Do you dream of warm, gooey cookies fresh from the oven but cringe at the cost of premium chocolate chips? There’s a secret weapon hiding in plain sight, especially right after Easter. Discounted high-quality chocolate bunnies, commonly found in your local store’s clearance section, are easy to chop into small chocolate chunks for use in your favorite cookie recipes. These “Killer Bunny” Oatmeal Cookies are a chocolatey, chewy, budget-friendly sweet treat that will have everyone hopping for joy.
The best part of Easter being over is all of the leftover abandoned bunnies for sale on clearance at Target. I can buy four 3-oz. milk chocolate bunnies for less than I can buy a bag of chocolate chips. I spent a whole whopping $0.59 for each bunny. Win. Added bonus, I get to mutilate the bunnies before throwing their chopped heads and butts into cookie dough, thinking about Monty Python’s “Rabbit of Caerbannog” the entire time. I had a hard time deciding which chocolate bunnies to purchase, but finally chose the Russell Stover Solid Milk Chocolate Bunnies because they cost much lower than the Godiva version, but are still made with a good quality chocolate, unlike some of the cheap hollow bunnies that were still available. Yes, I was that girl, taking over eight different types of chocolate bunnies to the price check scanner, trying to determine which was the best buy. Don’t judge me for being a bit thrifty, I more than made up for it by buying over $200.00 worth of crap on my two-hour shopping spree.
Is it weird that these “Killer Bunny” Oatmeal Cookies are for my niece’s fourth birthday? Will this cookie cause her to have a lifetime fear of rabbits? I’m not sure, but at least I know she won’t quickly forget them. Tori, whose birthday is on May 8th, the same day as her uncle B.O.B. Bob’s birthday, will be celebrating her fourth birthday today. We’re unable to attend her party due to a prior engagement, so I sent down some cookies for her and her friends to enjoy at her party, as well as a huge box of gifts for the kids. (I buy every child a gift when one of them has a birthday, so no one feels left out.) The dress that I bought her was my favorite, along with a cardigan.
I love Target, as witnessed by my ability to spend two hours in a store and come out with a cart full of merchandise, most of which I really don’t need, but I do have one huge complaint. I hate shopping for children’s clothes there because it takes forever to find a matching outfit in the correct sizes. The only size you can always count on finding is 0-3 Months, and that’s only because no child in the world is ever born that small. I’m pretty sure that Tori was never that teeny-tiny; she grows more and more each time we see her. She has the sweetest little personality and is turning into a lovely little girl, and I just can’t believe she’s four years old already. Uncle B.O.B. Bob, Cousin Brenna, and Aunt Colleen are wishing you the happiest fourth birthday, Tori, and hoping that our “Killer Bunny” Oatmeal Cookies don’t cause too many nightmares.
Ingredients:
- 2 1/4 Cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
- 4 (3-oz.) Russell Stover Solid Milk Chocolate Bunnies
- 1 Cup Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature
- 2/3 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 2/3 Cup Light Brown Sugar, Packed
- 2 Eggs, Room Temperature
- 1 Tablespoon Vanilla
- 1 Cup Quick-Cooking Oatmeal
- Vanilla Sugar (Optional)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Sift the flour, salt, and baking soda together in a medium bowl; set aside.
- Chop the chocolate bunnies into small chunks; set aside. If you chop the head off first, you won’t have to be afraid of them attacking you unexpectedly.
- Cream the butter and sugars together on medium speed for 3 minutes.
- Add the eggs and then mix on medium speed for 1 minute.
- Add the vanilla and then mix on medium speed for 1 minute.
- On low speed, slowly add the sifted flour mixture just until incorporated.
- With a spatula, fold in the oatmeal, followed by the chopped chocolate bunnies. Use a cookie scoop or tablespoon to scoop or spoon the cookie dough onto a Silpat or parchment-paper-lined baking sheet. If using, sprinkle vanilla sugar over the top of each cookie.
- Bake for 7 minutes or until the edges start to brown. Allow the cookies to rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing them to a cooling rack to finish cooling completely.
Suggestions:
- You can use any type of chocolate bunny you choose in this recipe; just try to make sure you have 12-oz. of chopped chocolate. You can also use plain chopped chocolate, but you’ll miss out on all of the bunny mutilation.
- This cookie will burn quickly; make sure to keep an eye on the cookies to prevent a burnt bunny disaster.
- You can buy vanilla sugar online or make your own with a recipe you can also find online. I received a grinder full of vanilla sugar as a gift for Easter and was super excited to put it to use.
- This recipe will yield approximately four dozen cookies.
Improvements:
- Add raisins to the cookie dough when folding in the oatmeal and chocolate.
- Can’t find any chocolate bunnies in your local store’s clearance section. Keep an eye out for any type of Easter chocolate that would work well in this cookie recipe. Peanut butter eggs, chocolate eggs, crunchy candy eggs, or spring-colored M&M’s would all be a great substitute.
- Pretend to ride an imaginary horse around the kitchen while baking these cookies. Why? Because it’s fun, or at least it is until you run over the cat’s paw while galloping about.
- CLICK HERE to check out all of our past cookie recipes. Make sure to check out our Spring/Easter Cookies section.
Ingredients:
- 2 1/4 Cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
- 4 (3-oz.) Russell Stover Solid Milk Chocolate Bunnies
- 1 Cup Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature
- 2/3 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 2/3 Cup Light Brown Sugar, Packed
- 2 Eggs, Room Temperature
- 1 Tablespoon Vanilla
- 1 Cup Quick-Cooking Oatmeal
- Vanilla Sugar (Optional)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Sift the flour, salt, and baking soda together in a medium bowl; set aside.
- Chop the chocolate bunnies into small chunks; set aside. If you chop the head off first, you won't have to be afraid of them attacking you unexpectedly.
- Cream the butter and sugars together on medium speed for 3 minutes.
- Add the eggs and then mix on medium speed for 1 minute.
- Add the vanilla and then mix on medium speed for 1 minute.
- On low speed, slowly add the sifted flour mixture just until incorporated.
- With a spatula, fold in the oatmeal, followed by the chopped chocolate bunnies. Use a cookie scoop or tablespoon to scoop or spoon the cookie dough onto a Silpat or parchment-paper-lined baking sheet. If using, sprinkle vanilla sugar over the top of each cookie.
- Bake for 7 minutes or until the edges start to brown. Allow the cookies to rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing them to a cooling rack to finish cooling completely.
PIN THIS RECIPE
Don’t let this recipe slip away. How often do you find a recipe intriguing, yet forget where to find it when you finally get the hankering to make it? Instead of digging through old posts or wandering aimlessly around on the internet, why not Pin this recipe to Pinterest where you can find it when you eventually need it? Simply Pin the image above and you’ll have it when that time comes. You can follow us HERE on Pinterest or simply click HERE to find all of our pin-worthy recipes.
Crunchy Easter Bird Nest Granola Bites
The Best Chocolate Easter Candy Egg Cookies
Chewy Peanut Butter Crunchy Bird’s Nest Cookies
Spring has finally arrived, and what better way to celebrate than by baking a batch of delicious Easter-inspired cookies? With their pastel sprinkles, seasonal M&M’s, candy-coated eggs, and rich chocolate, these cookies are packed with festive flavors and cheerful colors. Whether you plan on hosting an Easter brunch, arranging a fun egg hunt, or are simply craving something sweet, these cookies are the perfect treat to brighten your holiday. CLICK HERE for the recipes.
