These Sugar Cookies for Easter (Gingham Cookies) are a slice and bake buttery sugar cookie in a pastel gingham pattern. These Easter cookies are flavored with classic vanilla, almond extract, and a touch of salt. The cookie dough scraps get rolled into a tie dye pattern and punched out into Easter eggs.
This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Policy.
These sugar cookies bake up crisp, almost like a snappy shortbread. The base dough recipe is adapted from Takes Two Eggs. I love that with this recipe uses simple ingredients and you can work with it (knead it) a bunch to add the colors, yet it stays tender when baked. If you roll it thinner, it bakes up more crisp, and if you roll it thicker it is a bit more chewy.
I used the same basic recipe for my Holiday Checkerboard Cookies, which have strawberry and matcha, and for my Halloween Checkerboard Cookies, which have purple sweet potato and black cocoa in them. Another dyed cookie I love are my Lemon Blueberry Cookies. If you care about preserving the most delicate color possible, that recipe has a special double baking technique to preserve color without over browning that you can also use here.
Jump to:
Why you'll love this recipe
- This recipe makes quite a bit, so you’ll have plenty to share!
- The egg white glue keeps the design together and minimizes gapping.
- The delicate almond vanilla flavor is so yummy.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour is the base of the cookie dough and provides a tender crumb.
- Powdered sugar and granulated sugar sweeten the dough.
- Eggs bind the dough and the reserved egg whites act as a glue when building the pattern. Make sure your eggs are room temperature for better mixing.
- Kosher salt, almond extract and vanilla extract balance the overall flavor profile.
- Baking powder gives a bit of rise to the cookies.
- Unsalted butter provides richness and flavor to the cookies. Be sure to use softened, or room temperature, butter for easier mixing.
- Gel food coloring gives these easter cookies a pretty pastel hue.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and variations
Here's how to customize these sugar cookies for easter (gingham cookies) to your liking:
Save this recipe! ✉️
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
- Natural colors — use freeze dried fruit powders for natural colors. Nature restore has great strawberry and raspberry powders. Selefina has a great butterfly pea powder for a blue option.
- Different pattern — make traditional checkerboard pattern instead with just two colors.
- Dairy free — swap for dairy-free butter.
- Sandwich cookies — fill with buttercream frosting and sandwich two cookies together to make sandwich cookies.
- Royal icing — top with royal icing accents, like flowers or ladybugs.
- Different colors — I debated which three colors were representative of Easter. I love the pastel blue, pink and yellow, but I also think a pastel purple or green would be cute!
This recipe has not been tested with any substitutions or variations. If you try any, please let me know how it turned out by commenting below!
How to make Gingham Cookies Step-By-Step
Step 1: Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and kosher salt in a medium bowl. Beat the softened butter using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment for 3 minutes or with a hand mixer in a large bowl for 4 minutes. Add the granulated sugar and sift in the powdered sugar. Beat for 2 minutes to cream together. Add the eggs and vanilla, beating to combine. Add the dry ingredients and beat just until incorporated.
Step 2: Divide the dough into three equal portions (about 520g each). Wrap one portion in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour. Split the remaining two portions into six equal portions.
Step 3: Three portions will be for the lighter color variations and three portions will be for the darker color variations. If you are following the colors I did, you’ll need one pale blue portion, one dark blue portion, one pale yellow portion, one dark yellow portion, one pale pink portion and one portion dark pink. Color each with your desired food coloring, mixing with gloved hands or beaters until combined. Form each dough portion into separate rectangles and wrap in plastic. Place all wrapped dough into the refrigerator to chill for at least one hour or overnight.
Step 4: Roll out each dough portion into 5x8-inch rectangles that are ¼-inch thick with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface. Trim off any excess to make neat borders. I like to use two ¼-inch tall levelers as guides. Slice each dough portion into ¼-inch wide strips.
Step 5: Using the reserved egg whites, use a pastry brush to swipe a bit of the egg white on the sides of the strips during assembly so they stick to each other. It helps to look at reference photos for building the logs. You want each log to be 7 by 7 strips. Start by alternating plain (white) strips with the lighter colored strips. For the next row, alternate lighter colored strips with darker colored strips. Repeat until you have a log that is 7 strips high and 7 strips wide, for a total of 49 strips each. Repeat with the rest of the doughs to prepare one log for each colorway. You will have leftover strips. Create more logs, or mash together to create a tie dye dough to use with cookie cutters. Wrap each log tightly in plastic, gently pressing the strips together to minimize any air pockets, without ruining the shape. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or freeze for 30 minutes.
Step 6: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cut each log into ¼ -inch thick slices. Place cookies 2-inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Freeze for 10-20 minutes before baking. Bake for 13-14 minutes or until the edges are just lightly golden brown. Remove to a cooling rack to cool completely. Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 4-5 days.
Top tips
- Do not skip chilling the dough. It will be easier to work with when cold and it is important for the dough’s hydration.
- Use a kitchen scale to measure out ingredients for accuracy.
- I used scraps of wood to make levelers. Use anything in your house you can find, or you can purchase a rolling pin with levelers built in.
More recipes you'll love
Lastly, if you make this Sugar Cookes for Easter (Gingham Cookies) recipe be sure to leave a comment or give it a rating. I love to see when people make my recipes, so please tag me @youthsweets on Instagram if you post!
📖 Recipe
Sugar Cookies for Easter (Gingham Cookies)
Equipment
Ingredients
Cookie dough
- 5 cups all-purpose flour (630g)
- 3 teaspoon baking powder (16g)
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt half if using table salt
- 2 cups unsalted butter room temperature (1 lb, 452g)
- 2 cups powdered sugar sifted (238g)
- ½ cup granulated sugar (110g)
- 2 large eggs + 2 large egg yolks save the whites for later
- 1 ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Food coloring
Instructions
Do ahead
- The dough can be made the day before. Keep it in the refrigerator or freezer until needed.
Make the dough
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder and kosher salt in a medium bowl.
- Beat the butter using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment for 3 minutes or with hand beaters for 4 minutes. Add the granulated sugar and sift in the powdered sugar. Beat for 2 minutes to cream together.
- Add the eggs and vanilla, beating to combine. Add the dry ingredients and beat just until incorporated.
Divide the dough
- Divide the dough into three equal portions (about 520g each). Wrap one portion in plastic and refrigerate for at least one hour.
- Split the remaining two portions into six equal portions (about 173g each).
Flavor and color the dough
- Three portions will be for the lighter color variations and three portions will be for the darker color variations. If you are following the colors I did, you’ll need one pale blue portion, one dark blue portion, one pale yellow portion, one dark yellow portion, one pale pink portion and one portion dark pink.
- Color each with your desired food coloring, mixing with gloved hands or beaters until combined.
- Form each dough portion into separate rectangles and wrap in plastic. Place all wrapped dough into the refrigerator to chill for at least one hour or overnight.
Roll out the dough
- Roll out each dough portion into 5x8-inch rectangles that are ¼-inch thick. You can cut the plain (white) portion in half to make it easier to work with. I like to use two ¼-inch tall levelers as guides. Trim off any excess to make neat borders.
- Slice each dough portion into ¼-inch wide strips.
Assemble the gingham pattern
- Using the reserved egg whites, use a pastry brush to swipe a bit of the egg white on the sides of the strips during assembly so they stick to each other.
- It helps to look at reference photos for building the logs. You want each log to be 7 by 7 strips. Start by alternating plain (white) strips with the lighter colored strips. For the next row, alternate lighter colored strips with darker colored strips. Repeat until you have a log that is 7 strips high and 7 strips wide, for a total of 49 strips each.
- Repeat with the rest of the doughs to prepare one log for each colorway. You will have leftover strips. Create more logs, or mash together to create a tie dye dough to use with cookie cutters.
- Wrap each log tightly in plastic, gently pressing the strips together to minimize any air pockets, without ruining the shape.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or freeze for 30 minutes.
Prepare to bake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Cut each log into ¼ -inch thick slices. Place cookies 2-inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Freeze for 10-20 minutes before baking.
- Bake for 13-14 minutes or until the edges are just lightly golden brown. Remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published 4/02/2026.
