Making a tasty Easter treat is fun and easy with this parent-child baking activity. Take regular oval Easter egg cookies a step further by cutting them in half in various creative ways to transform each one into a two-part cookie puzzle.
These unique Easter cookies can be decorated in various ways and then served at an Easter party or given as presents in a cookie gift basket. Kids will enjoy matching the cookie puzzle pieces and then eating each solved puzzle cookie.
Make Unique Easter Cookies
Use a cookie recipe that will make firm cookies that hold their shape rather than spreading out during baking. For a sweet spring taste, try a honey shortbread cookie recipe.
Once dough has been mixed and chilled, roll it out 1/4-inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Use an egg-shaped cookie cutter (or any oval-shaped cookie cutter) to cut out as many Easter egg shapes as possible. Arrange cut cookies in rows on cookie sheets that have been lightly floured or covered with parchment or wax paper.
How to Make an Easter Egg Puzzle Cookie
To make puzzle cookies, divide each oval into two pieces before baking the cookies. Ovals can be divided straight across the middle (vertically or horizontally) to make two equal halves. They can also be cut in more creative ways to make the halves look like two pieces from a jigsaw puzzle.
Use a sharp knife (dipping it into flour before each use and wiping it from time to time to keep it cutting through the dough cleanly) or the edges of various metal cookie cutters. If child chefs are too young to use sharp knives, they can cut cardstock ovals of the same size in various ways to make templates for adults to follow to cut the cookies. Kids can also use toothpicks to poke a dotted guideline across each egg for adults to cut for them.
Cookie Decorating – Easter Egg Cookies
Young cookie artists can use various cookie decorating supplies to decorate the cookie puzzle pieces many different ways both before and after they are baked. Any icing used should dry to a hard finish so that cookies can be handled and matched without the cookie decorations smearing. The more methods used for cookie decoration, the more challenging it may be to match all the puzzle pieces.
Decorate Cookies with Egg Yolk Paint
Before puzzle cookies have been baked, young cookie decorators can mix together one yolk and 1/4 tsp. water with drops of food coloring to create egg yolk paint to paint each piece. (NOTE: Because egg yolk paint uses raw eggs, children should not eat the raw paint and hands and brushes should be washed thoroughly when done.)
Decorate Cookies with Fondant Icing
While puzzle cookies are baking, child chefs can roll out fondant icing and cut shapes that match the outline of each piece. As soon as cookies come out of the oven, children can place the fondant outlines on the cookies. The warmth will melt the fondant, attaching it securely to each cookie. Children can stick additional pieces of fondant on top by daubing a little icing or a drop of water on the bottom of each piece.
Decorate Cookies with Sugar Icing
Kid cookie decorators can combine confectioner's sugar and water to mix a simple icing that will dry to a hard shell. Before icing dries, kids can add other cookie decorations like colored jimmies, sprinkles, nonpareils, sparkling sugar crystals, and dragees. After icing has dried, children can draw designs on the cookies with Wilton fondant icing writers, edible colored markers, or food decorating pens.
Children and parents will have a fun holiday experience every step of the way from mixing and baking these cookie puzzles to decorating, solving, and eating them. Child chefs looking for more fun Easter baking activities might also enjoy making a bunny hutch cookie house.
Parents can also check out ideas for fun Easter gifts and activities.
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