Your kids will get a kick out of these Easter Bunny Paw Cookies! They're made with tasty soft sugar cookie dough shaped into bunny feet and filled with delicious pink icing. These cookies are a fun Easter treat to make with your kids and to serve on your Easter dessert table. Start a family tradition and leave a few bunny paw cookies for the hungry Easter Bunny as he fills your Easter basket!
Everything's better when in a fun shape, especially for your kids' school parties and after-dinner desserts with small children. Pair these cookies with fun and delicious Easter egg hunt pudding cups, chocolate covered strawberry "carrots" or mini egg rice krispie treats for the ultimate Easter dessert.
You probably already have the ingredients on hand to make them, so they are great for easy, last minute baking. You don't even need a cookie cutter!
Table Of Contents
Ingredients
To make bunny paw cookies, you need all the baking basics:
- Flour
- Sugar
- Butter
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Milk: I prefer whole milk because of the fat content, but you should be able to use 1 or 2% and have them turn out just fine.
For the icing you need:
- Powdered sugar
- Red food coloring: you can also use pink sprinkles if you'd like to make it even simpler.
Can I Use Salted Butter Instead of Unsalted?
Yes, you can replace unsalted butter with salted butter. However, eliminate the extra salt when making the dough.
Do I Really Need Both Baking Powder and Baking Soda?
Yes, you do. Read about why here.
Instructions
This recipe yields 2 dozen bunny paw cookies. If wanting to make more or less, reduce or increase the ingredients proportionately.
Preparing bunny paw cookies requires at least an electric hand mixer, but I prefer using my KitchenAid stand mixer. Every cook's kitchen needs one of these amazing gadgets!
- Cream the butter and sugar until they are combined well. If your butter isn't soft, microwave it for about 20-30 seconds. If the butter melts, let it harden slightly. It's important not to use melted butter. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
- Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and milk. Beat on medium until smooth.
- Chill the dough for at least 2 hours before shaping into the bunny paw cookies. Warm dough is harder to work with and might cause the cookies to spread more than you want. I chill mine overnight if I'm not in a rush.
- When dough has chilled, shape each cookie paw. Roll 3 small balls of about 1 teaspoon of dough and 1 larger ball of about 1 tablespoon of dough. Place in the shape of a bunny footprint on a baking sheet. Bake at 400°F for 8 minutes, until the edges just begin to brown.
- Remove baking sheet from the oven. While still warm, use the back of a measuring spoon to gently imprint a hole into each pad of the bunny foot.
- Now whisk the powdered sugar and red food coloring together. Add the milk and whisk until smooth (add more milk in small increments if needed until a smooth and pourable icing has formed).
- Use a spoon to fill the holes in the cookies with icing. Let cool until icing has hardened.
How To Keep Sugar Cookies Soft
The trick to keeping you bunny paw cookies soft is to bake them until the edges barely begin to brown. They will continue to bake a few minutes once you remove them from the oven, so this is really important.
If you leave them in the oven until they look completely cooked, they will harden and will no longer be that delicious soft sugar cookie we are going for.
I also suggest checking them periodically during the first batch. Ovens are not all the same, so your bunny paw cookies may need more or less time.
How To Store Sugar Cookies
Countertop: sugar cookies keep well in an airtight container for 3-4 days before they begin to harden.
Freezer: freeze sugar cookies for about 6 months in freezer bags.
Defrosting: set out at room temperature for 1-2 hours to defrost.
Enjoy!
Recipe
Bunny Paw Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 ½ cups white sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg room temperature
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoon milk
Pink Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon red food coloring
- 2 teaspoon milk
Instructions
- Using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar on high until well blended. Add the vanilla extract and egg, and beat on high for 1 minute. Turn to medium speed and add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Beat until well blended, scraping sides of bowl with a spatula to incorporate all flour. When flour is all combined and crumbly, set to high again and beat until a soft dough begins to form.
- Add the milk and beat on high for 1-2 minutes, until a soft and pliable dough has formed. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours.
- When dough has chilled, shape each cookie paw. Roll 3 small balls of about 1 teaspoon of dough and 1 larger ball of about 1 tablespoon of dough. Place in the shape of a bunny footprint on a baking sheet.
- Bake at 400°F for 8 minutes, until the edges just begin to brown.
- Remove baking sheet from the oven. While still warm, use the back of a measuring spoon to gently imprint a hole into each pad of the foot.
- Whisk the powdered sugar and red food coloring. Add the milk and whisk until smooth (add more milk in small increments if needed until a smooth and pourable icing has formed). Use a spoon to fill the holes in the pads with icing.
- Let the cookies cool until the icing has hardened.
Nutrition
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