Irresistible Gluten-Free Cadbury Egg Cookies

Essential Ingredients for Your Easter Cookie Masterpiece

If you’re familiar with our popular Gluten-Free Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies or our Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, you’ll recognize the core of this recipe! These delicious Cadbury Mini Egg cookies build upon those beloved bases, infusing them with a fabulous springtime twist. Let’s delve into what you’ll need:

• Gluten-Free Rolled Oats: For that signature chewy texture, choose certified gluten-free rolled oats, sometimes labeled “old-fashioned oats.” It’s crucial they are certified to avoid cross-contamination with wheat. Avoid quick-cooking or steel-cut oats, as they will drastically alter the cookie’s texture and absorption properties. The oats are key to the wholesome, hearty bite of these cookies.
• Gluten-Free Flour Blend: Our top recommendation for consistently perfect gluten-free cookie recipes is King Arthur Measure-For-Measure Gluten-Free Flour. This blend is formulated to perform like traditional all-purpose flour. If you opt for another 1:1 gluten-free flour blend (such as Bob’s Red Mill), ensure it contains xanthan gum. Xanthan gum is vital for providing structure and elasticity in gluten-free baking. Always measure your flour correctly, ideally by weight with a kitchen scale, or by using the scoop and level method.
• Baking Powder & Baking Soda: These leavening agents work in harmony to give your cookies the perfect lift and tender crumb. Baking soda reacts with the acidic brown sugar, while baking powder provides additional aeration, ensuring a delightful puff and spread.
• Salt: A non-negotiable ingredient! Salt doesn’t just make things taste salty; it enhances and balances all the sweet flavors, preventing the cookies from tasting one-dimensional.
• Softened Butter: The secret to a smooth, evenly textured cookie dough. Your butter should be soft enough to leave a slight indentation when gently pressed with a fingertip, but it shouldn’t be greasy or shiny, which indicates it’s too warm and melted. Properly softened butter creams beautifully with sugar, incorporating air for a lighter cookie.
• Brown Sugar & Granulated Sugar: This dynamic duo offers the best of both worlds. Light brown sugar contributes to the cookies’ chewiness, moisture, and a subtle caramel-like flavor, while granulated sugar ensures the desired spread and crisp edges. The combination yields a perfectly balanced sweetness and texture.
• Eggs: Using room temperature eggs is crucial for this recipe. Cold eggs can cause your creamed butter and sugar mixture to seize or separate, leading to a less cohesive dough and potentially tougher cookies. Room temperature eggs emulsify better with the fats and sugars, resulting in a smoother batter and a more uniform bake.
• Vanilla Extract: A staple in almost any sweet treat, vanilla extract adds depth and warmth to the overall flavor profile, complementing the chocolate and oats beautifully. Always use pure vanilla extract for the best taste.
• Chocolate Chips: To avoid an overly sweet cookie, we highly recommend semisweet or dark chocolate chips. Milk chocolate or white chocolate chips, when combined with the already sweet Cadbury mini eggs, can make the cookies too rich. The slight bitterness of semisweet or dark chocolate provides a wonderful contrast.
• Mini Cadbury Eggs: You’ll need one full (9-ounce) bag of these iconic candy-coated chocolate eggs. They provide a delightful crunch and a burst of springtime color. For extra garnish and decorating, consider picking up a second bag. Be sure to break them up into smaller pieces for even distribution throughout the cookie dough.

Wait, Are Cadbury Mini Eggs Gluten-Free? A Closer Look

This is a common and important question for anyone following a gluten-free diet. Like many others, including Katie from Wheat By The Wayside, I’ve thoroughly researched and communicated with the Hershey company, which manufactures Cadbury mini eggs in the United States. I highly recommend reviewing her detailed post, which includes direct quotes and statements from Hershey, to help you make an informed decision that’s right for your personal needs.

Here’s the concise answer based on the most current information available at the time of this publication: Cadbury mini eggs are considered free of gluten-containing ingredients. They adhere to the FDA’s definition of gluten-free. Furthermore, Hershey’s robust allergen protocols explicitly state that they will always clearly disclose any potential allergens or the possibility of cross-contamination directly on their product labels.

At the time of writing, the only potential allergens listed on the Cadbury mini egg packaging are milk and soy. Our personal experience with this candy has been positive, with no adverse reactions reported. However, dietary needs and sensitivities vary greatly. We always advise checking the most up-to-date packaging information and making the choice that aligns best with your dietary requirements and comfort level. When in doubt, it’s always best to consult with a medical professional or registered dietitian.

Storage and Make-Ahead Tips

Planning ahead or want to savor your cookies longer? Here’s how to store your Gluten-Free Cadbury Mini Egg Cookies:

• At Room Temperature: Once completely cooled, store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-4 days. For optimal freshness, a bread box or cookie jar works wonderfully.
• Freezing Baked Cookies: These cookies freeze beautifully! Once completely cooled, arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze until solid (about 1-2 hours). Transfer the frozen cookies to a freezer-safe airtight container or zip-top bag, separating layers with parchment paper to prevent sticking. They can be frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature for a quick treat.
• Freezing Cookie Dough: You can also freeze portions of the raw cookie dough. Scoop the dough into balls as directed in the recipe, then place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze until solid. Transfer the frozen dough balls to a freezer-safe bag and store for up to 2 months. When ready to bake, you can bake them directly from frozen, adding a few extra minutes to the baking time, or let them thaw slightly in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes before baking. For more detailed instructions on freezing dough, refer to our guide on how to freeze cookie dough.

More Gluten-Free Spring Treats To Try

Easter Bunny Bait Chex Mix

This festive and vibrant Chex Mix is an absolute hit for spring! Loaded with sweet and salty ingredients, and coated in white chocolate, it’s perfect for snacking, gifting, or adding a pop of color to your Easter spread. Plus, it’s incredibly easy to make with the kids.

Gluten-Free Carrot Cake

No Easter celebration is complete without a classic carrot cake, and our gluten-free version is moist, spiced, and utterly delicious. Topped with a rich and tangy cream cheese frosting, it’s a showstopper dessert that everyone will adore.

Gluten-Free Lemon Curd Thumbprint Cookies

Brighten up your dessert table with these zesty and sweet lemon curd thumbprint cookies. The buttery, tender cookie base pairs perfectly with the vibrant, tangy lemon curd, making them an ideal treat for spring and summer.

Made from a chewy oatmeal cookie base with plenty of chocolate chips and Cadbury mini eggs, every single bite of these gluten-free Easter cookies is full of goodies!

(You’ll want a full 9-ounce bag of Cadbury mini eggs for these cookies. If you want to add extra garnish, you may want to pick up a second bag so you have a few more eggs to work with!)

Ingredients

• 3 cups gluten-free rolled oats (270 grams)
• 2 cups gluten-free measure-for-measure flour* (240 grams)
• 1 Tablespoon cornstarch (8 grams)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup butter, softened (226 grams/2 sticks)
• 1 cup brown sugar (200 grams), packed
• 1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams)
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup semisweet or dark chocolate chips (170 grams)
• 1 cup Cadbury milk chocolate mini eggs (190 grams), broken up*

To Top The Cookies:

• 1/4 cup additional chocolate chips
• the remaining mini eggs from a 9 oz. package (about 65 grams or 1/4 cup), broken up*

Instructions

1. Break Up The Oats. Place the oats in the bowl of a food processor (or the jar of a blender) and pulse a few times to break up the oats. Ideally, you want some whole, and some broken up. This just gives the cookie the best texture. Try not to pulverize the oats into flour as this will drastically change the cookie’s texture.

2. Combine Dry Ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine gluten-free oats, gluten-free flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine, then set aside.

3. Cream Butter & Sugar. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl), combine softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Cream together 2-3 minutes until smooth, fluffy, and lighter in texture. Scrape down the edges of the bowl.

4. Add Eggs & Vanilla. Next, add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract. Mix to combine well, then scrape down the sides of the bowl again.

5. Mix In Dry Ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer and blend until just a few floury patches remain.

6. Add Chocolate Chips & 1 Cup Cadbury Eggs. Pour in chocolate chips and 1 cup of the Cadbury Eggs (reserve the rest of the Cadbury eggs for garnish). Mix until just blended.

7. Chill Dough 1 Hour. Cover the dough and refrigerate 1-2 hours. Do NOT skip this step, or your cookies will spread significantly more.

8. Preheat & Prep. When you’re about 30 minutes away from baking, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper so you can alternate baking sheets with each batch.

9. Scoop & Roll Cookie Dough. Use a large cookie scoop to scoop 3-Tablespoon balls of cookie dough. Roll the dough smooth between your hands and place 6 cookie dough balls on a prepared baking sheet.

10. Bake, Finish & Cool Cookies. Bake 6 cookies at a time in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the cookies are slightly golden brown around the edges and the centers look *just* underdone. (They’ll set more as they cool). Remove from the oven and gently shape with a round cookie cutter into perfect circles, if desired. Garnish with a few more chocolate chips and a sprinkle of Cadbury egg pieces. Let the cookies cool 1-2 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

11. Repeat this process with remaining cookie dough until all cookies are baked, alternating baking sheets with each batch so you don’t put cold dough on a hot cookie sheet.

12. Serve & Store. Enjoy once the cookies have cooled. Store in an airtight container at room temperature 2-3 days, or freeze up to 2 months.

• Break Up The Mini Eggs. You want the Cadbury eggs in small pieces so they blend into the cookie dough better. You can break up the Cadbury mini eggs by either chopping them with a knife (trickier) or placing them in a zip-top bag and banging with a rolling pin to break them up. You want a mix of sizes and shapes, so no need to get too precious about this process.
• Gluten-Free Flour. We highly recommend King Arthur Measure-For-Measure Flour for this recipe. If you use another 1:1 blend, be sure it contains xanthan gum or the cookies won’t turn out properly.
• Measure Carefully. Metric measurements will make a BIG difference in getting the right measurements, but if you don’t have a kitchen scale, use the scoop and level method to measure the oats and flour. Spoon flour into the measuring cup, then level it with the back of a knife. (Rather than using the measuring cup to scoop flour–which packs in extra flour)
• If you want thinner cookies, you can use 2 1/2 cups oats (225 grams) instead of the full 3 cups (270 grams).