How Easter Bunnies Are Made

What are Easter Bunnies? Do they really lay eggs? Are they any relation to chickens? Where do they live? What do they eat? How are they made?

All pressing questions that keep us up at night. Perhaps I can put your mind at ease.

First, let's clear up some of the rumours and misconceptions surrounding Easter Bunnies. Contrary to popular belief, the they are of no relation to Stuart Little, Remy from Ratatouille, or any of the other famous rodent clan. And the claims that suggest they are the illegitimate siblings of Peter, Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail are incorrect. I have even heard rumours of Jessica Rabbit's illicit affair with a famous yellow bird (who shall remain unnamed) brought about these colourful, egg-laying hoppers. False, I tell ya! And disturbing, actually...

Easter bunnies are a special rabbit breed, born from real magic! None of that pull one out of a hat waving a handkerchief nonsense. Real magic! I am talking potions and powders and crystals and fire kind of magic! And you don't need to travel to Vegas and pay to see it - the nearest kitchen will do just fine.

First you will need to get your hands on some magical crystal disaccharide, unbleached dried and grounded grains, a couple blocks of emulsion of animal fat extracted from a cow (sheep, buffalo and yak may be substituted), one Ova of the Gallus gallus domesticus, a few grains of vaina and scrapings of the genus Citrus.

Next, pull down the shades, lock the doors and light up the cauldron - an oven works just as well - follow the steps below, and...

ABARACADABARA - POOF! You got bunnies! 

And you know what they say about bunnies. Before you know it, two turn into twenty, into two hundred, into... Luckily, we have a satisfyingly, effective means of controlling their population - NOM, NOM, NOM!

I first saw this layered technique on a beautiful blog I have been frequenting since last Spring, Mensaje En Una Galleta, where inspiration abounds. 

I really enjoyed making these cookies - a nice break from royal icing, fondant and frosting. I think you would too!

So what did we learn? Well, not much about the Easter Bunny, but maybe a little black bunny magic. Yes!?!

Vanilla Bean Bunny Cookies
(Yield: approx, 1 dozen cookies)

 Ingredients:

226 grams salted butter, cold

135 grams granulated white sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon lemon zest 

1/2 tsp crushed Tahitian vanilla beans

295 grams all purpose flour
1 drop each of gel paste colour (I used Americolor Sky Blue, Deep Pink and Lemon Yellow)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Place oven rack in the center of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat.

In the bowl of your electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  

Beat in the egg, lemon zest, and vanilla beans. 

Gradually whisk the flour into the creamed mixture and beat just until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. 

Divide the dough in thirds and colour each ball of dough using gel colours of your choice. Shape each ball of dough into disks and wrap separately in plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator until firm, or overnight if not baking immediately. 

Remove from fridge and use a rolling pin to roll dough out each disk to about 1/4 inch thick. Place the sheets of dough in the freezer for about two minutes. Remove from freezer and lay the coloured sheets of dough one on top of the other in the desired order. 

Use the rolling pin to press the layers together. Cut into desired shapes and place on the baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart. Place in freezer for about 3-5 minutes.

Remove from freezer, let rest 30 seconds and then bake the cookies for about 12-15 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are a very light brown. 

Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Decorate as desired.