Gluten Free Easter Bunny Cookies
Gluten free Easter bunny cookies are made with a simple round-cut out cookie, frosted and decorated to look like a bunny as it hops away!
Yield: 12 cookies
Ingredients
For the cookies
- 1 ½ cups (210 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend please click thru for full info on appropriate blends
- ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
- ⅓ cup (48 g) cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅔ cup (77 g) confectioners’ sugar
- 12 tablespoons (168 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 (25 g) egg white at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the frosting
- 10 tablespoons (140 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
- 4 tablespoons milk at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons meringue powder (LorAnn brand is gluten free and available on amazon.com)
- 4 cups (460 g) confectioners’ sugar
For decorating
- Strawberry Fields Tic Tacs for the toes (or similar candy)
- Easter-colored M&Ms for the foot pads (gluten free in the United States!) (or similar candy)
- Miniature marshmallows for the cotton tails
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line 2 large and 2 small rimmed baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper and set them aside.
Make the round cookie bases.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper and set it aside.
- In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, cornstarch, baking powder, salt and confectioners’ sugar, and whisk to combine well.
- Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the butter, egg white, and vanilla, and mix to combine. The dough will be thick and smooth.
- Add water by the half-teaspoonful and mix it in as necessary to bring the dough together.
- Place the cookie dough between two sheets of unbleached parchment paper and roll it out about 1/4-inch thick.
- Remove the top sheet of parchment paper and cut out just 12 rounds with a round 3-inch cookie cutter.
- Transfer the rounds to the prepared baking sheet, placing them about 1 1/2 inches apart.
- Set the scraps of raw dough aside. These are going to be the bunny feet.
- Place the baking sheets, one at a time, in the center of the preheated oven and bake for about 8 minutes or until the cookies are set in the center and very lightly golden brown on the edges.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on the baking sheets.
Make the bunny feet cookies.
- Divide the gathered scraps into balls of dough each about 1-teaspoonful in volume.
- Roll into balls between your palms and then place on the small baking sheets about 1-inch apart from one another.
- Shape with your fingers into ovals, or use a small oval cutter to cut out clean shapes. You'll need 24 "feet," so plan accordingly.
- Place the small baking sheets in the preheated oven, rotating once during baking, until set in the center and very lightly golden brown on the edges (about 6 minutes).
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on the baking sheets.
Make the frosting.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, place the butter, milk and vanilla, and mix on medium speed until combined. Turn the speed up to high and mix until creamy.
- Add the salt, meringue powder and about 3 1/2 cups of confectioners’ sugar.
- Mix slowly until the sugar is incorporated. Turn the mixer up to high and beat until it becomes uniformly thick.
- Add the rest of the confectioners’ sugar if necessary to thicken the frosting.
Decorate and assemble the cookies
- Once the cookies are completely cool, pipe or spoon a generous amount of frosting onto the top of each cookie “foot".
- Place two Tic Tac halves as toes and a pink M&M as a foot pad, securing each piece of candy by pressing into the frosting.
- Pipe or spoon a generous amount of frosting onto the top of each cookie round, and spread into an even layer with a wide knife or offset spatula.
- Place two feet immediately onto the bottom portion of the round, pressing securely into the frosting.
- Allow to set at room temperature until the frosting hardens a bit. Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.