Bunny Sugar Cookies

HOW TO MAKE IT :

1. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until completely smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla, and almond extract (if using) and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low until combined. Dough will be relatively soft. If the dough seems too soft and sticky for rolling, add 1 Tablespoon more flour. If the dough seems crumbly, keep mixing it. It will eventually come together.
4. Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Place each portion onto a piece of lightly floured parchment paper or a lightly floured silicone baking mat. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness. The rolled-out dough can be any shape, as long as it is evenly 1/4-inch thick.
5. Lightly dust one of the rolled-out doughs with flour. Place a piece of parchment on top. (This prevents sticking.) Place the 2nd rolled-out dough on top. Cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, then refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours and up to 2 days.
6. Once chilled, preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 2-3 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Carefully remove the top dough piece from the refrigerator. If it’s sticking to the bottom, run your hand under it to help remove it– see me do this in the video above. Using a bunny cookie cutter, cut the dough into shapes. Re-roll the remaining dough and continue cutting until all is used. Repeat with 2nd piece of dough.
7. Arrange cookies on baking sheets 3 inches apart. Bake for 11-12 minutes or until very lightly browned around the edges. If your oven has hot spots, rotate the baking sheet halfway through bake time. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
8. Decorate the cooled cookies with royal icing, easy glaze icing, or a half batch of vanilla buttercream. See post above for recommended decorating tools. Sprinkle the wet icing/buttercream with sanding sugar sprinkles. (I usually do this over a plate so I can reuse any sprinkles that fall off.) Don’t go too heavy on the sprinkles because you’ll have a hard time piping on the chocolate eyes and nose. Allow icing to set completely. No need to cover the decorated cookies as you wait for the icing to set. If it’s helpful, decorate the cookies directly on a baking sheet so you can stick the entire baking sheet in the refrigerator to help speed up the icing setting.
9. For the optional chocolate bunny faces: Melt the chopped chocolate in a double boiler or the microwave. If using the microwave: place the chocolate in a medium heat-proof bowl. Melt in 20 second increments in the microwave, stirring after each increment until completely melted and smooth. Let the warm chocolate cool for 5-10 minutes. Spoon chocolate into a piping bag fitted with the small Wilton round piping tip #1. Carefully pipe 3 tiny dots to form the bunny eyes and nose. Enjoy right away or wait for the chocolate to set.
10. Plain or decorated cookies stay soft for about 5 days when covered tightly at room temperature. For longer storage, cover and refrigerate for up to 10 days.

Notes

1. Freezing Instructions: Plain or decorated sugar cookies freeze well up to 3 months. Wait for the icing to set completely before layering between sheets of parchment paper in a freezer-friendly container. You can freeze buttercream topped sugar cookies, but I don’t recommend layering them since the frosting doesn’t completely set. To thaw the cookies, thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature. You can also freeze the cookie dough for up to 3 months before rolling it out. Prepare the dough through step 3, divide in half, flatten both halves into a disk as we do with pie crust, wrap each in plastic wrap, then freeze. To thaw, thaw the disks in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature for about 1 hour. Roll out the dough as directed in step 4, then chill rolled out dough in the refrigerator for 45 minutes – 1 hour before cutting into shapes and baking.
2. Room Temperature: Room temperature butter is essential and room temperature egg is preferred so it’s quickly and evenly mixed into the cookie dough.
3. Flavors: I love flavoring this cookie dough with 1/2 teaspoon almond extract as listed in the ingredients above. For lighter flavor, use 1/4 teaspoon. Instead of the almond extract, try using 1 teaspoon of maple extract, coconut extract, lemon extract, or peppermint extract. Or add 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or ground cinnamon. Along with lemon extract, you can also add 1 Tablespoon lemon zest.
4. Icing: Depending on your skill level or ingredients available (or time you have!), you can use my full royal icing recipe or my full easy glaze icing recipe to decorate these cookies. You can also use a half batch of my vanilla buttercream. See post above to read about the differences.
5. Chocolate Eyes & Nose: Adding the little bunny faces is optional. You need 2 ounces of “baking chocolate” bars found in the baking aisle. They’re sold in 4 ounce bars, so you will use half. I prefer Bakers or Ghirardelli brands. You can also use and melt candy melts, chocolate dipping wafers, or chocolate chips. If using chocolate chips, melt them down with 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil to smooth them out.