Best Recipes

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 2-2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• red food coloring
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted
• miniature candy-coated chocolate pieces.

****TIP:  The dough is very sticky when shaping into logs.  It would be a good idea to flour your hands before handling the dough to prevent sticking.

In a bowl, using a mixer set on high, beat butter and sugar.  On low speed, beat in baking powder, salt, egg and extracts; beat in flour until a dough forms.

For the faces, remove 1-1/2 cups dough.  Shape dough into a 6-inch log.  Wrap in waxed paper and freeze. 

Meanwhile flatten rolled dough to about 1 inch width; wrap in waxed paper and freeze for 10 minutes.

Remove face dough from freezer; roll dough, still wrapped, to keep a round shape.  Freeze an additional 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cut face dough on baking sheets.  Cut ear dough into 36 slices.  Add 2 ears to each face; push ears together slightly and pinch tips to form points.

Bake until cookies are firm, 8-10 minutes.  Place sheets on wire racks; cool for 1 minute.  Transfer cookies to rack; cool completely.

Fill a reasonable plastic bag with chocolate; snip off 1 corner.  Attach candies with chocolate for eyes and noses.  Pipe whiskers, eyelashes and mouths.

• 1 package refrigerated sugar cookie dough
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

For the Icing:

• 3 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons powdered egg white
• 6 tablespoons warm water
• pink, green, blue, and yellow food coloring
• large and small bunny-shaped cookie cutters
• large resealable plastic bags, pastry bag with fine tip
• bamboo skewers

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium bowl, combine cookie dough and flour; mix well.

On a lightly floured surface, using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough to a 1/8-inch thickness.  Using the small and large cookie cutters, cut out bunny shapes.  Reroll scraps and continue cutting shapes.

Place bunny cutouts on an ungreased baking sheet.  Bake cookies until golden, about 9 minutes.  Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Icing:

Using an electric mixer set on low speed, process powdered egg white and warm water until all the water is incorporated, about 2 minutes

Add the sugar and lemon juice; blend on high speed until icing is smooth, about 5 minutes.  Divide icing evenly among 5 bowls.  Set aside 1 bowl of icing.

Tint remaining bowls of icing pink, green, blue, and yellow; spoon each color into large resealable plastic bags; snip off one corner for piping.

Using tinted icing, pipe an outline onto each cookie then fill with base color; spread icing evenly.  Let icing set until dry.

Place reserved white icing in a pastry bag fitted with a fine tip.  Pipe designs on cookies as desired.  Let icing set until dry.

Affix skewers onto the back of each cookie with remaining white icing; let dry.  Arange bunnies as desired.

• 1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon whipping cream
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• yellow food coloring
• yellow sugar
• 1 tube, yellow frosting
• 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted
• candy heart decors

***Tip:  If the cookies stick to the baking sheet, you might have let the cookies cool too long on the baking sheets.  To solve this problem, return baking sheets to the oven for 60 seconds and immediately transfer them to wire racks.

****Tip:  Put marshmallow cream in between two cookies to make a marshmallow chick sandwich cookie.

In a medium bowl, sift flour and baking powder; set aside.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer set on medium speed, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in egg, whipping cram and vanilla extract until well combined.

Stir flour mixture into butter mixture until a stiff dough forms.  Knead in yellow food coloring until blended.

Wrap dough in waxed paper and chill for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness.  Using a chick template, cut out shapes.  Place shapes on ungreased baking sheets.  Using a small spoon, sprinkle cutouts with yellow sugar.

Bake cookies until set, 7-9 minutes.  Place baking sheets on wire racks; cool slightly.  Transfer cookies to racks; cool completely

Using yellow frosting fitted with a small writing tip, pipe outlines on cookies; pipe on wings.

Place candy heart decors on beaks.  Place melted chocolate in a resealable plastic bag; snip off 1 corner.  Pipe on eyes.