Easter egg decorating is always fun, but this year you can add a sweet new tradition – Easter sugar cookie painting.
Kids can paint sugar cookies using edible paint just like a craft project — and when they’re done, they get to eat their masterpiece.
The best part is that this activity can be as simple or as creative as you want. You can buy ready-to-paint cookies, bake your own, or decorate them with bakery-style designs before kids paint them.
It’s a fun Easter activity for:
- family nights
- classroom parties
- Easter playdates
- or a simple afternoon activity with the kids
In this post you’ll learn:
- A super easy set up
- A DIY homemade version
- A Pinterest-style decorating station
Jump To Your Favorite Version
The Easy Way: Store Bought Frosted Sugar Cookies
If you want a super simple Easter activity, start with store-bought frosted sugar cookies.
Many grocery store bakeries sell sugar cookies that are already frosted with a smooth white icing. These cookies make a great blank canvas for cookie painting, so you can skip the baking and still have a fun decorating activity for kids.
How to set it up:
Supplies for Easy Cookie Painting Party:
- Pre-frosted sugar cookies in an egg shape (local bakery is a great option) * see tip
- Edible paints
- Small food-safe paint brushes
- Paper plates
- Cups with water
Place the cookies on a paper plate with an edible paint palette and paintbrush. Make sure everyone has a cup with a little bit of water to moisten the paints. This option is great for Easter playdates, classroom parties, or a quick afternoon activity when you want something fun without spending time baking.
*When choosing cookies, look for ones with icing that dries firm, usually royal icing or a similar hard-set frosting. This creates a smooth surface that works perfectly for painting. Soft frostings like buttercream will smear when kids try to paint on them.
The DIY Way: Make Your Own Easter Cookie Canvas
If you enjoy baking, making your own cookies is a fun way to turn this activity into a full Easter project.
Supplies for a DIY Easter Cookie Painting:
• Sugar cookie dough
• Easter cookie cutters (egg, bunny, chick, carrot)
• Royal icing for frosting the cookies
• Edible paint or food coloring
• Buttercream frosting (several colors)
• Piping bags
• Small food-safe paintbrushes
• Cups of water
• Napkins or paper towels
Start by making a simple sugar cookie dough and cutting the cookies into Easter shapes like eggs, bunnies, chicks, or carrots. Once the cookies are baked and cooled, frost them with a layer of white royal icing.
Royal icing dries firm and smooth, which creates the perfect surface for cookie painting. Once the icing has fully dried, kids can decorate the cookies using edible paint just like they would paint a craft project. If you want to add extra decorations, buttercream frosting can also be piped on top of the royal icing for additional color and designs.
Making the cookies yourself also gives you more freedom to create different shapes and sizes, which makes the decorating table even more fun for kids.
This option works great for families who enjoy baking together or want to create a more personalized Easter activity.
The Party Pro Way: Outline the Cookies First
If you want cookies that look extra special, add simple outline designs before the kids start painting.
Supplies for a Party Pro Cookie Painting Station:
- Sugar cookies with smooth white royal icing
- Black or dark gray royal icing for outlining
- Small piping bags
- Edible paint
- Small food-safe paintbrushes
- Cups of water
- Napkins or paper towels
- Take-home cookie boxes
Start with sugar cookies that have a smooth layer of white royal icing. Once the icing has completely dried, use a small piping bag filled with black or dark gray royal icing to draw simple designs on the cookies.
You can pipe easy patterns like stripes, zigzags, dots, flowers, or sections across the egg cookies. These lines act like a coloring page and help keep the paint colors separated when kids decorate.
When the outlines are dry, kids can paint inside the sections using edible paint. The outlines guide their designs and make the finished cookies look more detailed and bakery-style.
This option works especially well for Easter parties because every cookie turns out colorful and fun, even for younger kids. It’s a perfect new tradition for Easter, a great way to create and celebrate.
Tips for Cookie Painting with Kids
• Let royal icing dry overnight before painting
• Use a small amount of water so the colors stay bright
• Paper plates make easy cleanup
• Younger kids do best with larger cookie shapes
Create & Celebrate 
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