Easter Bunny Sugar Cookies

The first Easter I made these sugar cookies, my kitchen counter looked like a pastel explosion had gone off. I had three different bowls of icing lined up, my hands were stained with food coloring, and there was flour dusted across literally every surface. But when my nieces walked in and saw those bunny cookies lined up like little edible soldiers, their eyes lit up in a way that made all the mess completely worth it.

Last spring, I hosted an Easter cookie decorating party and learned something unexpected. The adults were way more competitive about their bunny designs than the kids. My friend Sarah spent forty minutes perfecting a bunny with little polka dot overalls while her daughter happily smeared pink icing everywhere and called it modern art. Both cookies disappeared from the plate equally fast.

Ingredients

• All-purpose flour: The backbone of your dough, providing structure for those detailed bunny shapes
• Baking powder: Just enough to give the cookies a subtle lift without losing their crisp edges
• Unsalted butter: Softened to room temperature so it incorporates beautifully into the sugar
• Granulated sugar: Sweetens the dough and creates that perfect slight crunch on the edges
• Large egg: Binds everything together while adding richness and structure
• Pure vanilla extract: The classic warm flavor that makes sugar cookies taste like home
• Almond extract: Optional but adds this wonderful subtle nutty background that people can never quite identify
• Powdered sugar: Sifted to prevent lumps in your royal icing because nobody wants gritty frosting
• Egg whites or meringue powder: Creates that signature royal icing hardness that dries like candy
• Water: Adjust this carefully to get your icing to the perfect piping and flooding consistency
• Gel food coloring: Much more concentrated than liquid coloring and wont thin down your icing

Instructions

Whisk the dry ingredients together:

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt until theyre evenly distributed

Cream the butter and sugar:

Beat them together for 2 to 3 minutes until the mixture looks pale and fluffy

Add the wet ingredients:

Mix in the egg, vanilla, and almond extract until everything is combined

Form the dough:

Gradually add the dry ingredients and mix just until a dough comes together

Chill the dough:

Divide into two discs, wrap tightly, and refrigerate for at least an hour

Preheat and prepare:

Heat your oven to 350 degrees F and line baking sheets with parchment paper

Roll and cut:

Roll one disc to a quarter inch thickness and cut out bunny shapes

Arrange and bake:

Place cookies two inches apart on prepared sheets and bake for 9 to 11 minutes

Cool completely:

Let them rest on the baking sheets for 5 minutes then move to a wire rack

Make the royal icing:

Beat powdered sugar and egg whites until stiff peaks form, adding water as needed

Color your icing:

Divide into bowls and tint with gel food coloring to your desired shades

Decorate your bunnies:

Pipe or spread icing onto cooled cookies and add sprinkles before it sets

Let everything set:

Allow the decorated cookies to dry for 2 to 4 hours before stacking or serving

Pin it

These cookies have become my go-to Easter contribution because they travel surprisingly well. One year I carefully packed a layer of bunny cookies between sheets of wax paper in a tin and brought them to my sisters house three hours away. Not a single ear broke during the journey, which I consider a personal victory in cookie logistics.

Getting That Perfect Dough Texture

Overworking the dough makes tough cookies, but underworking it means your shapes spread into unrecognizable blobs. I learned to stop mixing as soon as the flour streaks disappear and the dough holds together when squeezed. The dough should feel soft and slightly tacky but not sticky enough to cling to your fingers.

Mastering Royal Icing Consistency

Theres a sweet spot with royal icing that I spent years trying to find. For outlining, the icing should hold its shape like a thick ribbon when drizzled back into itself. For flooding, it should smooth out within 15 seconds but not run off the cookie edges entirely. Keep a small spray bottle of water nearby to adjust consistency as you work.

Decorating Like A Pro

Start with a border around the edge of each cookie and let it set for about 5 minutes before flooding the center with looser icing. This creates a clean outline that keeps everything contained. Work with one color at a time and keep your icing bowls covered with damp paper towels because royal icing dries out shockingly fast.

• Use toothpicks to push icing into corners and pop any air bubbles that appear
• Add sprinkles immediately after flooding while the icing is still wet
• Let cookies dry flat overnight if you plan to stack or package them

Pin it

Theres something deeply satisfying about pulling a tray of perfectly shaped bunny cookies from the oven, knowing theyre about to become someones favorite Easter memory. Happy baking.

Recipe FAQs

→ What gives these cookies their buttery flavor?

The flavor comes from softened unsalted butter beaten with sugar, providing a rich, tender base for the dough.

→ How is the royal icing made smooth and colorful?

Royal icing is prepared by beating powdered sugar with egg whites or meringue powder until stiff peaks form, then tinted using gel food colors for vibrant pastel hues.

→ Why is chilling the dough important before baking?

Chilling firms the dough to ensure clean cut shapes and helps cookies keep their form without spreading during baking.

→ Can almond extract be omitted or substituted?

Yes, almond extract is optional; it can be left out or replaced with additional vanilla extract for a simpler flavor profile.

→ How should the cookies be stored to maintain freshness?

Store fully cooled and decorated cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.