Today we are sharing one of our favorite Easter desserts from childhood… Easter Basket Cookies! We have loved them our whole lives, not only because they’re delicious, but also because they are cute, colorful, and so fun to make with kids!
These basket cookies are a soft peanut butter cookie cup filled with buttercream frosting and topped with Easter M&Ms. Kids and adults love them, and we think you’l love them too!
For more Easter cookies try Carrot Cake Cookies, Easter Sugar Cookies, and Easter Cookies.
Why we think you’ll love them:
- Easy. These Easter cookie cups are SO simple with just a few steps.
- Quick. And they are ready in only about 20 minutes!
- Kid approved. We make a tasty Easter dessert every year, and the kids especially love frosting them and placing the M&M’s on top.
- Cute and tasty. Not only are these cookie baskets cute and festive, but they’re yummy too!
Easter Basket Cookies Ingredients
- Sugar (1 cup): Helps the cookies spread slightly and bake with sweet, tender centers.
- Brown sugar (1 cup): Adds moisture and caramel notes for chewy texture.
- Shortening (1 cup): Keeps the cookie cups soft and helps them hold basket shape.
- Creamy peanut butter (1 cup): Brings rich, nutty flavor and a melt in your mouth crumb.
- Salt (1 teaspoon): Balances sweetness and sharpens flavors.
- Vanilla extract (1 teaspoon): Adds warm bakery aroma that complements peanut butter.
- Eggs (2): Bind the dough and add structure for sturdy cups.
- Milk (¼ cup): Loosens the dough for a smooth, creamy mix.
- All purpose flour (3½ cups): Builds structure so cups bake up thick and sturdy.
- Baking soda (2 teaspoons): Helps lift the dough for soft, light interiors.
- Unsalted butter (½ cup): Creams into a fluffy frosting base.
- Powdered sugar (3 to 4 cups): Sweetens and whips to a smooth, pipeable buttercream.
- Milk (¼ cup): Adjusts frosting to piping consistency.
- Vanilla extract (1 teaspoon): Rounds out the frosting flavor.
- Food coloring (as needed): Tints frosting for basket grass and spring colors.
- Peanut butter M&Ms (for topping): Candy “eggs” that finish the basket look with chocolate peanut crunch.
How to Make Easter Basket Cookies
COOKIE DOUGH. In a mixing bowl, combine sugars, shortening, peanut butter, salt, and vanilla. Mix well. Add eggs and milk, and mix until creamy. Fold in flour and baking soda.
- With a large cookie scoop, place dough in the cup of a greased muffin tin. Using a tart press or something similar make an indent into each scoop. This will help mold the dough into the muffin cup.
BAKE at 350°F for 10-12 minutes. They will rise when baking and will set down once taken out of the oven. Let cool completely.
FROSTING. Combine butter, milk, vanilla, and 2 cups powdered sugar in a large bowl. Mix till smooth and creamy, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining powdered sugar and food coloring of your choice.
DECORATE. Pipe your frosting into your cookie cups and top with Peanut Butter M&Ms.
Use a Mini Muffin Tin
We use a regular-sized muffin tin, but you can easily use a mini muffin pan. Just reduce the cooking time to 5-7 minutes. The mini cookie cups work great if trying to feed a large crowd, or if you are trying to minimize how many sweets the kids have on Easter.
Kristyn’s Recipe Tips
- Lightly grease the muffin tin and chill scooped dough 10 minutes for cleaner basket walls.
- Cool cookie cups completely before frosting so buttercream stays fluffy.
- Cookie dough. Use your own favorite peanut butter cookie recipe, or ANY cookie dough for that matter!
- Decorations. Add shredded coconut to look like grass. Make a basket handle with licorice, pipe cleaner, or melt chocolate and pipe a handle to place in the frosting once it has hardened.
- Muffin tin size. I use a regular-sized muffin tin, but you can easily use a mini muffin pan. Just reduce the cooking time to 5-7 minutes. The mini cookie cups work great if trying to feed a large crowd, or if you are trying to minimize how many sweets the kids have on Easter. 😉
Easter Basket Cookies Recipe
Video
Ingredients
Cookie
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup shortening
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup milk
- 3½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
Buttercream Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 3-4 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- food coloring
- peanut butter M&Ms
Instructions
Cookie Cup
- In a mixing bowl, combine sugars, shortening, peanut butter, salt, and vanilla. Mix well. Add eggs and milk, and mix until creamy. Fold in flour and baking soda.
- With a large cookie scoop, place dough in the cup of a greased muffin tin.
- Using a tart press or something similar make an indent into each scoop. This will help mold the dough into the muffin cup.
- Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes. They will rise when baking and will set down once taken out of the oven. Let cool completely.
Frosting
- Combine butter, milk, vanilla, and 2 cups powdered sugar in a large bowl. Mix till smooth and creamy, about 5 minutes. Then add the remaining powdered sugar and food coloring of your choice.
- Pipe your frosting into your cookie cups and top with Peanut Butter M&Ms. ENJOY!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
STORE Easter basket cookie cups in an airtight container for 3 days.
FREEZE them unfrosted if you’re making them ahead of time. If decorated, set them individually on a sheet pan, uncovered, and flash freeze for a couple of hours to harden up the frosting. Stack them in an airtight container or wrap them in plastic wrap and foil. Freeze for 3-4 months.
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This recipe was first shared March, 2015.
My kids LOVE these!! I love frosting and like to do a lot of piping so I’ll just make more frosting next time; they’re super easy to make. My kids loved putting too many sprinkles on theirs 🙂
Could I use butter instead of shortening in the cookies?
I just made them with butter and they turned out fine!
You could! Jut keep in mind, cookies made with butter may not rise as much and may spread a bit more. But they will have a rich buttery taste. Cookies made with shortening will result in a cookie that bakes higher and holds its shape better during baking. So that may affect the cookie cup slightly in flavor and texture, but should still be delicious!!
These are so cute and the perfect Easter treat. My nieces will love these!
These are not only cute but they are delicious too! So fun to make with the kids.
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe! Will surely have this again! It’s really easy to make and it tasted so delicious! Highly recommended!
Used mini muffin pan, made 48 cookies. Perfect
I bet the mini size cookie cups turned out so cute! Thanks for sharing!
Put in Reese p b chips in dough
That sounds heavenly! I will have to try that out! Thanks for sharing what you do!
Trying to figure out if the easter egg baskets are cooked enough. I made them in to 24 so they were very full cups. The edges look a bit browned but the centers still looks and feel very soft… I put them in for 13 took them out and then put them back in for another 3 minutes… not sure if I should stick them back in… please help ?
How did they turn out? I did 24 as well & in my oven they take about 12 min. Ovens are all different, so they may have needed a little more in yours. Hope they turned out 🙂
So disappointed. These are so cute but just didn’t turn out without major revisions.
First – Although I got 28 out of the recipe, I lost at least 6 because they were severely underdone. I tried putting them back to try and save them but they ended up as a large peanut butter cookie (in pieces.) I baked my second tray for at least 15-20 minutes and they were much better.
The frosting was too soft and too sweet for my taste. I ended up putting a little salt in it to cut the sugar. It was so soft (despite additional sugar) that I had to put it in the fridge before I could even pipe it.
The taste of the basket is very good (when it’s cooked properly.)
lovely recipe
Thank you so much!