A crowd and kid pleaser for sure, Watercolor Easter Cookies are the spotlight on your Easter table and the perfect activity for your kids!  

Shortbread Cookies
I am so excited about these Watercolor Easter Cookies for so many reasons; they are beautiful  for one, this  was the perfect activity for my kids to join me in the kitchen for and they taste amazing!  They are made with my all time favorite shortbread cookie recipe.  Shortbread cookies are much different than a classic sugar cookie, they are made with butter, granulated sugar, one egg and flour.  Only four simple ingredients creates the most buttery, flakey and not overly sweet cookie; they pretty much melt in your mouth.  For an extra hint of flavor, I also added orange zest into the shortbread dough!

Royal Icing
Royal icing is the glaze that covers the shortbread cookie.  I swear by this classic royal icing recipe, it only has two ingredients, pasteurized egg whites and powdered sugar, and it makes the creamiest icing that drys perfectly to be watercolored and packaged up.  Once the cookies are baked and cooled, ice the cookies with royal icing and allow them to dry for 6-8 hours or overnight so that they can be painted without denting the icing.

Watercolor
Here is the fun part and the time your kids can help out and create!  Once the royal icing is completely dry, grab the food colors you want to decorate with.  I love using the Americolor gel food coloring for vibrant colors, but most other food colors will work.  Using either small bowls or a paint palette, add a small drop of food color in each space, add a few drops of water over each color and gently mix.  Grab a new paint brush that is only used for food coloring and start painting.  Make sure to wash your brush in between each color to keep the colors pure.  The watercolor will dry after a few minutes and these cookies can be presented on a platter or packaged up in cellophane bags for gifts!

Watercolor Easter Cookies

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A crowd and kid pleaser for sure, Watercolor Easter Cookies are the spotlight on your Easter table and the perfect activity for your kids!  

• Author: kristen massad

Ingredients

Shortbread Cookie
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
2 Cups Unsalted Butter
1 Egg
1 Tbsp Orange Zest
4 Cups All Purpose Flour

Royal Icing
6 Cups Powdered Sugar
3-4 Eggs Whites, Pasteurized (add more or less eggs to adjust consistency)½ tsp Vanilla Extract

Food Colors
Paint Brush 
Water 

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Instructions

Shortbread Cookies

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and prepare sheet pans with parchment paper
2. Cream sugar and butter in a mixing bowl with a paddle attachment
3. Add eggs and orange zest; mix on low speed until egg is fully incorporated
4. Slowly add in the flour and mix until dough comes together into a ball
5. Place dough on a floured surface and gently knead until smooth
6. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes
7. Once the dough is chilled, roll out into ⅛" thick and cut into desired shape
8. Bake cookies at 350 degrees for 14-18 minutes or until lightly golden on the edges, turning half way
9. Allow the cookies to cool before glazing and decorating

Royal Icing

1. Combine powdered sugar, eggs whites and vanilla in a mixing bowl with paddle attachment and mix on medium speed for 5 minutes or until icing is smooth
2. Fill a pastry bag and pipe a thin line of icing around the perimeter of the cookie
3. Once the exterior line is dry, fill in the center of the cookie with icing to cover the top of the cookie 
4. Allow the icing to dry for 6-8 hours or overnight 

Watercolor 

1. Once the royal icing is dry, allow 6-8 hours or overnight, you can start watercoloring your cookies
2. In small bowls or a paint palette, add a drop of food coloring in each space
3. Add a few drops of water on top of the food color and gently stir
4. Using a new paint brush, paint strokes of food coloring on the royal icing to create a watercolor design
5. Allow the cookies to dry for 1 hour before layering them on a platter or packaging in cellophane bags to gift