Easter was, and still is, a big deal in our family. Â It was a time when our family got together, celebrated spring, and enjoyed being together. Â You could always count on an enormous brunch which, for the better part of the day, was laid out on fresh linens and beautiful platters. Â The kids looked forward to the Easter egg hunt and spending time outside in the mild California weather while the adults chatted. Â Looking back, it was certainly a carefree time in my life.
Now that I am no longer a child and no longer near my family to celebrate every Easter with them I like to remember those carefree days with recipes. Â This recipe for Cardamom-Orange Bunnies has been around for years. Â My mother remembers my grandmother making these for them around Easter and it is a recipe that I would love to pass on to my children.
It happens to be a Better Homes and Gardens recipe and you can get the original here. Â I did make a few changes. Â I didn’t need nearly the full amount of flour, only about 4 cups, and I didn’t use cardamom. Â Cardamom can be rather costly and I didn’t have any on hand so I used allspice but you can certainly use cinnamon or nutmeg as well.
Get your kids involved! Â My kids loved to stir and mix. Â Stay close by while allowing a child to use a mixer…it can get quite messy! Â He is holding on for dear life in that picture, can you tell!? Â They can also twist the dough into the bunnies. Â I hope your family enjoys this recipe as much as we do!
Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 package active dry yeast
- 3/4 tsp ground cardamom or allspice
- 1 1/4 cups milk
- 1/2 cup butter, margarine, or shortening
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 2 tblsp finely shredded orange peel or 1 tblsp finely shredded lime peel
- 1/4 cup orange juice or 2 tblsp lime juice and 2 tblsp water
- 1 1/2 cups sifted powder sugar
- Orange:
- 1 tsp finely shredded orange peel
- 2 - 3 tblsp orange juice
- Lime:
- 1 tsp finely shredded lime peel
- 2 - 3 tblsp milk
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl combine 2 cups of the flour, the yeast, and cardamom. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan heat and stir milk, the butter, the 1/3 cup sugar, and salt just until warm (120 degree F to 130 degree F) and butter almost melts.
- Add milk mixture to dry mixture along with eggs. Beat with an electric mixer on low to medium speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl. Beat on high speed 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in orange or lime peel, orange or lime juice, and as much of remaining flour as you can.
- Turn dough onto a floured surface. Knead in enough remaining flour to make a moderately soft dough that is smooth and elastic (3 to 5 minutes total). Shape dough into a ball. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl; turn once. Cover; let rise in a warm place until double in size (about 1 hour).
- Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Divide in half. Cover and let rest 10 minutes.
- Lightly grease two cookie sheets. (Large bunnies will go on one sheet, the small bunnies will go on the other.) For large bunnies, roll one portion of dough into a 14x10-inch rectangle. Cut rectangle in half crosswise. Divide one portion of this dough in half and roll each half into a rope about 16 inches long. On one of the lightly greased cookie sheets, overlap one end of strip over the other to form a loop; bring the end that's underneath up over the top end, letting one end extend on each side to make ears. Pat tips of ears to shape in point. Make a second large bunny with remaining rope.
- Cut remaining half of rectangle into 6 strips, 10 inches long. Roll 5 strips of the dough into ropes about 12 inches long. Shape 5 small bunnies as above on the second baking sheet.
- With remaining strip of dough, shape 2 large balls and 5 small balls of dough for the tails. Moisten ball and place atop dough at bottom of loop. Press tails onto dough.
- Repeat with remaining dough making 2 more large bunnies and 5 more small bunnies. After shaping, cover and let rise until nearly double (30 to 45 minutes). Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degree F. Bake small bunnies 11 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Bake large bunnies for 13 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from cookie sheets; cool on wire racks. Frost while warm with Orange or Lime Icing, if desired. Makes 4 large bunnies and 10 small bunnies.
- In a small bowl combine 1-1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon finely shredded orange or lime peel. For Orange Icing, stir in enough orange juice (2 to 3 tablespoons) to make of drizzling consistency. For Lime Icing, stir in enough milk (2 to 3 tablespoons) to make of drizzling consistency.
What a fun recipe for Easter! Your boys are adorable.
Thank you
They are growing up too fast so I love to get them in the kitchen whenever I can!
This great! I am having a special sunday Easter Linky buffet Any Easter recipe accepted no limit to what you like to submit. I am taking submissions till saturday, your welcome to post this! http://deedeesdelights.blogspot.com/p/special-easter-sunday-buffet.html
Thank you so much! I just did…cute site!
These look so cute and absolutely delicious! Love your blog!
Thank you so much Kelly!
Very Cute!!
I searched and clicked and never could find recipe for orange bunnies. Please help!
Sorry about that Starr! I didn’t post the original recipe directly on my site because it is available on the BHG website. I had a little bit of a tough time finding where I linked to it so I’ll make that more clear! Thanks! Here is the link http://www.bhg.com/recipe/yeast-breads/cardamom-orange-bunnies/
I can see this pink for Cancer Awareness fundraiser’s or the idea’s are endless.
Such a cute idea!
Thank you for sharing:))
So nice to meet you,
Kay Ellen
can’t wait to try this recipe. I use cardamom a lot in baking and savory dishes.
Hi, I know this is not your own recipe but im a bit confused about how much yeast I need to use. To me it looks like 3/4 of a package of yeast but that seems a strange measurement. How much did you use.
Thanks in advance.
Hi Lisa! That was a bit confusing on their website wasn’t it. I’ve added the recipe to my post to print and to answer your question I used one package of yeast. I hope that helps!
Thats brilliant thanks going buying oranges tomorrrow to try them with my 4 year old.
Adorable!
Thanks Lisa!
I love your blog!! I changed up your recipe a bit so it would work in a bread machine and I posted it on my blog with a link to your blog. Check it out if you have time http://threeyellowlemons.blogspot.com/2012/03/easter-bunny-rolls-bread-machine.html
Thank you so much Theresa! I’m so glad you adapted it for the bread machine and included a link back! I don’t have a bread machine but I know lots of people do and I’m sure that will be helpful. xo
Love this and would love to try with my 2 1/2 yr old.
any other tips for cooking with little ones that small??She LOVES to help Mama…
I hope you both have lots of fun in the kitchen Carrie! I think something as simple as allowing kids to pick out certain ingredients or let them pick dinner makes a huge impact on them. My favorite thing to do with them is bake though, and not just cookies. Granola bars are super easy to make and so yummy! I let them scoop ingredients, stir a bit, and pat the mixture in the pan. I’d love to see what you make! Maybe on Facebook
Just made these using my bread machine for the dough and using bread flour……they turned out so soft and airy like the bread we had in Paris…..LOVE THEM!
Comparing any of “my” recipes to one’s found in Paris automatically makes you my new best friend! I’m so glad you like them!
Making these right now! The bunnies are in their second rise. So easy, so cute! Thanks so much for sharing!!!☺
You are so welcome Erin! Hope you enjoy them!
I made them! They are delicious, but don’t looks like bunnies. Probably I will have to make the rolls more thins.
Well, I’m glad they tasted good! They do puff up a bit when baked. Next time I make them I’ll have to take pictures of dough, pre-baked to get a better sense of how thin the rolls were. Happy Easter!
I think it’s a great idea take pictures before they are baked.
I used instead flour and yeast apart, flour with yeast included. I really enjoy this recipe, a friend told me they are taste like buyed in bakery. Thanks for sharing!
Regards from Chile!
Festive shape! Thanks for the recipe.
Thank you Julie! I hope you like them!
I’m waiting for the first rise and am wondering if I can put the dough in the fridge overnight and bake them in the morning so they are fresh. At what point would I refrigerate them? Before I roll them out to make the bunnies? Thanks so much for your help!
I’m so sorry I didn’t see this until now Nicole! I haven’t tried refrigerating the dough but I would put them in the refrigerator after they rise. My reply is a little late so I hope whatever you decided worked out! I hope they are a hit!
just made these for easter dinner and they were such a hit. Everyone loved them and they are so cute. Thank you so much for the recipe!!
I am so glad!!! Thanks for coming back and letting me know. I love to hear when recipes I share are enjoyed by other families!
MY DAUGHTER, AMANDA R. DID YOUR EASTER BUNNIES FOR EASTER–THEY WERE FANTASTIC!!!