Gluten-free Easter Thumbprint Cookies

These Gluten-free Easter Thumbprint Cookies are so adorable! A buttery shortbread cookie is rolled in coconut, topped with delicious buttercream frosting and a Cadbury mini egg. These cookies are easy to make and perfect for kid helpers!

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Gluten-free buttercream thumbprints are a favorite at Christmas and now you can have them for Easter, too! This gluten-free recipe is so easy to make with just a few ingredients. Piping the "grass" on top is so easy and fun for all ages! That little bit of icing and Cadbury mini egg offer the perfect bite of sweetness.

For another festive Easter treat, check out these gluten-free Easter cookie bars! And if you love these, be sure to check out this gluten-free jam-filled thumbprints, too!

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Gluten-free Flour: Most 1:1 blends for baking should work well in this recipe. These have been tested with King Arthur Measure for Measure and Namaste Perfect Blend.
• Sweetened Flaked Coconut: You can substitute granulated sugar or chopped pecans for the coconut, if desired.
• Butter: Substitute Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks for dairy-free.
• Buttercream icing: You can substitute store-bought canned frosting if you don't want to make homemade buttercream frosting. Many are both gluten and dairy-free, making it a great option for ease and affordability.
• Powdered Sugar: You'll need powdered sugar whether you make homemade frosting or use store-bought. The store bought frosting might need a little sugar added to make it thick enough to pipe the grass.
• Cadbury Mini Eggs: These eggs are gluten-free. Little jelly beans would be cute too!

How to Make Easter Thumbprint Cookies

1. Separate the eggs.
2. Cream butter, sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla.
3. Add in flour and salt.
4. Blend until well combined.

5. Whisk egg whites until frothy.
6. Roll a ball of cookie dough in egg whites.
7. Then roll in coconut.
8. Press a thumbprint in the center.

9. Place cookies on parchment lined baking sheet.
10. Bake until golden brown.
11. Make green buttercream icing. (Or mix green food coloring in canned frosting.)St
12. Pipe grass onto cooled cookies.
13. Top each cookie with Cadbury mini egg.

How to Pipe Grass with Buttercream

For the grass icing, you'll need a piping bag and a grass tip #233.

Piping the grass is pretty easy, even if you're inexperienced with piping. Also, it's forgiving because it doesn't have to be perfect, since grass is such an organic shape anyway. This article from Wilton demonstrates how to pipe the grass.

1. Prepare a piping bag with the grass tip #233.
2. Fill the bag ½ full with medium consistency icing.
3. Hold the bag straight up with the tip ⅛ inch above the cookie.
4. Squeeze the bag to form grass as you gently pull the bag away from the cookie.
5. Stop applying pressure to the bag as you pull up and away. The longer you put pressure on the bag, the longer the strands of grass will be.
6. Keep repeating this step until center of the cookie is filled with grass.

Storing the Cookies

While these cookies are best fresh, they will keep up to 3 days at room temperature if kept in an airtight container. You can also freeze them if needed. Thaw overnight at room temperature.

Top Recipe Tips

• If you're using canned icing, add ½ cup powdered sugar along with 1 drop of food coloring and stir until the icing is evenly colored. The extra powdered sugar thickens the icing enough to form grass.
• Practice your piping technique on a plate before starting on the cookies.
• If you don't like how the icing on the cookie looks, scrape the icing off and try again! It's very forgiving and a great way to practice piping technique!
• Make sure cookies are completely cooled before adding icing.

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