Bunny Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

Whether you're planning for Easter, or you're just looking for a cute breakfast surprise to make your kids, what could be better than a plate of bunny cinnamon rolls? Recipe developer and registered dietitian nutritionist, Kristen Carli, MS, RD, brings us these bunny-shaped cinnamon rolls that would be perfect on your Easter table. We've even made these for a bunny-themed kid's birthday party and they were a hit. People always like food when it comes in cute shapes. 

This classic cinnamon roll dough is easy to make and comes together in less than 30 minutes. It doesn't require a long rest and rise time, instead only needing one, 10-minute rest period. Additionally, these cinnamon rolls bake up super quickly, only needing 10-15 minutes in the oven. Because of how quickly these come together, you may even find you have time to make these on busy weekday mornings for special occasions.

Follow our step-by-step guide to make these adorable bunny-shaped cinnamon rolls at home.

To make these adorable bunny-shaped cinnamon rolls, we first need to gather our ingredients. For this recipe, you'll need whole milk, unsalted butter, flour, sugar, salt, active dry yeast, an egg, brown sugar, cinnamon, and mini chocolate chips. Essentially, in this recipe, we are making classic cinnamon rolls from homemade dough, but we are forming a bit of the dough into the bunny ears. Then we simply add the eyes and the nose with mini chocolate chips.

The first step involves activating the yeast mixture. To do this, we add ⅓ cup melted butter into a small bowl. Next, add the milk and the packet of active dry yeast. Using a whisk, mix the ingredients until well-combined. Set this mixture aside as you work on the remaining ingredients. By setting it aside for just a few moments, you are giving the active dry yeast a chance to liven up.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the flour, granulated sugar, salt, egg, and yeast mixture. Secure the bowl in the stand mixer and lock the dough hook attachment into place. Mix with the dough hook attachment for a few minutes, until the dough begins to form and pull away from the sides of the bowl. Remove the dough from the dough hook and leave it in the bowl of the stand mixer. Allow the dough to rest for at least 10 minutes.

After the ten minutes are up, roll out the dough on a large, floured cutting board. This will make it easier to slice the dough into strips. As best you can, roll out the dough into a large rectangular shape. In a small bowl, add the brown sugar and the cinnamon and use a spoon to mix them together. 

Brush the remaining melted butter over the top of the dough, then sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly over the dough.

If you haven't already done so, preheat the oven to 350 F. Press the cinnamon sugar mixture into the dough and spread it around evenly. 

Using a bench scraper or a knife, cut the dough into 8 equal strips. Carefully and tightly roll up 5 of the 8 cinnamon strips. Place them on a large baking sheet that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Cut the remaining three strips of dough cut in half lengthwise. Then, form each half piece into bunny ears, as shown. Place the bunny ears on top of each cinnamon roll, pinching the dough together to make them stick.

Place the baking sheet into the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, until the dough has risen and the cinnamon sugar mixture has melted. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and top each bunny with two eyes and a nose made from mini chocolate chips. Because the cinnamon rolls are still warm, the chocolate chips will adhere to the cinnamon rolls as they warm and get slightly melted.