Bright, springy lemon cake-mix cookies are baked into little cookie cups and then filled with homemade vanilla buttercream icing.
Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 24-cup mini muffin pan.
Mix dry cake mix and dry pudding mix together.
Add oil, eggs and water. Mix until well combined.
Divide dough into 24 balls and place 1 ball in each muffin cup. Press down lightly.
Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are just beginning to brown.
Remove pan from oven and IMMEDIATELY use a rounded tablespoon to press a cup shape into each cookie. Let cool completely.
While cookies are cooling, cream softened butter in bowl of stand mixer until light and creamy, 2-3 minutes.
Add powdered sugar, 1/2 c. at a time, and mix thoroughly.
Add milk (or water) and vanilla. Stir.
Add additional liquid (1 tablespoon at a time) if frosting is too thick. OR add powdered sugar, 1/4 c. at a time, if frosting is too thin.
Spoon frosting into piping bag paired with star tip (you can also use a ziploc bag).
Fill each cup with frosting, using a circular motion.
Press one chocolate egg and a few pastel sprinkles into the top of each cookie to finish.
Store in the refrigerator if milk was used in the frosting. Store covered.