According to the Seasons of Plenty cookbook, rabbit cookies were a well-loved Easter tradition in the Colonies. Made with cookie cutters fashioned at the village tin shop, each child was given one 8-inch-long rabbit cookie!
Oster Hasen
Easter Rabbit Cookies
2 ½ cups granulated sugar
2 ½ cups brown sugar
1 ¼ cups vegetable shortening
1 ¼ cups butter
15 eggs
13 teaspoons baking powder
15 cups flour
2 ½ cups milk
1 to 2 cups raisins or chocolate chips
Vanilla frosting (Page 211)
In a large mixing bowl cream sugars and shortening and butter. Beat in eggs, blending well after each addition.
In a second bowl mix flour and baking powder. Stir flour mixture into batter, alternating with 2 cups milk. Add final ½ cup milk only if the batter seems too dry (the size of the eggs used may make batter too moist or too dry). This forms a very soft dough.
Dough must be refrigerated at least overnight. Since this is a soft dough and can be difficult to roll and cut out, you may want to plcae dough in freezer 1 hour before baking. Roll out portion of dough on well-floured board. Keep the remaining dough in the freezer or refrigerator while you are rolling and cutting. Using a rabbit cookie cutter, cut into shapes and place a raisin or chocolate chip in each for the bunny’s eye.
Bake at 350° for 10 to 11 minutes. Allow cookies to cool before icing with vanilla frosting.
Yields about 10 dozen cookies, depending upon the size of the cookie cutter.
Zuber’s Kitchen House, Middle Amana
Dorothy and Emilie Zuber, Middle Amana
This recipe comes from the cookbook Seasons of Plenty: Amana Communal Cooking and was posted with permission of author Emilie Hoppe. Learn more about the book and how to purchase it.
