Cream Cookie Bunnies!

I didn't have a lot of time to make Easter treats this year, but last night around 11pm I got the urge to bake some of Ryan's favorite cookies.  I had picked up a bunny cookie cutter the last time I was at the grocery store, so I had to put it to good use. :)   Instead of "flooding" the cookies with a smoother royal icing, I chose to frost them with a fluffy lemon buttercream.  This made it hard to stencil, or add any detail, but I like the simplicity of these cookies. Sometimes a little colored sugar goes a long way. 

The recipe (from my Aunt Bev):

1/2 cup butter

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups cream (35%)

1/2 tsp vanilla

5 cups flour

5 tsp baking powder

Cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy.  Then add the eggs, and mix until well combined.  Add the cream and vanilla, and mix again.  In a large bowl, whisk the 5 cups flour with the 5 tsp baking powder.  Add half of the dry mixture to the wet ingredients and mix.  Then add the remaining half of flour mixture and mix until well combined.  Chill the dough for about an hour (this makes rolling it out so much easier!)  

After the dough is chilled, flour a work space, your hands, and a rolling pin.  Knead the dough just a bit and make ball, then roll it out to 1/2 inch thickness (or 3/4 inch if you like thicker cookies).  Cut out the shape and bake on an un-greased cookie sheet for 8-9 minutes at 350 degrees F. 

You can ice these with whatever frosting you fancy, but here is my reeeeally yummy buttercream:

1/4 cup room temp butter

2 1/2 cups icing sugar

1/4 cup cream

1/2 tsp pure lemon extract

Mix well, and frost the cookies once they've cooled completely.  Sprinkle with yellow sugar, and ENJOY!

Soft and pillowy, and a favorite in our household! I hope you can enjoy them too. xo holly