Miffy Cupcakes

Holy Peter Cottontail! March is quickly coming to an end, Easter is right around the corner, and spring is in full swing! Seriously, when did all THAT happen?! Apparently while I wasn’t paying attention, that’s when…

But that must mean it’s time for some sweet spring/Easter treats, right? And I don’t know about you, but there are few things that scream spring and Easter for me more than bunnies. Cute, fluffy BUNNIES.

Unless they’re the ones from Monty Python… In which case, RUN AWAY!

Perhaps it’s because I was born near Easter and my first stuffed animal was a Puffalump Easter bunny cleverly dubbed Bunny, or Bun-Bun for short (obviously I was an astute child), or because my early childhood was peppered with tales of rabbits like Velveteen Rabbit, Peter Rabbit, Benjamin Bunny, and the nightmare-inducing Watership Down (raise your hand if your parents accidentally scarred you for life assuming that questionably G-rated, animated bloodbath was suitable for you as a child *raises hand*).

Or perhaps because my best friend growing up shared a love for rabbit-related stuffed animals (her favorite was a rabbit cleverly named Rabbit. Clearly we were destined to be friends.) or because, for a short time, we nursed the CUTEST little baby cottontail rabbit back to health.

Whatever the reason, spring and Easter always bring fond memories of tiny, fluffy bunnies to mind. SO. MUCH. FLUFFINESS.

And holy fluffy cuteness, it doesn’t get much more adorable than Miffy.
I’m going to blame my knowledge of Miffy on my nieces and my friends’ children, and not at all on the fact that I totally still read children’s books and watch children’s movies (and occasionally cartoons, too).

Nope. Only adulting here. So adult. Much matureness. Wow.

Miffy Cupcakes

• Author: The Simple, Sweet Life
• Yield: 12 cupcakes 1x
• Category: Dessert

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For the cookies:

• 1/2 batch of sugar cookie dough
• 1/2 batch of royal icing
• Bunny cookie template
• A black food marker
• Pink powdered food coloring
• A small, food-only brush

For the cupcakes:

• 12 cupcakes
• 1/2 batch of Italian meringue buttercream
• A large frosting tip (I used Ateco 829) + a piping bag
• Sprinkles

Instructions

1. Print out your bunny cookie template and transfer the design to a piece of cardboard or cardstock. Cut out your design. If you plan on using it more than just this once, you might consider laminating your piece of cardstock.
2. Whip up a 1/2 batch of sugar cookie dough as per the instructions in this post. Roll your dough out to about 1/3″ thick, and using a sharp lightly-floured knife, cut out the cookies using your cardboard/cardstock template. Transfer the cookies to a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake at 350F/175C for 6-8 minutes, or until lightly browned and no longer shiny on top.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix up a 1/2 batch of royal icing as per the instructions in this post. Whip the royal icing until thick and fluffy but not stiff. You’re going for a 20 second consistency with this one. Fill a piping bag with the icing, clip the tip, and start piping a bunny face shape onto your cookie, leaving about an 1/8″ space around the edge. Use a toothpick to move the icing around to fill in any spaces lacking icing or to smooth out the outline. Let the icing harden for 5-6 hours.
4. To create the features of the face, use your black food marker to draw on the eyes and nose, and your pink powdered food coloring and a brush to create rosy cheeks.
5. For the cupcakes, whip up a dozen of your favorite cupcakes (I personally prefer the chocolate cupcakes from this recipe) and some frosting (I recommend a 1/2 batch of this to-die-for Italian meringue buttercream, but really any frosting will work). Tint your frosting pink and pipe it onto your cooled cupcakes with a large frosting tip. Add some gold sprinkles to the sides and top with your Miffy cookies.