Make a batch of jelly bean sugar cookies for Easter dessert! There’s only 9 easy ingredients required for these soft drop sugar cookies. No rolling pin or cookie cutters required. Press a few jelly beans into the warm cookies for a festive treat!
As one of the first cookie recipes ever published on Sally’s Baking Addiction, these jelly bean sugar cookies craved a facelift. I revamped the recipe, updated the photos, and added plenty of helpful success tips. If you’re looking for quick and simple Easter dessert ideas this year, may your search end with these jelly bean sugar cookies. 🙂
Let’s Talk Easter!
What are your favorite Easter recipes? Mine include deviled eggs, glazed ham, green bean casserole, and carrot cake. I would LOVE to hear what you usually serve.
More Easter Recipes
I have plenty of Easter recipes, including Easter cookies, Easter cupcakes, and hot cross buns, plus roundups of my favorite Easter brunch recipes and Easter dessert recipes.
Jelly Bean Sugar Cookies
This is a very basic sugar cookie recipe requiring just 9 easy ingredients. I doubled the original recipe and slightly increased the cookie size. In terms of ingredients and preparation, the recipe is very similar to my drop sugar cookies. Today’s jelly bean sugar cookies are slightly smaller (1 Tbsp dough balls vs 2 Tbsp dough balls), so they’ll spread less. Since they’ll spread less, we can get away with a shorter chill time. Remember that cookie dough chilling is a key factor in how to prevent cookies from spreading.
These jelly bean sugar cookies are pretty buttery, so chilling the dough is important. You only need to chill the cookie dough for 1-2 hours. The cookie dough gets a little hard after 1-2 hours in the refrigerator, so I recommend rolling the dough into balls before chilling.
These easy sugar cookies get all of their flavor from butter, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Make sure you’re using room temperature butter.
How About Those Jelly Beans?
Add the jelly beans after the cookies bake. Give them a couple minutes to cool down, then press a couple jelly beans into the tops of the warm cookies. The cooler the cookies, the less likely the jelly beans will stick. Use any jelly beans your heart desires. I like the “Just Born” brand and fit 3 into each sugar cookie. You could add a few jelly beans to the middles of these caramel coconut macaroon thumbprints, too!
Drop Sugar Cookies
This is a drop sugar cookie recipe. Save the rolling pin, ditch the cookie cutters, and break out a cookie scoop! These soft sugar cookies are perfect if you want no fuss sugar cookies. If you’re looking for an Easter activity, I also have these decorated Easter Cookies.
Now, those recipes DO require a rolling pin and cookie cutters. They’re my basic sugar cookies in the shape of Easter eggs and bunnies. They’re actually really fun to decorate with royal icing or easy cookie icing!
If you’re looking for something quicker and equally as festive, stick with these jelly bean sugar cookies. Or want to try making your own Easter candy? Try my Easter Egg Buttercream Candies or Peanut Butter Easter Eggs. So fun!
More Easter Recipes
- Hummingbird Cake
- Easter Cake
- Carrot Cake Cupcakes
- Hot Cross Buns
- Lemon Meringue Pie
- Maple Pecan Sticky Buns
- Sour Cream Crumb Cake
- Easter Cupcakes
And don’t forget to share what you usually make on Easter Sunday!
Print
Jelly Bean Sugar Cookies
- Prep Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 11 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes
- Yield: 30 cookies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
There’s only 9 easy ingredients required for these soft drop sugar cookies. Chill the cookie dough for at least 1-2 hours before baking. Press a few jelly beans into the warm cookies for a festive treat!
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cups (188g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 bag jelly beans
Instructions
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed until creamed, about 1 minute. Add the egg, almond extract, and vanilla extract and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low until combined. Dough will be thick and a little sticky. Scoop dough (about 1 Tablespoon of dough each) and roll into balls. Place dough balls onto a large plate or lined baking sheet.
- Cover and chill the cookie dough balls in the refrigerator for at least 1-2 hours and up to 4 days.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Arrange chilled cookie dough balls 3 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until very lightly browned on the sides. The centers will look very soft.
- Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 3 minutes. Press a couple jelly beans into the centers of the warm cookies. (Cooling for only 3 minutes is the magic number so the jelly beans stick!) Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: You can make the cookie dough, roll into balls, and chill the dough balls in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. (See note about cookie dough chilling.) Cookie dough balls freeze well for up to 3 months. Bake frozen cookie dough balls for an extra minute, no need to thaw. Read my tips and tricks on how to freeze cookie dough. Baked cookies freeze well for up to 3 months.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Baking Sheet | Silicone Baking Mat or Parchment Paper | Cooling Rack
- Jelly Beans: Use your favorite variety or brand. I usually use Just Born brand, found in the seasonal section of most grocery stores. Purchase 1 standard bag. You’ll have leftovers.
- Dough Chilling: Chilling the cookie dough is imperative. These cookies are very buttery and the colder the cookie dough, the less your sugar cookies will over-spread. The cookie dough can get a little hard after 1 hour in the refrigerator, so I recommend rolling the dough into balls before chilling. Here are all of my tips on how to prevent cookies from spreading.
- Recipe originally published in 2012.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Can these cookies be made gluten free?
Hi Judy, we haven’t tested a gluten-free version, but let us know if you do.
these were a bust
Hi Trex, we’re so sorry to hear that. Can you let us know more about what seemed to go wrong? We’d be happy to help troubleshoot.