Easter Cookies
These Easter Cookies are the absolute cutest! Soft sugar cookies decorated with an Easter bunny face and bunny feet. This super easy sugar cookie recipe will be a hit on Easter morning!
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Table of Contents
Easter Sugar Cookies
This Easy Sugar Cookie Recipe is perfect for making with the kids on Easter. They are fun, easy and so super cute! No need to fuss with royal icing or complicated decorations, these cookies are for everyone.
Imagine your littles, Easter basket in one hand and sugar cookie in the other. Their little frosting smeared smiles will be the perfect Easter photo-op.
Plus, these cookies will be a hit with the adults too.
Ingredients Needed For Easter Bunny Cookies (screenshot for grocery list)
- Vegetable Shortening
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Milk
- Vanilla
- Flour
- Baking Powder
- Salt
_________
- Butter
- Powdered Sugar
- Vanilla
- Food Coloring
Supplies Needed For Frosted Sugar Cookies
- measuring cups and spoons of various sizes
- mixing bowls (large and small)
- electric mixer
- spatula
- rolling pin with thickness rings
- cookie cutters
- baking sheets
- parchment paper
- tipless piping bags
- scissors
- food coloring
How To Make Sugar Cookies
- In a large bowl, beat together shortening, sugar, eggs, milk and vanilla extract until smooth (about 1 – 2 minutes).
- In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and beat just until well combined and the dough starts to stick together (about 1 – 2 minutes). Do not overmix.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Sprinkle a silicone baking mat (or table top) lightly with flour then place about 1/3 of the dough onto the prepared surface to roll out. Sprinkle top of dough with flour to prevent dough from sticking to rolling pin.
- For soft and thick cookies, it’s recommended to use a rolling pin with thickness rings and use the 3/8” thickness ring. If you aren’t cutting these cookies out thick, you’ll want to reduce your baking time to reflect that (start checking cookies after 8 minutes instead of 12 minutes).
- For these Easter bunny sugar cookies, you’ll want to use cookie cutters in shapes of hearts. The hearts shown here are about 3.5” for the large and 2” in size for the small.
- Place cut out cookies onto prepared baking sheet lined with parchment paper. The cookies can be placed close together on the baking sheet for this step. Place sugar cookies in freezer for 20 minutes before baking.*
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line a second baking sheet with parchment paper. Place some cookies onto the baking sheet (about 2 inches apart) and bake for 12-14 minutes for thick cut cookies, 8-10 minutes for thinner cookies or until tops of cookies look set (no longer wet but not yet brown) and the bottoms of cookies are slightly brown. The middle of cookies will still be slightly soft to the touch but will continue baking once removed from the oven. Only bake one tray of cookies at a time to ensure even baking time for all cookies.
- Repeat baking steps with remaining cookies.
- Let cookies cool completely before frosting.
How To Decorate Sugar Cookies For Easter
- In a large bowl, beat together butter, powdered sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes). If icing seems too thick, beat in 1 tablespoon of water.
- Separate icings into separate smaller bowls to color.
- Use food coloring to color icings in desired colors. Stir completely to make sure all color is worked into the icing.
- Place icings into tipless piping bags and close the ends (the side you were putting the icing in) using clips or elastics.
- Cut small openings in the tips of each icing bags. For background colors, the tips can be cut larger. For icings you’ll be printing with or doing finer details with, keep the tip cut small.
- If icings are not squeezing out of the bags smoothly, roll piping bags between hands to warm icing a bit making it easier to squeeze out. Do not microwave icing – even 5 seconds in the microwave can turn the icing into a melted mess.
- Start decorating with background colors on all cookies (like the yellow background then the grey of the bunny). Simply start by lining the outside of the cookie then continue filling in following the shape of the cookie.
- Work on decorating cookies in layers – first the background color then finer details like the face of the bunny.
- Cookies can be stored at room temperature (in a sealed food safe container) at room temperature for up to 3 days or in fridge for up to a week. Store cookies in a single layer to not squish icing details.
Tips For Making These Easter Bunny Cookies:
**To help prevent the cookies from spreading during baking, it’s important to freeze the cookies for at least 20 minutes before baking.
If your dough is looking dry and crumbly, beat in an additional 2 tablespoons of vegetable shortening.
My dough is very sticky and is getting stuck to my hands and the rolling pin. How can I save this dough?
Sprinkle extra flour on your table or silicone baking mat and knead the dough into this (until fully combined) before rolling it out again. When ready to roll out the dough again, make sure the table and the rolling pin are both sprinkled with extra flour to prevent the dough from sticking.
My icing is too thick to pipe onto cookies. How can I save this icing?
If the icing isn’t a squeezable consistency, add in a small amount of water (a tablespoon to a full bowl of icing or just a drop into a small bowl of icing) and stir well to mix.
Can I freeze these sugar cookies with buttercream frosting?
Yes, these cookies can be frozen for up to 2 months if sealed properly in a food safe container. Freeze these in single layers using parchment paper between layers. Be sure that the icing has been chilled and hardened before stacking with parchment paper. Bring cookies back to room temperature before serving.
Can I freeze this sugar cookie dough to use later?
Yes! I’d recommend cutting it out into shapes first then freezing the shapes in a single layer in the freezer for 30 minutes before combining into a food safe container. This will prevent the raw cookies from sticking together). Raw cookies can be frozen for up to 2 months. When baking, you may need to add an additional 2 minutes to the baking time.
Can I freeze leftover buttercream frosting?
Yes, if sealed properly in a food safe container the buttercream frosting can be frozen for up to 3 months. Bring back to room temperature before using. Do not heat in microwave – bring back to room temperature by leaving icing on the counter to thaw.
Do these sugar cookies with buttercream frosting need to be refrigerated?
No, the butter to sugar ratio in the frosting makes them safe to leave out at room temperature for up to 3 days; however, it’s recommended to refrigerate them before packaging just to help prevent the icing from getting smudged during handling.
More Easter Recipes:
Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting Cupcakes – Easter Egg Hunt Donuts – Buttermilk Vanilla Cake – Edible Sugar Cookie Dough – Almond Poppyseed Muffins
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BUNNY EASTER COOKIES
Ingredients
- Sugar Cookies:
- 1 cup 205 grams vegetable shortening
- 1 cup 200 grams granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 ½ cups 490 grams all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Buttercream:
- 1 cups 227 grams unsalted butter, slightly melted (for cold butter straight from the fridge, place in microwave for 30 seconds)
- 2 ½ cups 325 grams powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- gel food coloring
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat together shortening, sugar, eggs, milk and vanilla extract until smooth (about 1 – 2 minutes).
- In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and beat just until well combined and the dough starts to stick together (about 1 – 2 minutes). Do not overmix.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Sprinkle a silicone baking mat (or table top) lightly with flour then place about 1/3 of the dough onto the prepared surface to roll out. Sprinkle top of dough with flour to prevent dough from sticking to rolling pin.
- For soft and thick cookies, it’s recommended to use a rolling pin with thickness rings and use the 3/8” thickness ring. If you aren’t cutting these cookies out thick, you’ll want to reduce your baking time to reflect that (start checking cookies after 8 minutes instead of 12 minutes).
- For these Easter bunny sugar cookies, you’ll want to use cookie cutters in shapes of hearts. The hearts shown here are about 3.5” for the large and 2” in size for the small.
- Place cut out cookies onto prepared baking sheet lined with parchment paper. The cookies can be placed close together on the baking sheet for this step. Place sugar cookies in freezer for 20 minutes before baking.*
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line a second baking sheet with parchment paper. Place some cookies onto the baking sheet (about 2 inches apart) and bake for 12-14 minutes for thick cut cookies, 8-10 minutes for thinner cookies or until tops of cookies look set (no longer wet but not yet brown) and the bottoms of cookies are slightly brown. The middle of cookies will still be slightly soft to the touch but will continue baking once removed from the oven. Only bake one tray of cookies at a time to ensure even baking time for all cookies.
- Repeat baking steps with remaining cookies.
- Let cookies cool completely before frosting.
Icing:
- In a large bowl, beat together butter, powdered sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes). If icing seems too thick, beat in 1 tablespoon of water.
- Separate icings into separate smaller bowls to color.
- Use food coloring to color icings in desired colors. Stir completely to make sure all color is worked into the icing.
- Place icings into tipless piping bags and close the ends (the side you were putting the icing in) using clips or elastics.
- Cut small openings in the tips of each icing bags. For background colors, the tips can be cut larger. For icings you’ll be printing with or doing finer details with, keep the tip cut small.
- If icings are not squeezing out of the bags smoothly, roll piping bags between hands to warm icing a bit making it easier to squeeze out. Do not microwave icing – even 5 seconds in the microwave can turn the icing into a melted mess.
- Start decorating with background colors on all cookies (like the yellow background then the grey of the bunny). Simply start by lining the outside of the cookie then continue filling in following the shape of the cookie.
- Work on decorating cookies in layers – first the background color then finer details like the face of the bunny.
- Cookies can be stored at room temperature (in a sealed food safe container) at room temperature for up to 3 days or in fridge for up to a week. Store cookies in a single layer to not squish icing details.
Notes
Nutrition
Welcome!
Nicole Harris is the recipe creator behind WonkyWonderful, sharing fast, budget-friendly meals for busy families. Since 2012 she’s been developing 30-minute dinners, kid-approved favorites, and holiday dishes with flair - all with real ingredients and no fuss. She grew up stretching simple pantry staples into something delicious, and that shows up in every recipe: easy, affordable, and full of flavor. Read more...
