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!
These soft bunny paw cookies are a delicious classic that can't be beat, with a fun Easter twist!
Everything's better when in a fun shape, especially for your kids' school parties and after-dinner desserts with small children. This is an incredibly easy sugar cookie recipe that is fun for your kids to make with you.
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!
Ingredients
To make bunny paw cookies, you need all the baking basics: flour, sugar, butter, baking soda, baking powder, salt, eggs, and vanilla extract.
This recipe also uses 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.
You'll also need powdered sugar, red food coloring and little bit of milk to make the "pads" of the bunny paws. You can also use pink sprinkles if you'd like to make it even simpler.
Yes, you can replace unsalted butter with salted butter. However, eliminate the extra salt when making the dough.
Yes, you do. Read about why here.
Step-By-Step Directions
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.
STEP 1: 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.
STEP 2: Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and milk. Beat on medium until smooth.
STEP 3: 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.
STEP 4: 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.
STEP 5: 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.
STEP 6: 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).
STEP 7: Use a spoon to fill the holes in the cookies with icing. Let cool until icing has hardened.
Keeping 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.
Storing 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
Bernice says
How sweet and so simple to make, too! I know my little niece would adore these and I think it's something I can send in the mail. Thank you very much for your post.
Tammy says
How adorable! I think the little ones (and adults too) will love these. A perfect cookie for Easter ^_^
Claire says
These little bunny paw cookies are SO cute! And they sound so easy to make. I can't wait to bake up a batch this week!
Amy Liu Dong says
These paw cookies are so cute and I am sure it is also delicious!
Everyone will definitely love these!
Jamie says
Oh my, these bunny paw cookies look so yummy and very enticing! Kids will definitely love this! Such a perfect treat for this Easter festivity!
Jacqueline Debono says
What a lovely cookie idea for the kids at Easter. Bookmarking this recipe to make them for Easter weekend.
LaKita says
These bunny paw cookies are so cute, tasty, and festive! They look difficult to make, but the recipe instructions were so easy to follow.
Veronika says
These cookies are the absolute cutest! What a fun idea, I can't wait to make these with my little cousins this Easter!
Amy Liu Dong says
This recipe is easy to follow and you are guaranteed to produce an awesome output, the paws are cute, it is sweet and would make a good to-go snack!
Savita says
Wow, these bunny paw cookies are adorable! I tried it last weekend and it came out great.
Savita says
Wow, these bunny paw cookies are adorable! I tried it last weekend and it came out great.
Sarah Schrader says
Mine were almost completely flat and didn't get done in the middle. After the first batch I froze the formed cookie dough paws to see if it would bake better being very chilled. Still flat and underdone. I wish it would have worked
Maddy says
That is very strange. Did you use both the baking powder and baking soda? If they were flat, they should have been overcooked and not undercooked, so I am not sure what went wrong for you. I would say to try with fresh baking powder, and since all ovens work a little differently, cook them for longer.
Atl Kat says
Like others have commented, my cookies also spread and are not the cute looking paw on this page. However, there is still a paw shape but spread out. My dough was refrigerated for 48 hours. I immediately formed the dough and baked. I think my little grands will still enjoy this fun cookie on Easter. They are very tasty.