Growing up, Peeps were my brother and I’s favorite treat at Easter! On Easter Sunday, we would wake up early to search for our hidden Easter basket (my mom hid mine even when I was in college — almost always in the same hiding spot!), and Peeps were always included!
Several weeks ago I found a cute bunny cookie cutter at the store, and the shape of it immediately reminded me of a Peep bunny! That’s when I knew I needed to make Peep-inspired sugar cookies.
Not only are these cookies SUPER simple to make, but they also look adorable! And, dare I say it, kinda fancy.
I chose to make yellow and pink Peep bunnies covered in matching sanding sugar, but you could make them in any color you choose.
Peep Bunny Sugar Cookies
What You Need:
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For the Cookies
- 2 sticks of butter (1 cup), room temperature
- 1 cup of sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 egg
- 3 cups flour
- Bunny cookie cutter
For the Royal Icing and Decorations
- 1 1/2 tablespoons of meringue powder
- 2 cups of powdered sugar
- 4-6 tablespoons of water
- Food coloring — yellow, pink
- Sanding sugar (sprinkles) — yellow, pink
- Two icing bags and medium round icing tips
- Toothpicks
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Mix the butter, sugar, vanilla, and egg together in a large bowl, then slowly add the flour.
Form a log with the dough and wrap it in parchment paper to chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
Remove the dough from the fridge and roll it out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out your bunnies with your cookie cutter and place them on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake your cookies in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes.
Let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for several minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack.
For the icing, beat the meringue powder, powdered sugar, and water in a bowl. Tip: add more water to thin your icing or add more powdered sugar to thicken it.
Split the icing into two bowls and color one yellow and one pink with your food coloring. Add each color of icing to a separate icing bag with a medium round icing tip.
Ice your cookies, half of them with pink and half of them with yellow icing, by using the “flooding” technique. First pipe an icing edge around your cookie, then “flood” the center of the cookie until it is filled with icing. Use a toothpick to smooth the icing across the cookie.
Before the icing dries, add your sanding sugar, aka your sprinkles (in the corresponding color). This part can be a little messy, so place your cookie on a baking sheet with a raised edge to contain your excess sprinkles.
Repeat the icing and sprinkles process for both colors. Then let your icing slightly harden prior to serving or storing.
