Easter Basket Cookie Cups

These adorable Easter Basket Cookie Cups are almost too fun to eat! An Easter dessert recipe filled with buttercream frosting, chocolate bunnies, and chocolate eggs.

Easter treats with all their cheerful pastel colors are just the thing we need after a long winter!

I’ve been wanting to make these Easter basket cookie cups for a couple of years now. The problem is that I ran out of time each year and that I wasn’t quite sure how to make them. I thought about using green colored coconut for the grass, but I don’t care for coconut and neither do my kids. I thought about using green licorice but wasn’t sure how well that would stay in place. Finally, I discovered a decorating tip that makes buttercream frosting look like grass and I knew it would be perfect for the Easter basket cookie cups!

Disclaimer: Please note that some of the links in this post are affiliate links to the items I used to make these cookies. There is no additional cost to you, but I may earn a small commission if you purchase through those links. Thank you for your support!

My original plan was to use my silicone mini muffin pan to make the basket part of the cookie. But just before getting started I remembered that I had a silicone mini Bundt pan that I ordered to make a pumpkin dessert last fall. I realized that the mini Bundt would make a super cute basket.

To make the cookie cups I used Pillsbury Ready To Bake Sugar Cookie Dough. Since the silicone mini Bundt pan cavities are larger than the ones in the mini muffin pan I typically use, I used one and a half of the cookies dough squares in each cup.

Notes:

1. For a mini bundt pan, use 1 1/2 squares of Pillsbury Ready to Bake Sugar Cookie Dough or 1 1/2 tablespoons of homemade sugar cookie dough.
2. For a mini muffin pan, use 1 square of Pillsbury Ready To Bake Sugar Cookie Dough or 1 tablespoon of homemade sugar cookie dough.
3. If using a metal pan, instead of a silicone pan, you can roll the cookie dough balls in sugar before placing them in the pan to help prevent sticking.

Place the silicone mini bundt pan on a baking sheet for stability and bake at 375 degrees for 15-19 minutes (or bake for 12-14 minutes if using a mini muffin pan). Allow the cookies to cool completely before removing them from the pan.

When ready to decorate, beat softened butter and shortening until light and fluffy. Mix in the powdered sugar one cup at a time. Then, beat in one tablespoon of milk at a time until the frosting is the desired consistency. Stir in the vanilla and Wilton green gel paste icing color.

Use a pastry bag to fill each cookie cup with frosting. Then, use Wilton decorating tip #233 to make buttercream Easter grass.

So here’s the thing, the handles were the most difficult part of these baskets. I used Twizzlers Pull n’ Peel Fruit Punch candy and it wanted to continue twisting. There are nine colored strands in each Twizzlers Pull n’ Peel Fruit Punch candy licorice twist. I peeled the licorice apart in threes and cut each length in half. So, I laid the strands down flat on a piece of waxed paper and held the ends down with glass cups to help them flatten and dry out for an hour or two. Press the licorice ends into the frosting and keep your fingers crossed that it stays in place.

Alternative basket handle ideas:

1. Original Twizzlers
2. Colorful licorice twists
3. Nerds Rope
4. And if it’s too frustrating, don’t add a basket handle. The treats are fun without them too!

 To complete the baskets, I added Ghiradelli Chocolate Caramel Bunnies and Cadbury Mini Eggs, but use any of your favorite Easter candies to decorate the baskets! These Easter Basket Cookies Cups turned out so adorable and we delivered them to my nieces and nephews so that we weren’t tempted to eat all of them!

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Easter Basket Cookie Cups

Course: Dessert

Servings: 16

Author: The Gunny Sack

Ingredients

• 1 package Pillsbury Ready-To-Bake Sugar Cookie dough
• Twizzlers Pull 'n Peel Fruit Punch Twists
• Chocolate bunnies
• Mini chocolate eggs

Buttercream Frosting:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 2-3 tbsp milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Green gel paste icing color

Instructions

1. Cut 8 of the squares of cookie dough in half. Place one full square and a half square (or 1 1/2 tbsp of homemade sugar cookie dough) in each of the greased silicone mini bundt pan cups. (I only have one pan so I had to bake the cookies in two batches to make all 16 cookie cups.) If using a mini muffin pan, use 1 square of Pillsbury cookie dough or 1 tbsp of homemade cookie dough.
2. Put the silicone pan on a cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 15-19 minutes for the mini bundt pan (or 12-14 minutes for a mini muffin pan). Allow the cookies to cool completely before removing them from the pan.
3. Use a pastry bag to fill each cookie cup with frosting. Use Wilton decorating tip #233 to make buttercream grass.
4. Complete the Easter baskets with chocolate bunnies, licorice handle, and eggs.

Buttercream Frosting:

1. Beat softened butter and shortening until light and fluffy. Mix in the powdered sugar one cup at a time. Then, beat in one tablespoon of milk at a time until the frosting is the desired consistency. Stir in the vanilla and Wilton green gel paste icing color.

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