These peeps bunny sugar cookies are a fun treat for Easter and taste a lot better than peeps marshmallows! Frosted in buttercream and covered with sanding sugar. They are easy to make! This post contains affiliate links.
You might also like these Easter desserts: Easter basket sugar cookies, our rainbow sugar cookies, or our Pop Tart bunny houses!
Watch our step by step video!
Peeps are a classic Easter candy, and occasionally we’ll buy them for projects like bunny houses, but I think they taste pretty awful. Not to worry, you can still have the cuteness of peeps with the deliciousness of a peeps sugar cookie. I might be impartial, but I think these are the cutest Easter cookies around.
Peeps Bunny Sugar Cookies
Our peeps sugar cookies are easy to make, easy to frost and so fun for Easter. I frosted ours in buttercream, but if you really want to take them to the next level you can frost them with MARSHMALLOW buttercream.
The cookies are darling with a coating of buttercream, but gently pressing the tops into sanding sugar gives them the signature peeps marshmallow texture and hides any imperfections.
Best Sugar Cookie Dough and Frosting
You’ll need a batch of my sugar cookie dough and a batch of vanilla buttercream (recipes are at the end of the post). I prefer the taste of buttercream to royal icing (and I have no idea how to flood cookies or decorate with royal icing). The frosting will set up enough (after an hour or two) to allow you to stack the cookies 2 cookies tall for storage.
You can find sanding sugar (sugar sprinkles) in any color. We made frosting to match the most vibrant colors (this is my favorite food coloring right now), but you can also frost them with white buttercream and dip them into colored sugar.
Peeps Bunny Cookies Supplies
- sugar cookie dough (recipe below)
- buttercream (recipe below)
- bunny cookie cutter
- sanding sugar in a variety of colors
- food coloring (liquid or gel food coloring)
- black sugar pearls for eyes or black frosting (see note)
- 1A frosting tip (helpful to have a few of these on hand and they are usually $1.99 at Michael's for the Wilton brand.)
- Disposable Frosting Bags: a disposable piping bag is convenient to have and you can just toss it after using.
Note: my favorite way to decorate the eyes is using black sugar pearls. They look the best, but some brands of sugar pearls bleed after placed onto buttercream. These ones don’t. You can also use mini chocolate chips or black frosting for the eyes.
Let's get started!
How To Decorate Easter Bunny Sugar Cookies
Cut out and bake sugar cookies. Let cookies cool completely before frosting.
Fill frosting bags with a 1A tip (it is helpful to have a few tips so that you don't have to keep washing and swapping tips).
To use a 1A tip, hold the tip CLOSE to the cookie (¼" away). Squeeze the frosting and drag it across the cookie for a smooth application. Start with the ears in a "v" shape then work your way down to the head and body.
Watch our step by step video at the top of the post for the best visual guide!
If you don't plan on dipping the cookies in sugar sprinkles you can stop right there and gently smooth the frosting with a butter knife. If dipping the cookies, read on...
Pour sugar sprinkles onto a plate. Gently press the cookie into sprinkles. Lift cookie then tap gently so that excess sprinkles fall back off onto the plate. If there are any areas that weren't completely by the colored sugar you can sprinkle it on with your fingers.
Press two eyes and nose into the cookie.
For best results store decorated sugar cookies in an airtight container at room temperature or chilled in the refrigerator.
You can also bake cookies ahead of time and freeze undecorated cookies in a freezer bag until ready to decorate!
Peeps Sugar Cookie Recipe
Peeps Bunny Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter softened
- ½ cup shortening
- 1 ½ cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 2 teaspoon almond extract
- 4 cup all purpose flour
- ½ cup corn starch
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
Frosting
- 1 cup butter softened
- 6 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 6-8 Tablespoons milk
Decorations
- sugar sprinkles in a variety of colors
- black sugar pearls
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
- In a large mixing bowl cream softened butter, shortening, and sugar. Beat until fluffy with an electric mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment. Turn the mixer down and add egg, vanilla, and almond extract. Add baking powder. Add flour* and cornstarch and mix thoroughly.*Start with 3 ½ cups of flour, and if the dough seems too soft add the last ½ cup of flour to the mixture. If the dough seems too dry, add a tablespoon or two of water.
- Lightly flour your work surface and shape dough into a large ball.
- No refrigeration necessary.
- Press ball of dough into a disk shape and roll dough out to desired thickness using a rolling pin (I usually do ¼-1/2") and cut into shapes. Add flour to dough if it feels too sticky but a nice soft dough is what you want. Carefully transfer cut out cookie shapes with a spatula to a baking sheet.
- Bake on parchment paper-lined baking sheets for 9-10 minutes. Cookies will be soft. Let sit on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before carefully moving to a wire cooling rack. Cool completely before frosting.
Frosting
- Beat frosting ingredients together. Add more/less milk until desired consistency is achieved.
Decorating Cookies
- Fill decorator (we like disposible) bags with frosting and frosting tip.
- Follow the step by step guide in the post and watch our video for decorating tips!
Notes
- No salt is necessary in this recipe if you use salted butter. If using unsalted butter, add ½ teaspoon of salt to the recipe.
- You may have extra frosting left over. We like making extra so that we can make as many colors as we'd like.
- If you don't care for almond extract you can omit it and use your favorite flavoring (lemon, coconut, etc.)
- I bake all of my cookies on light metal baking sheets (ungreased or with parchment paper. If you use dark metal baking sheets you may need to adjust the baking time. You can also use a silicone mat on your baking sheet, but my preference is parchment paper.
- Cookies can be made ahead and stored in the freezer until ready to decorate.
- Store frosted cookies in an airtight container (or cookie sheet covered with plastic wrap) at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
- Cookies can be stacked once the frosting has had a chance to set up. I wouldn't stack them more than 2 cookies tall.
- If you can't find black sugar pearls you can use mini chocolate chips. They are slightly larger but could work in a pinch.
Linda V says
Changed my 3 stars to 5! I added more flour, put in freezer for 10 minutes and they baked up perfect! They will be my go to sugar cookies recipe!
Brandy says
Yay! I'm glad they worked out for you, Linda!
Brandy says
I’ve never had them do that and have made this recipe dozens of times. Maybe add a bit more flour?
Rachel says
How long can you store extra frosting?
Brandy says
You can freeze it for a few months!
Cristin says
Where did you get the bunny cookie cutter?
Brandy says
Hi Cristin! I bought it on Amazon. Here's then link! https://www.amazon.com/Easter-Bunny-Cookie-Cutter-Plated/dp/B079Q5Y5KZ/ref=sr_1_4?crid=2BJLKUWNLW0GZ&keywords=bunny+cookie+cutter&qid=1647529511&s=home-garden&sprefix=bunny+cookie+cutter%252Cgarden%252C69&sr=1-4&_encoding=UTF8&tag=homswehom0f-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=05ded50e19301e565a152ce09b1ecc4c&camp=1789&creative=9325 (affiliate)
Annie M says
I wasn't sure about this recipe given the corn starch but they turned out great. I used a glaze instead of the buttercream. Great flavor and texture!
Brandy says
So glad to hear!
Sonia says
Hi, the links for the sanding sugar, food coloring, and the black pearls don’t work.
Brandy says
Thank you! I’ll update!
Kim says
I made these cookies and they are amazing! The cookie is very flavorful, the frosting recipe was great, and good thorough instructions. People were raving about these cookies. I experimented with different sugars and sprinkles and they all looked so cute. It was fun watching which cookie people wanted to pick. Thanks so much for such a fun recipe, it is a keeper!
Brandy says
Yay! So glad to hear!
Jennifer says
If I did refrigerate the dough before frosting will they still bake down correctly?
Brandy says
They should be just fine!
Petra says
Hi Brandy,
What size black sugar pearls did you use on the peep sugar cookies?
Brandy says
I’m not sure the exact size, but they are pretty small. Like the size of a BB.
Rosemary says
I’ve never made cookies with cornstarch added with the flour. What does that do to the end result of the cookie dough? Thank you.
Brandy says
Hi! It gives them a lighter texture, but you can leave it out if you’d like without changing the outcome significantly.
patty says
where does cornstarch go?
Brandy says
You add it with the flour.
Maria says
I made 100 of these and will be frosting them soon. The cookie is great! I made the mistake of taking a tip from another recipe which suggested using powdered sugar instead of flour when rolling them out. I used a mixture of both flour and but now they're a little too sweet. Will add some buttermilk powder to the icing and hope that will even out the sweetness. My questions is, I'd like to start frosting now for Easter. Do you know how long they stay good in the fridge or have you ever frozen them decorated? TIA
Brandy says
Hi Maria! So glad they turned out great! I’ve frozen the unfrosted cookies before, but haven’t tried freezing frosted cookies, but I know that other bakers do it. I’m sorry I’m not more help!
Stacey says
If it helps, I sell Royal Icing decorated cookies and you can leave frosted cookies in the freezer up to 3 months. I can’t imagine it would be too different with the buttercream. Make sure you stack them sideways and defrost them in the bag/ container that they were in so condensation isn’t a problem.
Brandy says
Great tips, thanks!!
Chris says
Will these spread if you don't refrigerate the dough?
Brandy says
No, no refrigeration needed.
Pat Alfred says
[email protected] I can't wait to make these with my great granddaughter thank you for sharing