Speckled Egg Easter Cookies

Easter is an important day of remembrance in my faith. It is also a day that embodies the newness of Spring. For me Easter as a time of beautiful hope and a chance to reflect on the loveliness of the world. And like any other special day it also gets my creative juices going. If you’ve looked on my shop page then you might have seen these adorable, speckled bird egg bath bombs. Birds and bird eggs are always a fun Spring theme, so an idea came to me for Speckled Egg Easter cookies to serve at gatherings or just for fun. These sweet cookies don’t require a lot of ingredients and are easy to make, so read on for more!

So what’s in these cookies?

I am continuing my efforts to clean up our eating and incorporate more whole wheat into our diet. To accommodate this, the base of this cookie is a buttery, rich shortbread with white wheat pastry flour. As you may have noticed I am not strictly “clean” in my recipes. To explain, treats such as brownies that are made with avocados, maple syrup, and coconut oil aren’t going to work well with my family. So, I keep some flexibility in my efforts. Furthermore, I am a realist who feels going from one diet extreme to another is a bad idea in general as well as a recipe for failure (no pun intended). We also like our treats, so while ours may not be super clean they are cleaner because they offer a delicious and healthier alternative to plain white flour and sugar.

The secret ingredient to this incredibly easy recipe is white wheat pastry flour. To be clear, I do NOT use straight wheat flour because it will not provide the same results. Whole wheat pastry flour is very finely milled white wheat flour. Additionally, it is mild and results in amazingly tender baked goods with a fine crumb due to its lower protein content. Bob’s Red Mill has an excellent organic white wheat pastry flour that I love using. (not an affiliate)

For a new spin on shortbread these dense, rich cookies are flavored with orange and chocolate. The speckled appearance of the egg is created by using chopped chocolate rather than chips. After the cookies cooled, I piped on additional chocolate in a rugged zig zag to get the cute broken shell look. All it takes is some melted chocolate and a small sandwich bag. As a note, if you want to clean up this recipe even more then use a high-quality chocolate sweetened with stevia instead of sugar.

A hack for egg shaped cookies.

Now for the egg shape. First of all, if you have an egg-shaped cookie cutter that is great- use it. However, if you do not, then here is a hack for you. Quite simply, I took a plastic egg and taped it together and cut it in half. This worked well as a makeshift egg-shaped cutter. Trim any loose plastic pieces that might get in the dough. Continue to read on for the recipe and happy baking!

Speckled Egg Easter Cookies

Makes approximately 30 cookies

2 1/2 cups organic white wheat pastry flour

1 cup softened organic butter

1/2 cup organic powdered sugar

1/8 tsp. sea salt (optional)

Zest from 1 washed and dried organic orange

Juice from 1 organic orange

4 oz good chocolate, chopped small (I used a high-quality, high-cacao chocolate bar sweetened with stevia) and divided

First, combine flour, butter, powdered sugar, sea salt, orange zest, orange juice, and 2 oz. of chopped chocolate in a mixer or food processor into dough comes together in a ball. Next, roll out dough to 1/2-inch thickness between 2 pieces of wax paper. Use egg cutter and cut cookies shapes. After this, place cookies on an ungreased parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until set. Remove from oven. While cookies are cooling melt remaining 2 oz. of chocolate until just melted over double boiler over low heat. Spoon warm chocolate into sandwich bag. After this snip a tiny hole at one end of the sandwich bag, so chocolate can be piped out. Use this to “draw” broken eggshell design on cooled cookies. Let chocolate set until firm. They are ready to eat!

These shortbread squares are a simple and light treat and not to mention perfect for Easter. Keep them in the freezer and pull them out for company. Serve with a scoop of ice cream or with coffee/tea.

Enjoy your Spring cookies and have a great week!

Please note: I do not receive any monies or endorsements for any products I recommend or review. Opinions given of my own free will. No affiliates.

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