Easter Bunny Sugar Cookies (Printable)
Buttery, bunny-shaped sugar cookies adorned with colorful royal icing make perfect springtime treats.
# What You'll Need:
→ Sugar Cookies
01 - 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
03 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
04 - 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
05 - 1 cup granulated sugar
06 - 1 large egg
07 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
08 - 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
→ Royal Icing
09 - 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
10 - 2 tablespoons meringue powder
11 - 5-6 tablespoons water, plus more as needed
12 - Gel food coloring, assorted pastel shades
# Directions:
01 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
02 - In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, approximately 2-3 minutes.
03 - Add egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract if using. Beat until fully combined.
04 - Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing just until incorporated.
05 - Divide dough in half, flatten each half into a disk, wrap in plastic, and chill for at least 1 hour.
06 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
07 - On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Use bunny-shaped cookie cutters to cut out shapes and transfer to prepared baking sheets.
08 - Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes, or until edges are just beginning to turn golden. Let cool on sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
09 - In a large bowl, combine powdered sugar and meringue powder. Add water, starting with 5 tablespoons, and beat on low speed until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes. Add more water, a few drops at a time, to reach piping consistency.
10 - Divide icing into bowls and tint with desired gel food colorings.
11 - Decorate cooled cookies as desired, using piping bags fitted with small round tips. Allow icing to set completely for at least 1 hour before serving or packaging.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The buttery dough bakes up with tender edges and a slight chew that makes them disappear from plates faster than you can arrange them on serving platters
- Royal icing hardens into a gorgeous professional finish that stacks beautifully for gift boxes or treat bags
- One dough batch yields endless decorating possibilities from simple polka dots to intricate bunny details that impress everyone
02 -
- Cold dough is non-negotiable for cutout cookies that keep their bunny shape instead of spreading into undefined blobs
- Royal icing consistency makes or breaks your decorating experience too thick and it pipes like toothpaste too thin and it runs off the edges
- Humidity is royal icings worst enemy so save decorating for dry days or turn on your air conditioning
03 -
- Rotate your baking sheets halfway through for even browning so all your bunnies have the same golden edges
- Room temperature eggs blend seamlessly into the dough while cold ones can cause the butter to seize and create odd textures