

6. Make frosting swirls: Use a small spatula to spread the frosting evenly over the top of the brownies. I love to make small swirls with this frosting – I think it looks beautifully rustic that way.
7. Decorate: Add chocolate eggs or Easter sprinkles on top of the frosting.
8. Set the frosting: Let the frosting set at room temperature for 1-2 hours, or in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
9. Cut: For the cleanest cuts, cut the brownies when they’re chilled, and rinse off your knife in hot water between each cut.

💭 Variations

Here are a few ideas for making these brownies your own:

💡 Brownie FAQs

🧾What You’ll Need

Ingredients

Most of the ingredients for these Easter candy brownies can probably be found in your fridge or pantry. Just a couple specialty ingredients needed to make these brownies springy and festive! (Links are affiliate links and I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.)

• Semi-sweet chocolate: I used Pound Plus 54% Cocoa Dark Chocolate from Trader Joes which melts deliciously and adds just the right amount of extra sweetness to the brownies and frosting.
• Unsweetened chocolate: Since chocolate is arguably the most important component of chocolate brownies, use the good stuff! For the unsweetened chocolate, I used Guittard 100% Cacao Unsweetened Chocolate.
• Butter and salt: I prefer to use unsalted butter so that I can control the salt content more precisely. If you don’t have unsalted butter, make sure to omit the excess salt. For the brownies, cube the butter into chunks; they’ll be melted right into the chocolate. Use room temperature butter for the frosting to prevent lumps.
• Granulated sugar
• Eggs: Use large eggs (not medium or extra large).
• Vanilla extract: Pure vanilla extract provides the best flavor.
• Flour: Take care to measure the all-purpose flour correctly. Use a food scale if possible. Too much flour will make the brownies overly dense.
• Chocolate malted milk powder: To enhance the chocolatey flavor of the brownies and tie in the flavor of the malted milk eggs, you’ll need some chocolate malted milk powder for both the brownie batter and the chocolate frosting! I used Olvaltine brand.
• Powdered sugar: Helps to sweeten and thicken the frosting.
• Milk: To thin the frosting to the right consistency. Use any percentage of milk you’d like.
• Candy mix-ins and toppings: I top the brownies off with pastel malted candy eggs, Sixlets, sugar pearls, sprinkles, and/or chocolate bark (learn how to make swirled chocolate bark discs below). Feel free to swap in your personal favorites instead!

Equipment

You’ll only need a few kitchen tools to get started on these ultra rich and fudgy brownies! (Links are affiliate links and I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.)

• Foil and nonstick spray: To make sure the brownies don’t stick to the pan, line it with foil and then coat it with nonstick spray.
• 9×13 baking pan: This recipe makes a large pan of brownies. I like to use a 9×13 baking pan with squared corners so that all the brownies have nice straight edges once they are cut.
• Saucepan: You’ll need a small saucepan to melt the chocolate and butter in.
• Whisk and mixer: I prefer to mix the brownie batter by hand with a whisk. It’s best to use a stand mixer or hand mixer for the frosting.

💭Variations

💗Pastel Rainbow Jello Recipe

Rainbow gelatin is a great way to make a somewhat boring dessert exciting. (Sorry, gelatin, but it’s true!) Plain gelatin cups are a snooze. But rainbow gelatin cups? Rainbow gelatin cups are a party!

These Pastel Rainbow Gelatin Cups are as delicious as they are beautiful. They feature five—FIVE!!—creamy, fruity layers, all stacked together in single-serving cups and topped with lots of whipped cream and sprinkles.

This recipe is inspired by our immensely popular Easter No-Bake Mini Cheesecakes. They’re always one of SugarHero’s top spring recipes, and many people love them and request similar recipes. We also get requests from people who don’t like cheesecake, but still want to get in on the springtime rainbow fun. So here we go—a pretty striped pastel treat, no cream cheese required!

📸Photo Tutorial: How to Make Gorgeous Pastel Rainbow Gelatin Cups

Assembling these rainbow cups couldn’t be simpler. The only tricky part is budgeting enough time, because you will need to briefly chill the cups in between each color. Full instructions are included in the recipe card above.

3. Mix gelatin with boiling water: Pour each 3-oz package of gelatin into its own medium bowl. Add ¾ cup boiling water to the first bowl, whisk well for about 30-60 seconds to make sure all of the gelatin granules are dissolved. Repeat until all 5 bowls of gelatin have been mixed with boiling water and fully dissolved.
4. Cool gelatin, add dairy: The gelatin will be hot and must come to room temperature before adding the yogurt and milk. To speed the cooling time for the first color of gelatin, place it in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes, until it feels neutral to the touch — not warm. It should not be starting to set, but if you notice setting around the edges, microwave it for 10 seconds and whisk well until completely fluid. (Note: the other 4 bowls of gelatin can cool to room temperature on the counter.)
5. Add dairy to first bowl of gelatin: Add ½ cup vanilla yogurt and ¼ cup milk to the bowl of cooled gelatin.

6. Blend: Whisk well until smooth and creamy, then divide the mixture evenly between your glasses, about 2 TBSP per glass. If you are using a large pan, pour the entire mixture into the bottom of the pan.
7. Chill the first gelatin layer: Place the tray of glasses or cake pan into the refrigerator to set for about 15 minutes. If you’re in a hurry, place it in the freezer for about 8 minutes, but don’t let it freeze completely! (Note: the timing might be slightly different if you are using a baking dish or bundt pan. When you touch the top of the gelatin with your finger, it should feel mostly set, but it’s okay if your finger leaves a slight mark in the top.)
8. Add dairy to next bowl of gelatin, layer, and chill: Once the first layer is set, make sure the second bowl of gelatin is room temperature. Whisk in the yogurt and milk until creamy. Pour the second color on top of the first, and chill for another 15 minutes, until mostly set.

9. Finish layering the gelatin: Proceed to mix, layer, and set the remaining colors of gelatin. (Note: the bowls of gelatin should still be fine sitting at room temperature, but if you notice setting around the edges, microwave the bowl for 10 seconds and whisk well to make sure it’s fluid before adding the dairy.)
10. Refrigerate until fully set: After all 5 colors have been layered, refrigerate the cups or pan for at least 4 hours to fully set the layers before decorating and serving.
11. Cover until ready to decorate: This dessert keeps very well in the refrigerator, so you can prepare the cups or cake several days in advance. Before beginning the extended setting period in the fridge, cover the top(s) with plastic wrap to prevent drying out.
12. Finish: A few hours before you want to serve the gelatin, top each cup with a swirl of whipped cream, and whatever sprinkles or other decorations you’d like! If you are making a gelatin cake, whipped cream can be spread evenly over the set layers and decorated as desired. Enjoy!

💡Tips and FAQs for Success

Pastel Rainbow Gelatin Cups is a SugarHero fan favorite! Through the years, readers have had a few questions, and I’ve compiled the answers below to make sure everyone can be successful. Check out these tips and tricks before getting started, and your cups are sure to turn out beautifully!

Make your Easter celebration extra-special with these charming Speckled Egg Sugar Cookies. Our recipe features a classic cut-out sugar cookie dough, topped with speckled pastel royal icing. This easy decorating technique is perfect for bakers of all levels.

 🪺 Easy Speckled Egg Cookies with Royal Icing

It happens like clockwork – as soon as there’s a whiff of spring in the air, my need to make cute pastel desserts suddenly goes into overdrive. Every year I use this as a good excuse to get creative in the kitchen and whip up some delicious Easter treats–and what’s more festive than a batch of brightly colored sugar cookies decorated like speckled eggs?

These cookies are made with a simple roll-out sugar cookie dough, decorated with royal icing in sweet spring shades, and finished with flecks of cocoa powder “speckles.” This is an easy decorating technique that’s perfect for beginners, or anyone who is intimidated by the thought of working with royal icing.

With just a few simple ingredients and some basic baking skills, you can whip up a batch of these colorful treats without breaking a sweat. In this post, we’ll walk you through the whole process of making these cookies from scratch – so grab your mixing bowl and let’s get started!

🧾 What You’ll Need

Ingredients

Here are a few ingredient tips to help you get started making these cute cookies. Full ingredient amounts can be found in the recipe card below. (Links are affiliate links and I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.)

FOR THE SUGAR COOKIES

• Flour: To prevent dry, dense cookies, make sure to measure your flour correctly. Use a food scale if you have one, or use the spoon and level method.
• Baking powder
• Granulated Sugar
• Unsalted butter and salt: I like to use unsalted butter and control the amount of added salt. If you only have salted butter, feel free to use it, and leave out the additional salt. Using room temperature butter will help it blend with the other ingredients better and prevent lumps.
• Eggs: Make sure to use large, room temperature eggs (not medium or extra large).
• Vanilla extract: Vanilla is the classic sugar cookie flavor, but you can also experiment and add other extracts in addition to or instead of vanilla. Try lemon or almond!
• Sour cream: Adding sour cream to the cookies makes them extra-soft and tender, and I love the very subtle tang it gives to them. Make sure your sour cream is at room temperature so everything blends together nicely.

FOR THE ROYAL ICING

• Meringue powder: This meringue powder by Wilton is great for making royal icing. It stays fresh for a long time, so it’s good to keep as a pantry staple. 
• Water
• Powdered sugar: If your powdered sugar has hard lumps, be sure you sift it before using it in the icing.
• Light corn syrup: Just a touch of light corn syrup helps with the texture and glossiness of the royal icing. You can omit it if desired.
• Flavoring: The recipe calls for almond extract to flavor the icing, but you can substitute other flavors like lemon or clear vanilla extract according to preference.
• Gel food coloring: Depending on how you plan to decorate your cookies, you’ll need an assortment of gel food coloring. I use Americolor brand.

Equipment

Using the right tools can make or break your cookie baking experience. These recommendations will point you in the right direction. (Links are affiliate links and I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.)

• Egg-shaped cookie cutter: You’ll need a small 2-inch cookie cutter. I have and recommend this Easter Egg Cookie Cutter Set, which has four common sizes of cutters. You could also use a regular oval cutter and pinch the tip of the cookies to make more of an egg shape.
• Piping tips: You’ll need a #2 round piping tip for flooding the cookies with royal icing.
• Piping bags and couplers: I like these disposable piping bags (I wash them and re-use them to reduce waste!), and you’ll need some piping couplers.
• Stand mixer: I highly recommend using a stand mixer to make the cookie dough and icing.
• Rolling pin: You’ll be rolling out the cookies so you’ll need a good rolling pin. And, I recommend rolling the dough between sheets of parchment paper. It helps the dough not to stick to the surface or the rolling pin. Plus it makes clean up easier.
• Scriber tool (or toothpick): There are a lot of different ways to work with royal icing, and every baker has her favorite method. Real cookie artists use something called a scriber tool to push royal icing around and fill in any gaps. Many home bakers use a toothpick because it’s what they already have in their kitchen.
• Toothbrush: It’s not often I recommend a toothbrush in a baking recipe! But I’ve found it’s the best tool for making the small speckles on the eggs – just make sure the toothbrush is new and unused.

📸 Photo Tutorial: How to Make Speckled Egg Sugar Cookies

I always share lots of step-by-step photos, because I think they’re so helpful when trying out a new recipe. Here’s an overview with lots of pictures of how to make and decorate these cookies. Full, printable instructions are also included in the recipe card above.

TO MAKE THE SUGAR COOKIES

1. Combine dry ingredients: In a bowl, whisk together the 19 oz (4 1/4 cups) flour, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tsp baking powder, and set aside for now.
2. Cream the butter and sugar: In the bowl of a large stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine 8 oz (1 cup) softened butter and 12.25 oz (1 3/4 cups) sugar, and mix everything together on medium speed until fluffy and well-mixed, about 1-2 minutes.

3. Add eggs one at a time: Add 2 large eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Add vanilla and sour cream: Then add 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1oz (2 TBSP) sour cream.

5. Mix in dry ingredients: With the mixer running on low, add the dry ingredients gradually, and mix until they’re just about incorporated. Stop the mixer when only a few streaks of flour remain. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a spatula, and finish mixing all the dough by hand.
6. Divide dough and refrigerate: Divide the dough in half and press each into a thin disc, wrapping well with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firmer but not hard, about 30 minutes.

7. Prepare to bake: When you’re ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350°F.
8. Roll out dough: Place a disc of dough between two sheets of parchment or waxed paper, and roll out until it is 1/4-inch thick.
9. Cut dough: Use a 2-inch egg cookie cutter to cut out your cookies and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Combine the scraps and re-roll the dough to cut more cookies. You should get about 60 small cookies.
10. Freeze for 10 minutes: Put the sheet in the freezer for 10 minutes before baking to help the cookies hold their shape.

11. Bake: Bake the trays of cookies for about 8 minutes, until the edges are just starting to take on color and they have lost the raw shine in the middle.
12. Cool: Let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then remove them to wire racks to cool completely before decorating them.

TO MAKE THE ROYAL ICING

1. Mix meringue powder and water: Combine 1.8 oz (6 TBSP) meringue powder and 6 floz (3/4 cup) water in the bowl of a large stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix them together on medium speed until foamy.
2. Sift in powdered sugar, then add corn syrup and flavoring: Stop the mixer and sift 24 oz (6 cups) powdered sugar over the bowl. Beat on low speed until the sugar is incorporated. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl, then add 2 tsp corn syrup and 1/2 tsp flavoring.

3. Mix until stiff: Turn the mixer speed back to medium-high and mix for 5 minutes, until the royal icing is shiny, stiff, bright white, and voluminous. Do not mix on the highest speed, and do not mix for more than 5 minutes.
4. Thin the icing: Right out of the mixer, this icing is too thick for smooth flooding, so you’ll want to thin it a bit. Start by adding a tablespoon of water to the mixing bowl, and stir until it’s incorporated. Continue to add water a bit at a time, testing regularly, until you achieve the right consistency. You’ll know you have it when you drizzle a spoonful of icing over the bowl and it takes about 15 seconds for the trail of icing to fully disappear (see photo for an example of the different textures of royal icing).

5. Divide and color the icing: Decide how many icing colors you want, and divide the icing into that many bowls. Add a few drops of gel food coloring to each bowl of icing and stir by hand until the color is evenly distributed.
6. Fit and fill piping bags: Place each color in a piping bag fitted with a small round tip (I recommend a #2 tip). Or, you can use “tipless” bags that keep a sharp tip when you snip the end, eliminating the need for a separate piping tip.

TO DECORATE THE COOKIES

1. Outline the cookies: Draw a thin outline of royal icing around the outside of the cookies.
2. Flood cookie centers: While the outline is still wet, fill (aka “flood”) the center of the outlined cookies with royal icing. If you miss any spots, use the tip of the piping bag to nudge the icing into place, or use a scriber tool/toothpick to smooth out any rough lines.
3. Let set: Allow the cookies to dry at room temperature for at least 2 hours to set the icing.

3. Make cocoa mixture: For easy clean-up, make sure your cookies are on parchment or waxed paper, and wear gloves during this step. Mix the cocoa powder and warm water in a small bowl to make a thin paste. (Add a bit more water if it seems too thick.)
4. Add speckles: Dip the bristles of a new, clean toothbrush in the cocoa powder and run your thumb over the bristles to flick small specks of cocoa onto the cookies.
5. Set completely: Decorated cookies can be enjoyed as soon as they are finished. However, if you plan to package or stack the cookies one on top of another, you will need to let the cookies sit in a single layer for at least 12 hours at room temperature to be sure the royal icing is completely hard and dry.

🍪 Storing Royal Icing Sugar Cookies

You can enjoy the cookies the same day they’re made — as long as you’ve given the royal icing a few hours to harden before serving. Keep reading for information on longer-term storage, packaging, and freezing.

How long does royal icing take to harden?

It takes a minimum of 12 hours for royal icing to fully harden. So, if you plan to stack or package your cookies on top of each other, you’ll need to let them dry completely, to prevent damaging or smearing the icing.

Let the cookies sit in a single layer, at room temperature, for at least 12 hours to be sure the royal icing is fully dry. If you are in a humid climate, you may need to give them up to 24 hours to fully harden. I find having an oscillating fan pointing at the cookies can speed up the drying process and help them dry more evenly.  

Storing Sugar Cookies at Room Temperature

Once completely set, the cookies can be stacked and stored in an airtight container between sheets of waxed paper or parchment. Store the cookies at room temperature for up to two weeks – do not refrigerate them, as the humidity can cause the icing to soften and dissolve. 

Freezing Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing

Decorated and fully set cookies can also be frozen for up to 6 months. The defrosting process can make the icing bleed or become sticky, so for the best results, I recommend packaging the cookies individually (for instance, in sealed plastic bags) and then placing them in a plastic container in the freezer.

Let them defrost at room temperature while still in the plastic container – this can help cut down on colors bleeding or other moisture issues. You may still see some changes in the icing, so if you are planning on freezing cookies for an important event, do a test run first to see how they hold up for you. 

💭 FAQs

Here are some of the most common questions about royal icing-topped Speckled Egg Cookies.

💭 Variations

• Robin’s egg sugar cookies: One of the most popular variations of this recipe is to make “robin’s egg” cookies. To do this, color all of your royal icing a brilliant medium blue hue (aka robin’s egg blue). Decorate and speckle them as described in the recipe.
• Cocoa powder alternatives: if you don’t want to use cocoa powder, you can use a small amount of royal icing, thinned out and colored brown. Another option is to use luster dust mixed with vodka – a deep bronze or copper shade is beautiful on these cookies.

4. Mix in chow mein noodles. Add 12 oz (5 cups) chow mein noodles to the bowl of melted chocolate, and stir until fully coated.

5. Scoop mixture. Use a large spoon to scoop out roughly 1/4 cup of the chow mein mixture.
6. Shape cookies. Place the cookies onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, then use the spoon to shape it into a nest shape.
7. Top with candy eggs. While the chocolate is still wet, place three mini eggs in the center of each “nest.”
8. Chill. Refrigerate the cookies for 10-15 minutes to give the chocolate time to set.

💭 Variations

These bird nest cookies are delicious as-is, but there are a couple of ways you can switch things up! Here are some variation ideas:

• Swap the baking chips. While the semi-sweet chocolate and peanut butter combination is delicious, you can totally play around with flavor and flavor combos. Try butterscotch chips, caramel chips, or white chocolate chips.
• Use another crunchy. These cookies work great with Rice Krispies or crushed cornflakes. My favorite swap, though, is crunchy toasted coconut!
• Try other nest add-ins. Fill your chocolate nests with whatever Easter candies your heart desires. Try jelly beans, Peeps, or little chocolate figurines.

💡 Tips and FAQs for Success

• Microwave at 50% power. Microwaving at half power prevents the chocolate from overheating, scorching, or seizing up.
• Chill the cookies. Chilling the cookies in the fridge for 10-15 minutes gives the chocolate time to set up.
• Set out before serving. While the cookies do keep best in the fridge, they taste better when they’re not super cold. I like to set them out for 10-15 minutes before serving for the perfect flavor and texture.

Say it with cookies! Our Conversation Heart Sugar Cookies look just like the iconic candies – and the combination of vanilla-scented sugar cookie and sweet icing tastes incredible, too.

💘The Cutest Conversation Heart Valentine’s Day Cookies

Forget those chalky candy conversation hearts! Our Conversation Heart Sugar Cookie recipe shows you how to make delicious sugar cookies decorated as adorable edible conversation heart candies – perfect for Valentine’s Day gifting or parties. 

These decorated Valentine cookies are classic sugar cookies, in the best way possible. They start with a simple roll-out sugar cookie, lightly flavored with vanilla (or another flavoring that tickles your fancy), and are baked until golden around the edges but still soft in the middle. Once topped with colorful royal icing, they make the perfect blank slate for decorating with cute, flirty, and fun sayings.

If you are new to royal icing or decorating sugar cookies, this is a great recipe to start with. Our photo guide will take you through every part of the process, with lots of detailed instructions and step-by-step photos down below.

🧾 What You’ll Need

Ingredients

Here are a few ingredient tips to help you get started making these cute cookies. Full ingredient amounts can be found in the recipe card below. (Links are affiliate links and I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.)

FOR THE SUGAR COOKIES

• Flour: To prevent dry, dense cookies, make sure to measure your flour correctly. Use a food scale if you have one, or use the spoon and level method.
• Baking powder
• Granulated Sugar
• Unsalted butter and salt: I like to use unsalted butter and control the amount of added salt. If you only have salted butter, feel free to use it, and leave out the additional salt. Using room temperature butter will help it blend with the other ingredients better and prevent lumps.
• Eggs: Make sure to use large, room temperature eggs (not medium or extra large).
• Vanilla extract: Vanilla is the classic sugar cookie flavor, and Nielsen-Massey Bourbon vanilla extract is my favorite. However, feel free to use whatever vanilla extract you have on hand at home. You can also experiment and add other extracts in addition to or instead of vanilla. Try lemon or almond!
• Sour cream: Adding sour cream to the cookies makes them extra-soft and tender, and I love the very subtle tang it gives to them. Make sure your sour cream is at room temperature so everything blends together nicely.

FOR THE ROYAL ICING

• Meringue powder: This meringue powder by Wilton is great for making royal icing. It stays fresh for a long time, so it’s good to keep as a pantry staple. 
• Water
• Powdered sugar: If your powdered sugar has hard lumps, be sure you sift it before using it in the icing.
• Light corn syrup: Just a touch of light corn syrup helps with the texture and glossiness of the royal icing. You can omit it if desired.
• Flavoring: The recipe calls for almond extract to flavor the icing, but you can substitute other flavors like lemon or clear vanilla extract according to preference.
• Gel food coloring: Depending on how you plan to decorate your cookies, you’ll need an assortment of gel food coloring. I use Americolor brand.

Equipment

Using the right tools can make or break your cookie baking experience. These recommendations will point you in the right direction. (Links are affiliate links and I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.)

• Heart-shaped cookie cutter: You’ll need a 4-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter.
• Piping tips: You’ll need a #2 round piping tip for flooding the cookies with royal icing.
• Piping bags and couplers: I like these disposable piping bags (I wash them and re-use them to reduce waste!), and you’ll need some piping couplers.
• Stand mixer: I highly recommend using a stand mixer to make the cookie dough and icing.
• Rolling pin: You’ll be rolling out the cookies so you’ll need a good rolling pin. And, I recommend rolling the dough between sheets of parchment paper. It helps the dough not to stick to the surface or the rolling pin. Plus it makes clean up easier.
• Plastic wrap: The icing dries out quickly. Make sure to have plastic wrap on hand to place on top of the icing. It will make all the difference in preventing dried out icing.
• Scriber tool (or toothpick): There are a lot of different ways to work with royal icing, and every baker has her favorite method. Regardless of the exact method, you’ll first outline and then fill in the center of the cookie. Real cookie artists use something called a scriber tool to push royal icing around and fill in any gaps. Many home bakers use a toothpick because it’s what they already have in their kitchen.
• Food coloring marker: A red edible marker is used to write the messages on top of the cookies. You could also use red royal icing if you don’t want to use markers.

📸 Photo Tutorial: How to Make Conversation Heart Sugar Cookies

I believe step-by-step directions are a MUST when trying out a new recipe! Here’s an overview with lots of pictures of how to make and decorate these cookies. Full, printable instructions are also included in the recipe card above.

TO MAKE THE SUGAR COOKIES

1. Combine dry ingredients: In a bowl, whisk together the 19 oz (4 1/4 cups) flour, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tsp baking powder, and set aside for now.
2. Cream the butter and sugar: In the bowl of a large stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine 8 oz (1 cup) softened butter and 12.25 oz (1 3/4 cups) sugar, and mix everything together on medium speed until fluffy and well-mixed, about 1-2 minutes.

3. Add eggs one at a time: Add 2 large eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Add vanilla and sour cream: Then add 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1oz (2 TBSP) sour cream.

5. Mix in dry ingredients: With the mixer running on low, add the dry ingredients gradually, and mix until they’re just about incorporated. Stop the mixer when only a few streaks of flour remain. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a spatula, and finish mixing all the dough by hand.
6. Divide dough and refrigerate: Divide the dough in half and press each into a thin disc, wrapping well with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firmer but not hard, about 30 minutes.

7. Prepare to bake: When you’re ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350°F.
8. Roll out dough: Place a disc of dough between two sheets of parchment or waxed paper, and roll out until it is 1/4-inch thick.
9. Cut dough: Use a 4-inch heart cookie cutter to cut out your cookies and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Combine the scraps and re-roll the dough to cut more cookies. You should get about 14 extra large heart cookies.
10. Freeze for 10 minutes: Put the sheet in the freezer for 10 minutes before baking to help the cookies hold their shape.

11. Bake: Bake the trays of cookies for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are just starting to take on color and they have lost the raw shine in the middle.
12. Cool: Let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then remove them to wire racks to cool completely before decorating them.

TO MAKE THE ROYAL ICING

1. Mix meringue powder and water: Combine 1.8 oz (6 TBSP) meringue powder and 6 floz (3/4 cup) water in the bowl of a large stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix them together on medium speed until foamy.
2. Sift in powdered sugar, then add corn syrup and flavoring: Stop the mixer and sift 24 oz (6 cups) powdered sugar over the bowl. Beat on low speed until the sugar is incorporated. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl, then add 2 tsp corn syrup and 1/2 tsp flavoring.

3. Mix until stiff: Turn the mixer speed back to medium-high and mix for 5 minutes, until the royal icing is shiny, stiff, bright white, and voluminous. Do not mix on the highest speed, and do not mix for more than 5 minutes.
4. Thin the icing: Right out of the mixer, this icing is too thick for smooth flooding, so you’ll want to thin it a bit. Start by adding a tablespoon of water to the mixing bowl, and stir until it’s incorporated. Continue to add water a bit at a time, testing regularly, until you achieve the right consistency. You’ll know you have it when you drizzle a spoonful of icing over the bowl and it takes about 15 seconds for the trail of icing to fully disappear.

5. Divide and color the icing: Decide how many icing colors you want, and divide the icing into that many bowls. Add a few drops of gel food coloring to each bowl of icing and stir by hand until the color is evenly distributed.
6. Fit and fill piping bags: Place each color in a piping bag fitted with a small round tip (I recommend a #2 tip).

TO DECORATE THE COOKIES

1. Outline the cookies: Draw a thin outline of royal icing around the outside of the cookies.
2. Flood cookie centers: Next, fill (aka “flood”) the center of the outlined cookies with royal icing. If you miss any spots, use the tip of the piping bag to nudge the icing into place, or use a scriber tool/toothpick to smooth out any rough lines.

3. Dry and decorate: Allow the cookies to dry at room temperature for at least 2 hours to set the icing. Once set, use a red edible marker to write cute sayings on them, just like real conversation hearts! (Alternately, you could use red royal icing in a piping bag with a #1 tip instead.)
4. Set completely: Decorated cookies can be enjoyed as soon as they are finished. However, if you plan to package or stack the cookies one on top of another, you will need to let the cookies sit in a single layer for at least 12 hours at room temperature to be sure the royal icing is completely hard and dry.

🍪 Storing Royal Icing Sugar Cookies

You can enjoy the cookies the same day they’re made as long as the royal icing set for at least 2 hours before topping them with a clever saying.

How long does royal icing take to harden?

It takes a minimum of 12 hours for royal icing to fully harden. So, if you plan to stack or package your cookies, you’ll need to let them dry completely, to prevent damaging or smearing the icing.

Let the cookies sit in a single layer, at room temperature, for at least 12 hours to be sure the royal icing is fully dry. If you are in a humid climate, you may need to give them up to 24 hours to fully harden. I find having an oscillating fan pointing at the cookies can speed up the drying process and help them dry more evenly.  

Storing Sugar Cookies at Room Temperature

Once set, the cookies can be stacked and stored in an airtight container between sheets of waxed paper or parchment. Store the cookies at room temperature for up to two weeks – do not refrigerate them, as the humidity can cause the icing to soften and dissolve. 

Freezing Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing

Decorated and fully set cookies can also be frozen for up to 6 months. The defrosting process can make the icing bleed or become sticky, so for the best results, I recommend packaging the cookies individually (for instance, in sealed plastic bags) and then placing them in a plastic container in the freezer.

Let them defrost at room temperature while still in the plastic container – this can help cut down on colors bleeding or other moisture issues. You may still see some changes in the icing, so if you are planning on freezing cookies for an important event, do a test run first to see how they hold up for you.