Coconut Easter Bunny Sandwich Cookies
Serves: approximately 20
 
Ingredients
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 31⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3⁄4 cup unsweetened grated coconut
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • Coconut Buttercream (recipe follows), divided
  • Garnish: confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375°. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, beat together butter and confectioners’ sugar with a mixer at low speed until sugar begins to incorporate. Increase speed to medium and continue beating until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, coconut, baking powder, and salt. With mixer at low speed, gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating just until a dough forms.
  4. Divide dough in half; cover one half with plastic wrap. On a lightly floured surface, roll out remaining dough half to 1⁄8-inch thickness. Using a 3 1⁄2-inch bunny-shaped cookie cutter, cut as many shapes from dough as possible, rerolling scraps once. Repeat with remaining dough half. Place cookies at least 1⁄2 inch apart on prepared baking sheets.
  5. Bake cookies in batches until edges are just beginning to brown, 7 to 10 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets for 1 minute. Remove to wire racks and let cool completely.
  6. Place 2 tablespoons Coconut Buttercream in a piping bag fitted with a medium star tip (Wilton #32). Set aside.
  7. Place remaining Coconut Buttercream in a piping bag fitted with a medium round tip (Wilton #12). Pipe desired amount of buttercream onto top side of half of cookies, following contour of bunny shape. Top each with a remaining cookie, aligning shapes.
  8. Holding the piping bag fitted with star tip perpendicularly to cookie, pipe a single dollop of buttercream onto each to create a tail for each bunny.
  9. Serve immediately, or place in a single layer in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
  10. Just before serving, garnish tops of cookies with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar.
Notes
Make-Ahead Tip: Cookie dough can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to a week. Let dough sit on the counter for approximately
15 minutes to soften slightly before rolling.
Recipe by TeaTime Magazine at https://teatimemagazine.com/coconut-easter-bunny-sandwich-cookies/