Robin Egg and Bunny Tail Shortbread Cookies

Robin Egg and Bunny Tail Shortbread Cookies

Ingredients: 

2 sticks softened unsalted butter

3/4 cup confectioners sugar

2 cups all purpose flour 

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)

Frosting:

2 sticks unsalted butter

2 teaspoons vanilla 

1/8 teaspoons almond extract

Pinch salt

4-5 cups confectioners sugar

1-2 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream

Divide Frosting to make multiple pastel colors. Use a tiny amount of food coloring to achieve a light color.

Robin Eggs: light blue or sky blue coloring, add a tiny bit to keep a pretty pastel color. For more of a teal egg-add a tiny bit of green to the blue.

For the speckles: 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and a pinch 1/16 tsp of instant coffee espresso powder or dark cocoa powder. 

For Bunny Tails: 1/4 cup white sprinkles or sweetened flaked coconut 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

In a medium mixing bowl, cream the softened butter, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla extract if using. Add the salt, and confectioners sugar, mix to combine. Add the flour, mix until just combined. Dough should resemble play-dough consistency.

Divide dough onto two-10 inch pieces of waxed paper.  Squish dough into a 2 inch diameter log shape. Roll up each dough in the waxed paper. For Robin Eggs, try to make an oval shape. For bunny tails, a round shape will do.  Refrigerate wax logs of dough for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, unroll logs, slicing cookies into 1/2 inch slices. Place each cookie onto a parchment lined baking sheet about 1 inch apart.

If ovals or rounds need shaping after slicing, use clean fingers to press cookies back into the desired shape.

Bake on the middle rack for 14-18 minutes or until just barely golden on edges.

Allow cookies to rest for five minutes before moving to a cooling rack. Frost after completely cooled.

For Robin Eggs:

Pipe blue frosting onto each cookie-smooth with an offset spatula. Add speckles by dipping a new small toothbrush or a bristle pastry brush into the vanilla espresso powder mix and spritz each cookie to resemble a Robin egg.🪺 

For Bunny Tails:

Make frosting in desired colors or leave white. 

Pipe a small dollop of frosting, about 3/4” inches size.  Dip the frosting into the sprinkles or the coconut to create bunny tails.