These Bunny Cookies are a spiced molasses cookie made with ground ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. The dough is rolled out and cut using a hand-drawn cardboard bunny template, so you do not need a specialist cutter to get a clean shape. Once baked and cooled, the cookies can be left plain or decorated with royal icing tinted in whatever colours you like. They hold their shape well during baking, which makes them a good choice for gifting or a festive table.
About the Recipe
The dough here is a classic molasses and shortening base, similar in character to a Gingerbread Men dough. The cider vinegar reacts with the baking soda to give the cookies a slight lift without making them cakey.
Chilling the dough for several hours is not optional. Warm dough spreads and loses the bunny outline. Rolling to a generous one-eighth inch thickness keeps the cookies firm rather than brittle.
The cardboard template method works well as long as the ears are drawn attached to the head, not separate.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
No special equipment is needed here. A hand-cut cardboard template does the job of a cookie cutter, and the dough is forgiving to roll and reroll without becoming tough.
The spice combination of ginger, cinnamon, and cloves gives the cookies a warm flavour that is not overpowering. The cookies store for up to two weeks, so you can bake them well ahead of a party without any loss in quality.
The decorator icing, made with meringue powder, sets firm and does not smudge during stacking or packing.
Cooking Tips
The most common mistake is skipping or shortening the chilling time. Under-chilled dough sticks to the surface and tears when you try to lift the cut shapes.
Keep the unused half of the dough in the refrigerator while you work with the first half. When tracing the template with a toothpick, press lightly so you are marking the dough rather than dragging it.
Bake for five to seven minutes and check at five. Overbaked cookies turn hard rather than firm.
Top Tips
- Chill the dough for at least three to four hours, or overnight. Rushing this step makes rolling and cutting difficult.
- Draw the bunny template with the ears connected directly to the head. Thin or separate ears break off when you lift the cut dough.
- Flour your rolling surface lightly and re-flour only when the dough begins to stick. Too much flour makes the cookies dry.
- Use meringue powder for the decorator icing rather than raw egg whites. The recipe specifically recommends this for food safety reasons.
- Transfer cut cookies to the baking sheet carefully using a thin spatula to avoid stretching the shape.
- Let the icing dry completely before stacking cookies. Placing waxed paper between layers prevents the icing from sticking.
Serving and Storing Suggestions
These cookies work well on an Easter table, at children’s birthday parties, or packed into gift boxes. Serve them plain or with decorated icing as a finishing touch.
Once the icing has set firm, store the cookies in an airtight container with sheets of waxed paper between each layer. They keep well for up to two weeks at room temperature. Avoid storing them somewhere humid, as moisture softens the icing.
Similar Recipes
Nutrient Benefits
Molasses contributes small amounts of iron, calcium, and potassium compared to refined sugar. These cookies are an occasional treat and are not a significant source of protein or fibre, though the egg and all-purpose flour do add a modest amount of both per serving.
Bunny Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1-1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
- 1/2 cup sugar1 egg
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 1-1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar
Instructions
- Sift together flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and salt onto waxed paper.
- Beat together shortening, sugar and egg in large bowl with electric mixer until fluffy, for about 3 minutes. Beat in the molasses and cider vinegar.
- Stir in flour mixture until blended and smooth. Gather dough into ball; wrap and chill for several hours.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Divide dough in half. Roll out half of the dough with lightly floured surface to generous 1/8-inch thickness. Keep remainder of dough refrigerated while working with first half.
- To use a bunny pattern, draw a pattern onto a piece of cardboard. Make sure ears are attached to the head. Cut out pattern. Place pattern on dough and trace with a toothpick.
- Cut out cookies. Place 1 inch apart on lightly greased baking sheets. Reroll scraps, using up all the dough. Repeat with remaining dough.
- Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 5-7 minutes or until firm. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
- Step 6 If you wish to decorate cookies, prepare Decorator Icing, tinting portions if you wish. Decorate cookies as desired. Let cookies stand until icing is firm.
- Store in airtight container between sheets of waxed paper for up to 2 weeks.
- Decorator Icing
- Prepare one recipe Royal Icing, using packaged meringue powder and following the directions on the package.
- Dried meringue powder is best for uncooked frostings due to the increased concern about the presence of salmonella bacteria in raw eggs.
- Meringue powder is available in stores where decorating and baking supplies are sold.
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Frequently Asked Questions
You can substitute butter in equal quantity, but the texture will differ slightly. Shortening produces a firmer, more stable cookie that holds its shape better during baking. Butter adds flavour but also more moisture, which can cause the bunny outline to blur at the edges. If you do use butter, make sure the dough is very well chilled before rolling and cutting.
Draw a simple bunny outline on a piece of cardboard, such as from a cereal box or a thin card sheet. Keep the ears attached directly to the head rather than drawing them separately. Cut out the shape cleanly with scissors. Place the template flat on the rolled dough, hold it steady, and trace around the edge with a toothpick. Then cut along the toothpick line with a small sharp knife.
Meringue powder is a dried egg white product used to make royal icing without raw eggs. It is sold in baking supply shops and in the cake decorating section of larger supermarkets. The recipe recommends it specifically because raw egg whites carry a risk of salmonella when used in uncooked frostings. Follow the directions on the meringue powder package for the correct water-to-powder ratio when making the icing.
The most likely cause is that the dough was not cold enough when it went into the oven. Warm dough spreads before it sets. If your kitchen is warm, refrigerate the cut cookies on the baking sheet for ten to fifteen minutes before baking. Also check that your oven was fully preheated to 375 degrees before the cookies went in. An oven that is too cool will cause the fat to melt and spread before the structure sets.
Yes, the dough freezes well. After gathering it into a ball and wrapping it, place it in a freezer bag and freeze for up to one month. Move it to the refrigerator the night before you plan to bake so it thaws slowly. Do not try to roll frozen dough directly, as it will crack. Once thawed, it handles exactly as freshly made chilled dough does.
