Hop into Easter with these adorable homemade Easter bunny cookies. Made from a soft, tender sugar cookie base and decorated with simple, charming bunny faces, they’re perfect for holiday celebrations or a cheerful spring treat.
These Easter bunny sugar cookies use a soft, light sugar cookie dough covered with cutout fondant and finished with tiny marshmallow ears, candy eyes and heart sprinkles. They’re easy to make and decorate, even with minimal decorating experience.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- A festive, family-friendly dessert for Easter or any spring gathering.
- Simple decorations deliver a big visual impact without complicated piping.
- Great for dessert tables, cookie exchanges, or homemade gifts.
Ingredients
For the sugar cookies
Plain (all-purpose) flour: Use plain flour without added raising agents; the recipe includes its own baking powder for proper texture.
Cornflour (cornstarch): Helps produce a tender, light crumb for soft cookies.
Granulated white sugar: Dissolves easily and keeps the flavor clean; caster sugar can be substituted if preferred.
Vanilla extract: Adds a warm, sweet aroma; use real or imitation based on preference.
Unsalted butter: Room temperature butter yields the best dough consistency; unsalted avoids excess saltiness.
Egg: One large egg binds the dough and adds richness.
Baking powder: Provides a touch of lift so the cookies stay tender and not dense.
For the decorations
White ready-to-roll fondant: Premade fondant is convenient and easy to cut with the same cookie cutter.
Pink sugar sand or sprinkles: For the inner ear detail; nonpareils or other small sprinkles also work.
Pink heart-shaped sprinkles: Small heart sprinkles make adorable noses.
Candy eyes: Small candy eyes add immediate character to each bunny.
Pink mini marshmallows: Cut diagonally to form ear details that are the perfect size for these cookies.
Hot tip: Valentine’s or holiday sprinkle mixes are a great source for pink sugar sand and heart sprinkles.
How to make bunny cookies
See the recipe card below for ingredient amounts and the full step-by-step instructions.
Start by sifting together the plain flour, cornflour (cornstarch), baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, cream the room-temperature butter and granulated sugar until light. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract, then gently fold in the sifted dry ingredients until just combined. The dough may feel slightly soft and wet at first—that’s normal.
Form the dough into a ball, wrap it in cling film and chill for about 30 minutes. When chilled, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C / 160°C fan). Divide the dough into quarters to make rolling easier. Lightly flour your work surface and roll each portion to about 1/4 inch thickness. Use a bunny-shaped cookie cutter to cut out shapes and transfer them to parchment-lined baking trays, spacing cookies about 1/2 inch apart.
Gather scraps, re-roll and cut until all the dough is used. Bake for approximately twelve minutes, or until the edges are just starting to color. Allow cookies to cool on the tray briefly, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
How to decorate bunny cookies
Divide the fondant into manageable portions and roll it out on a sheet of cling film to about 1/8 inch thickness. Use the same bunny cutter to cut fondant shapes, gently lift them with the cling film and place each fondant cutout onto a cooled cookie after brushing the cookie surface lightly with water to help it adhere.
Prepare a small dish of water, the mini marshmallows, sugar sand, candy eyes and heart sprinkles. Cut each mini marshmallow in half diagonally along the longest axis to create two pointed pieces. Dip the cut sticky side into the sugar sand for the inner ear detail. Dab a small amount of water on the bottom of each marshmallow ear and press them onto the fondant. Attach two candy eyes and a heart sprinkle nose using small dabs of water. Repeat for all cookies.
How to serve
These fondant bunny cookies look lovely arranged on a platter or tiered dessert stand. They make a festive centerpiece for an Easter party, school bake sale, or a spring-themed celebration. Packaged in small cellophane bags or a decorative box, they also make sweet homemade gifts.
How to store
Store the decorated cookies in an airtight container lined with parchment paper for up to five to seven days. If stacking layers, offset the cookies so the bunny ears don’t press against those below, which could cause the fondant or marshmallow ears to squish.
Recipe tips and frequently asked questions
Decorations falling off?
A light brush of water usually softens the fondant surface enough to adhere decorations as it dries. If you need a stronger bond, mix a small amount (about 1/2 teaspoon) of glucose syrup or light corn syrup with a drop of water and use that as an edible glue for fondant and small decorations.
Can I use royal icing instead of fondant?
Yes. Royal icing will work but needs longer to dry and may result in a different finish. Fondant gives a smooth, consistent surface that’s easy to top with the marshmallow ears and candy pieces.
Can I color the fondant?
Absolutely. You can buy pre-colored fondant or tint white fondant with a few drops of gel food coloring, kneading it until the color is evenly distributed. Pastel shades like pink, yellow, blue and green complement the Easter theme beautifully.
If you try this recipe, enjoy sharing your photos and feedback — homemade cookies always taste better when they’re part of a celebration!
Recipe
Bunny Cookies
Equipment
- bunny cookie cutter
- baking trays
- parchment paper
- rolling pin
Ingredients
For the cookies
- 2 cups (300 g) plain flour (all-purpose)
- 1/4 cup (40 g) cornstarch (cornflour)
- 2 sticks (1 cup / 235 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup (145 g) granulated white sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Flour, for dusting
To decorate the cookies
- 1 lb (450 g) white ready-to-roll fondant
- 15 pink mini marshmallows
- 1 tablespoon pink sugar sand or small sprinkles
- 1 tablespoon pink heart-shaped sprinkles
- Small candy eyes
- About 1/2 tablespoon water to adhere decorations
Instructions
To make the cookies
- Sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar until light. Add the egg and vanilla and mix to combine.
- Fold in the sifted dry ingredients until just combined. The dough will be slightly soft.
- Turn the dough onto cling film, form into a ball, wrap and chill for about 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C / 160°C fan). Line baking trays with parchment paper.
- Divide the dough into quarters. Roll each portion to about 1/4 inch thickness on a floured surface and cut with a bunny cutter.
- Transfer cut cookies to the prepared trays, leaving about 1/2 inch between them. Re-roll scraps and repeat.
- Bake for 12 minutes, or until the edges are just beginning to color. Cool on racks before decorating.
To decorate the cookies
- Divide fondant into quarters and roll out each piece on cling film to about 1/8 inch thickness. Cut using the bunny cutter.
- Brush the cooled cookie lightly with water and place the fondant cutout on top, smoothing gently to adhere.
- Cut mini marshmallows in half diagonally to form ear shapes. Dip the cut side into sugar sand.
- Glue the marshmallow ears to the fondant with a small dab of water. Attach candy eyes and a heart sprinkle nose in the same way.
- Repeat for all cookies and allow any moisture to dry before storing or packaging.
Notes
Storage: Store decorated cookies in an airtight container for up to five to seven days. When stacking, offset cookies so the marshmallow ears are not crushed.
Nutritional information
Calories per cookie: approximately 155 kcal. Nutritional values are estimates and will vary by brand and ingredient choices.
Pin it for later!
