Chocolate Chip Easter Basket Cookie Recipe
An edible cookie Easter basket made of chocolate chip cookie dough, filled with coconut, candies, and finished with a chocolate basket handle!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: ~12-16 cookies
- Category: candy cookies, chocolate chip cookies, cookies, easter basket
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: candy cookies, chocolate chip cookies, cookies, easter basket
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, chilled (12 tablespoon)
- 1 1/4 cups brown sugar, packed
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour, sifted
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 2 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips
- 2 cups shredded coconut
- 3-4 drops of green gel paste
- 4 cups white chocolate, chopped – divided
- Peanut M&M’s
- Mini M&M’s or Jelly Beans
Instructions
- Add the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat until smooth and creamy (~2-3 minutes). Add in both sugars and beat until well blended. Add the eggs and vanilla bean paste, and beat until fully incorporated.
- Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and corn starch; whisk to combine. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients until combined. Turn the mixer off and add in 2 cups of chocolate chips. Mix just until incorporated (no more than 10-15 seconds).
- Place the dough in a bowl, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F with the rack in the middle.
- Line a Whoopie Pie Pan with parchment paper. The weight of the cookies will push the parchment paper into the cavities. Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop out a 1 1/2″ ball. Place each scoop into a cavity of the pan and press down to fill up the space. You want the dough just slightly less than the top of the pan, as it will rise while baking. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for 3-4 minutes.
- Using a spatula, gently remove the cups from the pan and place them on a cooling rack. The cookies should have a slightly sunken center. If they don’t, gently push down just a tad to help make the basket shape.
- Melt 2 1/2 cups of white chocolate in a large glass bowl. Add the shredded coconut and mix until well coated. The coconut should be stiff but moldable. Add the green gel paste and stir until the desired grass color is achieved. Divide the grass evenly on top of the cookies, making a nest with the center just slightly lower than the sides.
- Place 2 peanut M&M’s in the center and garnish the edges with jelly beans or mini M&M’s.
- While the cookies are cooling, place a piece of parchment paper on the table (can set on top of a plate). Melt the remaining white chocolate until smooth.
- Place half of your chocolate into a piping bag with a small tip or use a squeeze bottle. Draw out handles on the parchment paper. Allow to cool and then pipe more chocolate on top to make them thicker. Once completely cooled, use a spatula and gently flip the handles over. If your remaining chocolate has hardened, melt it again and place it in a piping bag. Carefully pipe chocolate on top of the backs of your handles to make them more round. Cool completely.
- To attach, place a dab of melted chocolate on the bottom of each handle and ‘glue’ it to the cookie. Pipe a little bit of chocolate around the base of the cookie’s handle and hold it in place for a few seconds. Allow the chocolate to cool completely and harden before storing it in an airtight container.