Miffy Inspired Coconut Shortbread Cookies

Spring is finally here and Easter is around the corner, so I couldn’t resist making these cute Miffy inspired bunny cookies. They’re made of tender coconut shortbread topped with icing and sprinkled with coconut flakes. Coconut bunnies make perfect Easter treats. I happened to have a Miffy cookie cutter, but any 3-inch (7.6cm) bunny cookie cutter works too.* You can also use a pattern to cut out the cookies with a small paring knife. Click here for a Miffy-inspired cookie pattern. Coconut bunnies make perfect Easter treats. This shortbread recipe also works beautifully as vanilla flavor. If you prefer vanilla, refer to the notes below.**

Print Recipe
Miffy Inspired Coconut Shortbread Cookies
Tender bunny shaped coconut shortbread cookies with icing and coconut flakes
Servings
cookies
Ingredients
Coconut Shortbread Cookies
Coconut Icing
Servings
cookies
Ingredients
Coconut Shortbread Cookies
Coconut Icing
Instructions
Coconut Shortbread Cookies
  1. In a large bowl, beat the butter, powdered sugar, and salt with an electric mixer on medium speed, until smooth and light in color. Beat in the extracts and coconut flakes until well combined. On low speed beat in the flour, just until combined.
  2. Form the dough into 2 disks. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or up to overnight.
  3. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to a scant 1/4-inch thick. Cut out the cookies using a 3-inch (7.6cm) bunny cookie cutter. If you don't have a cookie cutter you can use a pattern and cut the cookies out with a small paring knife. Place the cut cookies about 2 inches (5cm) apart onto the prepared baking sheets. Freeze the cookies for 10 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Bake the cookies until set and light golden, about 9-11 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Coconut Icing
  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of half & half, the coconut extract and salt until smooth. Whisk in additional half & half as needed to achieve your desired consistency.
  2. Apply the icing to the cookies by dipping the tops of the cookies in the icing or by spreading the icing on with a small offset spatula. Sprinkle with coconut flakes.
  3. To make the Miffy or bunny faces, melt the chocolate ships in a small heat safe bowl, in the microwave. Transfer the melted chocolate to a piping bag fitted with a narrow round tip. For the Miffy faces, pipe an x for the mouth and dots for the eyes. For Easter bunnies, pipe eyes, noses and mouths. You can also use small candies for the noses.
Recipe Notes

*To find bunny cookie cutters, click here.

**To make vanilla shortbread cookies, omit the vanilla extract, coconut flavoring and the coconut flakes. Replace with 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste. To make vanilla icing, replace the coconut flavoring with pure vanilla extract

***To find the coconut flavoring I used, click here.

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies

These cute kitties were created two years ago as a special request by someone who grew up playing with Webkinz. Do you remember the Strawberry Cloud Leopard? It was a cute pink Webkinz plushie. The cookies are made of tender, buttery shortbread dough. They get their natural color and flavor from freeze dried strawberries. Mini chocolate chips are added to make the adorable leopard spots. To watch the Strawberry Cloud Leopard Shortbread Cookies Instagram video, click here.

Heart shaped Strawberry Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies

I recently brought back the heart-shaped version of these cookies on social media, just in time for Valentine’s Day. Currently, the price of eggs is very high. These cookies don’t contain eggs, which is so helpful right now. They make a perfect shareable Valentine treat.

Print Recipe
Strawberry Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies
Tender strawberry shortbread cookies dotted with mini chocolate chips
Servings
4-inch cat cookies or 20 3-inch heart cookies
Servings
4-inch cat cookies or 20 3-inch heart cookies
Instructions
  1. Process the freeze dried strawberries to a powder with a small food processor or a clean spice grinder. Pass the powder through a sieve to strain out the seeds.
  2. In a medium-size bowl, whisk the flour, powdered sugar and salt together.
  3. In a large bowl, beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add the freeze dried strawberry powder and vanilla extract. Beat until well combined.
  4. Add the flour mixture and beat just until dough comes together. Fold in 1/3 cup (57g) of mini chocolate chips for the leopards or 1/2 cup (85g) of mini chocolate chips for the hearts.
  5. Divide the dough into two portions and form into disks. (Alternately, you can roll the dough between two sheets of parchment paper.) Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
  6. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut the cookies into your desired shapes. I used a 4-inch tall cat cookie cutter** for the leopards and a 3-inch tall heart cookie cutter for the hearts.
  7. Place the cookies about 2-inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets. To prevent excessive spreading, refrigerate the cut cookies for 30 minutes prior to baking, especially if your dough becomes warm as you work with it.
  8. Preheat the oven to 325ºF (165ºC). Bake until the cookies are slightly puffed and the edges barely start to turn light golden brown, about 11-13 minutes. (Smaller cookies will need a shorter baking time.) Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheets for 3-4 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Decorate as desired.
Recipe Notes

To find a cat cookie cutter, click here.