These simple bunny sugar cookies make a great addition to any Easter celebration and can become a fun family tradition. The dough is vanilla-flavored and straightforward to make. The cookies and icing can be made ahead as they keep for several days or weeks.
These Easter bunny sugar cookies are almost too cute to eat!
Made with a classic sugar cookie recipe and decorated with colorful frosting and sprinkles.
You can choose other shapes and use a different dough like these sour cream sugar cookies if you don't like the traditional sugar dough (many people find it slightly dry and somewhat unappealing).
- Freshness: you have control over the ingredients, which can be a healthier option than store-bought cookies that often contain preservatives and additives. And you get to eat them sooner, so you bite into a fresh cookie.
- Family activity: you can enjoy making these with your loved ones, especially children. It's a fun way to spend quality time together and bond over a shared experience. And to unleash everyone's creativity by customizing the cookies. Experiment with different shapes, colors, and decorations to make your cookies unique.
- Cost-effective: Making Easter sugar cookies at home can be more cost-effective than buying pre-made cookies or going to a bakery. You can use basic ingredients that are readily available in your pantry and save money in the long run.
- Gifts: decorated Easter sugar cookies can be a thoughtful and personalized gift for family and friends. You can decorate the cookies with their favorite colors or designs, or add a personal touch with a handwritten note.
Ingredient Notes
Quantities are listed in the recipe card towards the end of this post. The Ingredients page has more details and lists the brands we use.
- Powdered sugar: also called confectioners or icing sugar.
- Food coloring: they have to be water-based. Gels are my first choice like Wilton Icing food coloring set or Ann Clark food coloring set. Liquid or powder colors also work if you already use them, but my experience is that they can sometimes be tricky and not have enough color or be hard to integrate.
- Baking powder: make sure it isn't expired.
- Milk: I use whole, but you can also use reduced-fat milk.
Variations & substitutions
- Lemon cookies: Add a touch of lemon to your sugar cookie recipe to give your bunny cookies a fresh, citrusy flavor.
- Chocolate dough: Swap out some of the flour in your sugar cookie recipe for cocoa powder to make chocolate bunny cookies. Decorate with white frosting and pink candy noses for an adorable look.
- Coconut cookies: Add shredded coconut to your sugar cookie dough to give your bunny cookies a tropical twist. Decorate with coconut flakes and jelly beans for a fun, colorful look.
See this sour cream sugar cookies recipe for softer, chewier cookie dough.
We're using a simple sugar cookie dough.
Mixing butter and flour mixture: I recommend using your hands, a pastry cutter, or a food processor. Always make sure you don't overwork or overprocess the mixture, as that will result in tough cookies.
The dough needs to be wrapped and chilled so it can be rolled easily. Don't skip this step.
Work quickly so the cookie dough remains cold and easy to cut. You can also use a piece of parchment paper instead of rolling it directly on the counter.
Icing
The icing typically used to decorate sugar cookies is a mixture of powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract.
The consistency of the icing can vary depending on the desired effect: a thicker icing is better for outlining and creating details, while a thinner icing is better for flooding and filling in larger areas.
Food coloring: they have to be water-based. Gels are my first choice, like Wilton Icing food coloring set or Ann Clark food coloring set. Liquid or powder colors also work if you already use them.
Extras: use sprinkles, dragees, or colored sanding sugar to decorate the cookies.
Piping bag: I use disposable small piping bags because they're fuss-free and you don't have to wash them. And with no piping tip, just the tip of the bag cut. But you can use a small round tip.
Vintage Kitchen Tip
When cutting the tip of a piping bag, always start smaller than what you think you need. It's easier to widen the tip, but you can't reverse it.
If you have leftover icing, you can keep the bag in the fridge for a week.
Add food coloring if desired and mix well.
Transfer the icing to a piping bag or zip-top plastic bag and snip off a small corner to create a small hole for piping. Use it on the cooled sugar cookies.
Storage
To store baked sugar cookies, place them in an airtight container at room temperature. They will stay fresh for up to a week.
If you want to store them longer, you can freeze the cookies for up to three months. To thaw the cookies, simply let them come to room temperature before serving.
To freeze unbaked cut-outs: place them on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Cover tightly and bake directly.
Troubleshooting common issues
Overmixing the dough: it can cause the baked cookies to become tough and dense. It is important to mix the ingredients until just combined.
Overbaking the cookies: Overbaking the muffins can cause them to become dry and hard. It is important to check the muffins a few minutes before the end of the baking time and remove them from the oven as soon as they are cooked through.
Cookie dough is too dry or crumbly: it doesn't have enough moisture or it has too much flour. Try adding a bit more butter or egg to the recipe, or reducing the amount of flour used. You can also try refrigerating it for 30 minutes to allow it to firm up and become easier to work with.
Cookies spreading too much: it may be due to a lack of chilling time for the dough. Make sure to refrigerate it for at least an hour before rolling and baking. Another reason is the high butter content in the recipe if you're not making this one. Try reducing the butter next time.
Uneven baking: it may be due to hot spots in your oven or unevenly rolled dough. Try rotating your baking sheet halfway through baking and making sure your dough is rolled out to an even thickness.
Icing not setting: it may be due to high humidity or too much liquid in the recipe. Try adding more powdered sugar or refrigerating the cookies for a few minutes to allow it to set.
Kitchen notes
- Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperatures, equipment, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier!
- Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer (like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
- Make ahead: you can refrigerate the cookie dough for a week or freeze it for a month, always tightly wrapped to avoid dryness. Thaw in the refrigerator the day before you plan to roll and bake. The icing can be made weeks ahead and kept chilled.
- Icing consistency: to reach the consistency you want in the icing, add additional powdered sugar or milk depending on if it's too thick or thin. Add small amounts, mix, and check. Repeat if necessary.
- Cookie cutter: I made bunny-shaped cookies, but you can use other Easter-shaped cookie cutters.
Related recipes you might like:
One last thing
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Bunny Sugar Cookies
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Ingredients
For the cookie dough:
- ½ cup unsalted butter, cold and diced
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- large pinch salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
Glaze
- 7 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- food coloring of choice, as needed
Instructions
For the sugar cookies:
- Place all-purpose flour and cold butter cubes in a large bowl. Using your hands or a pastry cutter, work the butter into the flour until the mixture is crumbly but the butter is still cool. You can also use a food processor: make sure you don't overprocess it.
- Transfer the flour to a large mixing bowl and add sugar, salt, and baking powder. Combine well.
- Add the egg and stir all the ingredients until moistened. If necessary, pour in a teaspoon at a time until you can knead it to a cohesive shortcrust pastry.
- Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Divide the dough into 2 or 3 parts and work with one piece at a time, keeping the rest covered and chilled.
- Roll on a lightly floured surface (with a floured rolling pin) or between two sheets of parchment paper or a silicone mat, to a thickness of approximately ¼ inch (5-6 mm).
- Use a bunny cutter to cut out the cookie shapes. Work quickly so the dough stays cool. Transfer the cookies (I use a metal spatula) to the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, until dry and slightly puffed but still soft.
For the icing:
- Mix the milk and powdered sugar, adding more sugar or liquid if necessary to get a thick frosting.
- Divide equally between bowls depending on how many colors you're making.
- Mix each bowl of glaze with a small amount of food coloring using more if needed to get to the color you want. Start small as it's always easier to make the color stronger but not the other way around.
- Using piping bags with a small round tip, apply a thin layer of icing to the edges of the cooled cookies, leaving them like that or filling with more icing.
- Sprinkle with sugar pearls, sanding sugar, or other decorations you want.
- Let the glaze set for about 45 minutes.
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