Spring is in the air {sort of. Ok, maybe not over here yet, but somewhere out there I know it is ;) } and that can only mean one thing: bunnies! Bunnies everywhere, in all shapes, forms, and tastes. And of course I couldn’t resist hopping onto the bunny bandwagon at the first opportunity that presented itself ;) . The moment I spotted some bunny-eared cookie cutters and stamps, I knew just what needed to be done — and so I present to you these super easy to throw together gluten-free, vegan, and refined sugar-free cinnamon bunny cookies.
If you’ve been following my cookie-making party along, you’ll know that I’m all for cutting corners and making things less complicated {and a little less sugary too while I’m at it}. So rather than going with the traditional frosted spring cookie, I chose to use a few simple tricks to decorate these bunny cookies without all the extra work and ingredients… And still ended up with these little cuties!
This is a standard cut-out cookie recipe I use that lends itself quite well for cut-outs and stamping. I flavored it with cinnamon this time and I think it’ll be my favorite way to enjoy these cookies from here on — everyone who tasted them agreed that these were by far the best ones so far too :)
I made it two ways just to give you some ideas of how to easily make themed cookies. One batch was Easter-egg shaped {using a simple egg-shaped cookie cutter I picked up for less than $1} and stamped with an Easter bunny stamp which I got at an art supply store {Michael’s} — you can read more about stamping cookies, where to find stamps, and other tips or tricks, here.
The other batch, which was my personal favorite, involved a simple bunny cookie cutter I found at a local shop for less than $1 as well, and some chocolate covered amaranth balls for eyes. Little chocolate chips or dried currents would work quite well too. Or decorate with some melted chocolate as you like…
I was so pleased with the end result though — these little cinnamon bunnies will make your snacking so much more fun and I’m sure will win little hearts all over ;)
- ¼ cup coconut oil or non-dairy butter of your choice, at room temperature/softened
- ¼ cup maple syrup {or liquid sweetener of your choice -- agave, honey, Honee, etc.}
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- dash of salt
- 12 tbsp brown rice flour
- 8 tbsp tapioca starch
- 8 tbsp sweet rice flour
- ½ tsp guar gum
- Optional: 2 tbps amaranth balls {or some dried currents, chocolate chips, etc. to make the "eyes"}
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Prepare a rolling area with two additional sheets of parchment paper for that, and have your cookie cutter{s} handy. Set aside.
- Place the coconut oil or butter in a large mixing bowl and whip it with a mixer to soften it a bit. Add sweetener, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt and mix once again to combine. Add in flour and use a wooden spoon to mix. Then get in there with your hands and mix everything together by working the dough until you can shape it into a ball {note: as depending on the flour mix you use there may be a slight variance, know that the consistency of the dough should not be sticky but should press together when pinched -- be sure to knead it really well first for some time -- if it's a little too sticky, add a little more flour (try 1-2 tbsp); if it's a little dry add a little more sweetener (try 1 tbsp)}. Shape the dough into a ball and then flatten into a disk.
- Roll out one of the dough ball between two sheets of parchment paper to ¼" thickness. Use a cookie cutter to cut out the circles. Carefully transfer to a prepared cookie sheet, spacing them ½" apart {they won't spread as they bake}. Gather up any dough scraps and repeat until all dough is used up.
- If you're doing the cookie stamp version, carefully stamp the cookies when they are on the cookie sheet. If you're going with the bunny + eyes option, set the "eyes" {the amaranth balls or whatever you are using} and any other decoration onto the cookies now {note: the "eyes" need to be pressed in lightly into the cookie}/
- Bake in a pre-heated oven for approximately 11-13 minutes, until the edges just begin to become golden {time will vary depending on your cookie size}. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack. {Note: cookies will harden a little within minutes of cooling, so don't overbake}. Allow the cookies to cool for 10 minutes and enjoy!
Now your turn to share: The best spring time treat is___? Do you know why the bunny is associated with spring? Are you going to be able to eat this much cuteness? :)
Happy Baking!
♥ Audrey
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This gluten-free vegan cinnamon bunnies recipe has been shared with Gluten-Free Wednesdays.
I am late to the game, but these look super delicious. Could I substitute the guar gum for xanthan gum?
Hi Claudia — absolutely :) You can substitute measure for measure.
Happy baking!
Oh my my. That looks really good.
Thanks Christopher! They are good :)
Hi Audrey
We can’t get the sweet rice flour here. Is there an alternative?
Are tapioca and potato starch interchangeable or do they have different attributes / flavours?
Thank you
Kay
Hi Kay,
Have you tried looking for it by other names? I know in other countries the name “glutinous rice flour” or “mochiko” or just “mochi” are a common name.
Sweet sticky rice flour is a very finely ground flour, which helps cut out the grittiness of a lot of gf flours. If you had to bake without it, I would increase the amount of brown rice flour and use some tapioca starch or a mix of starches. So for this recipe, I’d do something like: 1 cup rice flour and 12 tbsp starch.
How cute!!! And I’m sure they’re delicious, too!
Thanks Cece! :) Cinnamon cookies are always a nice treat.
These are the cutest Easter cookies. I’ll have to make them with my girls. Thanks for sharing Audrey!
Thanks so much, Brianna! I think these can be greatly improved by your girls with some sprinkles ;)
These are too cute! I love the stamp, idea!
Thanks very much, Vanessa ♥
They are soooo cute!! Oh my god :D Almost too cute to eat. The recipe looks great, simple ingredients and easy to follow instructions. Pinned :D
Aw, thanks. They were *almost* too cute to eat :)
I just had to come over and tell you how adorable I think these are! So so cute, and they look yummy too :)
Thanks so much, Amy — they did turn out pretty darn cute :)
Audrey, I was wondering if I could use 2 kinds of white rice flour (sweet white rice and the regular white rice flour) as I don’t currently have brown rice flour. I have plenty of other flours I could sub in as well like millet, chickpea, buckwheat, coconut, hazelnut, etc.
Yes, absolutely, Joanne. White and brown rice flour can be used interchangeably in this recipe. I’d go with that. Millet could work too — the rest would need some adjusting. But white rice flour would work perfectly well.
That’s great!! Thanks!
No worries :) Enjoy the cookies!
Okay Audrey these are soooo adorable and so professional looking! I LOVE the stamp idea….amazing!! I want an entire batch to hoard all to myself, haha. Cinnamon is my absolute favorite flavor, then vanilla, THEN chocolate if you can believe it! Great recipe!
Thanks so much, Brandi :)
I’m super shocked at cinnamon topping vanilla and chocolate! Then again, maybe not — I love it too. It sort of makes EVERYTHING better :) And, by the way, that’s another similarity between you and my husband haha.
So adaorable!!! My three old fell in love with these especially the ones peaking up out of the jar! Stamping cookies is a great idea too! Can’t wait to try these. Amaranth balls? I’m intrigued, what and where can I find some?
Aw, so glad they caught your three year-old’s attention :)
Amaranth balls are just little puffed amaranth grains that are coated with chocolate — that’s what the “eyes” are made of. I love it as a topping on my breakfasts or cakes sometimes. I buy mine at a local health food shop, but they are quite popular — usually in the gluten-free/dairy-free type of section. I’m sure whole foods, Trader Joe’s, etc. carries them, and if not there’s always amazon :). I’ve also bought chocolate coated quinoa puffs before.
Heck no, I definitely can’t eat that much cuteness!!! I can’t even handle that much cuteness. Bunny head looks so innocent with his adorable little eyes and no mouth, and stamp bunny is holding an egg bigger than himself (it kinda looks like his body is an egg hehe). OMG I’m in cute overload right now <3<3<3
PS What are amaranth balls?
Hehe. I know. I had a good long time admiring each one first. Definitely in the cuteness overload zone.
Amaranth balls are tiny amaranth puffs that are coated with chocolate. They also make quinoa ones, and other grains too. I use them in cake decorating sometimes, and also as a breakfast/smoothie topper. They’re quite yummy. I get mine at a local health food shop, but I’ve seen them in lots of places — they’re quite popular. Look like this:
I love all the replies with pictures included :) I don’t think I’ve seen those around here, but they sound like wonderful little things. It kind of reminds me of those m&ms with the rice crispy in the middle that I used to love. I will do some google searching for them, thanks!
Me too. I’m glad the pic included feature is an option — makes things easier. And yes — these little things are amazing. I hope you find some :)
Damn, they look adorable :D And I can almost feel the taste just by looking at the photos. Perhaps I should make some lovely treats tomorrow, I’ve been craving sweet stuff like mad.
Thanks Terje. They were very tasty — cinnamon cookies are so good :)