Easter Bunny Shortbread Bites

5 from 9 votes

These adorable Easter Bunny Shortbread Bites are the perfect spring treat! Buttery shortbread squares are dipped in icing, then decorated with M&Ms and jelly beans to look like tiny bunny faces. No mixer, no fuss—just fun! Great for Easter baskets, brunch, or gifting. Includes free printable labels!

Prep Time45

Cook Time40

Total Time1 25

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Easter Bunny Shortbread Bites, Easy Shortbread Bites

Servings: bites

Calories: 88kcal

Author: Chris Scheuer

Ingredients

For the dough:

1 cup very soft butter
½ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon almond extract
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon kosher salt

For the glaze:

3 cups powdered sugar maybe a bit more
6 tablespoons half & half maybe a bit more
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon almond extract
liquid food color

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For the prep:

Heat oven to 325°F. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with foil, leaving a 1-inch overhang on 2 sides. Spray the foil and sides of the pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

For the dough:

Add the soft butter to a medium-large bowl. Stir for 20-30 seconds until smooth and fluffy. Add the sugar and extracts and stir until creamy and well combined.
Add the flour and salt. Stir with a sturdy spatula or wooden spoon until all of the flour is incorporated. The mixture will be crumbly. Use one hand to knead the dough in the bowl until it comes together.
Grab a handful of dough and crumble it into the pan. Repeat with remaining dough, creating a layer of large crumbs in the pan. Pat the dough into an even layer. I like to use a flat-bottom glass or a metal hamburger spatula to help pat and even out the dough.
Refrigerate for 10 minutes, then use the foil to lift the dough from the pan onto a cutting surface. Cut the dough into 1½-inch squares. I like to use a ruler to score the dough evenly before cutting with a long, sharp knife.
Place squares 1 inch apart on 2 ungreased cookie sheets; discard the foil.
Refrigerate the squares again for at least 30 minutes and up to 12 hours.

To bake:

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325˚F.
Bake on the center rack for 15-20 minutes or until the bottoms of the bites are just beginning to brown.
Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely. Repeat with the second pan of cookies. Proceed with the glazing right away or store in an airtight container until ready to glaze.

For the bunny faces:

For each shortbread bite, cut one jelly bean in half, lengthwise, for the bunny ears.
For the faces, use an edible marker or a toothpick dipped in black (or a dark-hued) food color to make two little dots for eyes and one for the nose. Set aside to dry.

For the glaze:

Combine all glaze ingredients in a medium-size bowl and whisk until nice and smooth. The glaze should be fairly thick but spoonable. If it seems too thin, add a little more powdered sugar. If it’s too thick, add more half and half, a few drops at a time, until the desired consistency is reached. If too thin, add more powdered sugar. (See the picture above in the post.)
Transfer the icing to 2-3 shallow bowls (depending on how many colors you want to use). Add food color, one drop at a time, stirring well after each addition, until the desired color is reached.
Add 3-4 of the shortbread bites to one of the bowls and spoon the icing over each one to completely coat.
Using a fork, bring one of the shortbread bites up out of the icing and allow the excess icing to drip back into the bowl. When most of the extra icing has dripped off, wipe the bottom of the fork against the side of the bowl then transfer the cookie to a cooling rack. Repeat with remaining shortbread bites and other colors of icing.
While the icing is still wet, place one M&M and two jelly bean halves on each shortbread to form the bunny face and ears.
Allow the shortbreads to completely dry on the rack. It will take 2-4 hours. When you touch them, the icing should feel hard and dry. When the icing is dry, flip the cookies over and let them sit until the bottoms are also nice and dry. If there’s excess icing on the bottoms, you can remove it with a sharp knife.

To store:

Once the glaze has set, the shortbread bites can be stacked on a plate or platter or packed in bags or boxes to be given as gifts. If giving as a gift, I like to place the cookies in a plastic or cellophane bag and secure it with a twist tie to keep them fresh.
Store in an airtight container. These cookies can also be frozen. When ready to serve, remove them from the freezer and thaw in a single layer.

Notes

See Café Tips above in the post for more detailed instructions and tips to ensure success.

If you prefer to use Metric measurements there is a button in each of our recipes, right above the word “Instructions”. Just click that button to toggle to grams, milliliters, etc. If you ever come across one of our recipes that doesn’t have the Metric conversion (some of the older recipes may not), feel free to leave a comment and I will add it.

Nutrition