Adorable and easy Easter Basket Cookie Cups start with a sugar cookie cup that is filled with frosting, topped with dyed green coconut, stuffed with egg shaped candies, and finished with an edible grass handle. These simple treats are fun to make with kids and serve on an Easter dessert table.
Easter Basket Cookie Cups
I love an easy and cute Easter dessert like my Easter Egg Fruit Pizza or Easter Egg Oreo Truffles. Easter Basket Cookie Cups are the perfect addition to my collection.
These cute little edible easter baskets are fun to load up with your favorite Easter candy – M&M eggs, Cadbury mini eggs, jelly beans…whatever egg shaped candy that strikes you in the candy aisle.
I went the semi-homemade route and used premade sugar cookie dough but you can make them totally from scratch if that is more your speed.
After you’re done dyeing your eggs with Kool-Aid, you might want to take some shortcuts, too!
Why you’ll love these Easter cookie cups
- Adorable treat – Who doesn’t want to eat an Easter basket? They’re the perfect dessert for the holiday.
- Customizable – If you don’t like sugar cookies, you can use chocolate chip, peanut butter, or snickerdoodle dough.
- Fun for kids – Little hands like to help fill the cookie cups with candies.
Things you’ll need
- Mini Muffin Pan – The same pan I use to make peanut butter brownie bites and peanut butter cup cookies.
- Mini Muffin Liners – You could just use non-stick cooking spray, but I like to use liners for easy cleanup and easy serving.
- Piping bags & large tip – I used a star tip to pipe the frosting into the cookie cups.
- Green Food Coloring – Either to dye the coconut green or to dye the frosting, you’ll need green food coloring.
Ingredients
Below is a list of the ingredients you’ll need to gather to make this recipe. Scroll all the way down for the full recipe card.
- SUGAR COOKIE DOUGH – Use your favorite “break & bakes”, sugar cookie mix, or from-scratch recipe. The sugar cookie dough from my reindeer cookies would be a good base.
- VANILLA FROSTING – I used Pillsbury vanilla frosting that comes in a piping bag to keep things super simple, but you can make a from-scratch vanilla buttercream.
- SHREDDED COCONUT – I dyed some sweetened coconut green to look like Easter grass. Optional, but fun. You could also use green frosting.
- CANDIES – Any candy that looks like something you’d fill an easy basket with – mini Cadbury eggs, M&M eggs, jelly beans, chocolate eggs, etc.
- EDIBLE GRASS – For the handles of my Easter baskets, I used edible Easter grass that I found at Target. It’s not delicious lol but it does look cute and comes in quite a few colors/flavors. I don’t personally like licorice, but it would make a good option or even pipe cleaners if you want a non-edible option.
How to make Easter Basket Cookie Cups
- STEP ONE: First, bake your cookie dough in a mini muffin tin according to the package instructions (or according to the recipe you’re using). I like to use mini cupcake liners so they’re easy to remove. If you are placing them directly into the pan, remember to use non-stick spray first and when they’re done, run the tip of a butter knife around the rim to loosen them. Let completely cool.
- STEP TWO: Next, once the cookie cups are cooled, use a pastry bag to pipe frosting into each well. Top with shredded coconut that has been dyed green with a bit of food coloring, and then fill with candies. I found three mini eggs to fit best. Alternatively, you could dye the frosting green and skip the coconut “grass”.
- STEP THREE: Finally, gently bend a piece of edible grass to form the basket handle and press it into the frosting. The handle is more for show than anything. I included them in about half of the batch and skipped the rest.
That’s it! Easy recipes are the perfect addition to this time of year and this one certainly fits the bill!
Possible Substitutions/Additions 🐰
- Use any flavor cookie dough. I used sugar cookies but chocolate chip, snickerdoodle, or peanut butter would work well.
- The dyed coconut is a fun addition but totally optional.
- Use your favorite egg shaped candy – mini Cadbury eggs, M&M eggs, jelly beans…whatever you like.
- If you don’t want to use edible grass, you can use licorice strings or even pipe cleaners for a non-edible option.
How to store leftovers
Leftovers should be kept covered at room temperature. They will keep for up to 5 days.
FAQs
How do you dye coconut to look like grass?
To a small bowl, add 1-2 drops food coloring to 1 teaspoon water. Mix it together and then add in approximately 1/2 cup of shredded coconut. Stir to evenly coat.
It makes great “grass” or “lettuce” in baked goods (I once made cupcake hamburgers and it worked beautifully).
How many does it make?
If using premade dough, it will make 24 cookie cups.
Do I have to make an indentation in the cookie cups?
My cookie cups tend to sink in the middle without any effort on my part, but you can use the end of a wooden spoon or even the back of teaspoon to press indentation in each well.
Need more Easter treats? Try these:
Spring Chick Easter Cupcakes
Funfetti Cream Cheese Bars
3 Step Mini Cheesecakes
Easy Bunny Bark
Click here for my entire collection of Easter recipes.
Easter Basket Cookie Cups
Ingredients
- 16 oz sugar cookie dough or your favorite scratch recipe
- 16 oz vanilla frosting
- ½ cup shredded sweetened coconut
- green food coloring
- Cadbury mini eggs
- M&M eggs
- edible grass
Instructions
- Line a mini muffin pan with mini cupcake liners and fill each well with one square of sugar cookie dough. Bake for 10-12 minutes in a 350° preheated oven, or until just golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
- Once cooled, fill each cookie cup with frosting.
- To a small bowl, add 1-2 drops of green food coloring and 1 tsp water. Mix. Add in approximately ½ cup of shredded coconut and stir to coat until evenly green.
- Sprinkle each cookie cup with green coconut and top with 3 egg candies.
- Cut a piece of edible grass and gently form into a basket handle.
- Serve & enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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