Whether its spring or Easter, you will want to make these cute little Mini Bunny Cookies. The cookies are baked cut-out oval shapes baked and decorated like a cute little bunny.  Good & Plenty candies make the bunny ears while frosting makes the eyes and tail.  As a result, this easy cookie recipe will not spread during baking. Transform simple butter cookies into cute little bunnies. Your kiddos will love them!

How to Make Bunny Cookies

These cookies are made with a butter cookie recipe. Simple ingredients, softened real butter, not margarine, sugar, flour, salt, no baking soda or powder, flour, vanilla or your favorite extract. After mixing the ingredients together, the dough is chilled an hour or up to 2 days. Be sure to wrap the dough in plastic wrap if storing for the two days.  Allow dough to unthaw but chilled before rolling out.

When ready to roll out cookie dough, flour your work surface and rolling pin. Roll dough into 1/4″ thickness and cut with 1″ oval egg shape cookie cutter or the size cutter you desire. Place cookies on parchment lined baking sheet.  Chill cookie trays for 15 minutes to firm up the butter.

Bake cookies in preheated oven at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes.  Cookies will not be overly browned.  Allow to cool. Frost with royal icing and decorate with good & plenty candies or as you prefer.

How to Make Meringue Buttercream Frosting

Making meringue buttercream is very simple and it tastes very good. I used powdered meringue instead of fresh egg whites, shortening, confectioners sugar, water and extract.  Of course you can flavor your buttercream with any flavor, almond and orange with lemon is a great combination.

Place half of the powdered sugar and the meringue powder in the bowl of an electric mixer. Whisk together well. Turn on mixer (use whip attachment) and, while motor is running, slowly stream in the water.

Mix until everything is incorporated. Turn mixer to high speed and whip until stiff peaks form. Add flavorings and mix well. Change to paddle attachment for stand mixer If using a hand mixer, use the same beaters you were using before. Add remaining powdered sugar and shortening and whip for 2-3 minutes more. P.S.  Don’t skimp on whipping time of 2-3 mores.  The shortening will tend to separate if you don’t beat it for this amount of time.

Decorating the Mini Cookies 

Reserve 1/4 cup frosting and tint brown for eyes of bunny. Fill pastry bag with brown frosting simply clip a small opening. Tiny opening for piping eyes or tip # 2. Set aside.

Fill a disposable piping bag with tip # 5, it is a small round tip. Fill bag with buttercream, pipe a line around outside edge of cookie, flood cookie with frosting. Flooding just means to completely fill in the top of cookie inside the piped edge of cookies.  Set cookies aside to dry.  I know that sounds strange, but you want the frosting to set before you decorate.  Especially if you are using good & plenty candies or any candy that could bleed into the frosting while frosting is wet.

Once cookie frosting is dry, pipe a small dollop of frosting for the tail, sprinkle with tiny white perils, jimmies or coarse sparkling sugar. Add a small dollop of frosting to the candies for the bunny ears. Frosting is the glue that attaches the candies.  Pipe eyes with reserved brown frosting. For bunny tail, pipe large drop using frosting, then sprinkle with coarse sugar.  Serve with in the day for best results. Can be made a day ahead and stored in covered container.

Mini Bunny Cookie Recipe

Mini Bunny Cookies

Print Recipe

Decorate oval shaped cut out butter cookies with frosting and Good & Plenty Candies to look like a mini bunny.

• Author: Liz Bushong
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes + decorating
• Yield: 6 dozen 1 ½ inch cookies 1x
• Category: Dessert-Cookies
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

Butter Cookies:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar, processed in blender or food processor for 30 seconds
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 tsp. Vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. Almond extract
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour.

Meringue Powder Butter Cream Frosting

• 1/3 cup water
• 3 T. meringue powder
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar (1 lb. 3 oz. If you have a scale)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract (use clear vanilla if you want a pure white icing)
• 1/4 tsp. almond extract

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Instructions

Butter Cookie Instructions:

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Cream butter, sugar and salt until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes medium speed.
3.  Add yolk, beat well. Add whole egg, vanilla and almond extract. beat until well-incorporated.
4.  Add flour; beat at low speed just until flour is blended. Divide dough in halves or thirds and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, at least one hour and up to 2 days.
5.  Dust work surface and rolling pin with flour. Roll dough to 1/4″ thick, sprinkling with additional flour as needed to prevent sticking. Using an oval egg shape cookie cutter, cut out cookies. place on baking sheet.
6. Bake until cookies are brown 10-12 minutes. Remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks and cool completely before decorating.

Meringue Powder Butter Cream Frosting Instructions

1. Place half of the powdered sugar and the meringue powder in the bowl of an electric mixer. Whisk together well.
2. Turn on mixer (use whip attachment) and, while motor is running, slowly stream in the water. Mix until everything is incorporated. Turn mixer to high speed and whip until stiff peaks form. Add flavorings and mix well. Change to paddle attachment for stand mixer If using a hand mixer, use the same beaters you were using before. Add remaining powdered sugar and shortening and whip for 2-3 minutes more.
3. Decorating: Use tip # 5 pipe a line around outside edge of cookie, flood cookie with frosting. Let dry. For bunny tail, pipe large drop using frosting, then sprinkle with coarse sugar. For ears, use good and plenty candies, for eyes– use tip 2 pipe brown frosting.

Notes

* Note: Don’t skimp on the whipping time after adding the shortening. You really need to whip it well to prevent separation later. (divide frosting 3/4 white– 1/4 brown).

Other ideas you might like to try: