Chocolate Easter Bunny Cupcakes

There are a lot of great Easter candy options to choose from, but my all time favorite is the classic chocolate Easter bunny. There's something about delicious chocolate wrapped in shiny gold foil and carefully peeling back that foil to nibble away on that chocolate bit by bit.

These Chocolate Easter Bunny Cupcakes have all of that nostalgic and classic Easter feeling in the form of a cupcake!

A delicious vanilla cupcake is topped with vanilla frosting, a graham cracker mixture that looks just like moss, and a mini chocolate Easter bunny brushed in gold luster dust to give them that shiny gold foil look, just like the real thing!

Now, let's talk chocolate! The smaller the chocolate Easter bunny, the better. I made the Easter bunnies with a chocolate mold, but any small chocolate Easter bunny will work great.

A FEW NOTES BEFORE WE GET STARTED

• Room Temperature Ingredients:
  • Butter: It’s important that the butter is softened. In a pinch, you can put your butter in the microwave for about 5 seconds on each side, but watch closely to make sure it is just softening and not melting.
  • Eggs: You also want to make sure that the eggs are at room temperature to ensure that they are properly incorporated into your batter. If you forget to leave them out before you start baking, place them in a bowl of warm water for about 15 minutes until they become room temperature.
• Measuring Your Ingredients: I strongly encourage that you use a kitchen scale to measure your ingredients and ensure that you have the most accurate measurements possible.
  • However, if you don’t have a scale on hand and will be using cup measurements, make sure to use the “spoon and sweep” method when measuring to avoid packing in too much of any dry ingredient.
• Oven Temperature: Make sure to preheat your oven for at least 15 minutes before you start baking.
  • I recommend purchasing an oven thermometer to get to know your oven so you can adjust your baking temperatures accordingly. Some ovens run slightly warmer or colder so its important to know yours to make sure your baked goods come out right.

Preheat oven to 350º F. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together on medium speed until well combined.

Add the eggs one at a time with the mixer on medium speed and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add vanilla. Add the sour cream and mix until combined. With the mixer on low, add in the flour mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed and mix just until it is incorporated.

Line a cupcake pan with 12 cupcake liners and carefully divide the batter evenly among them, filling each only about two thirds of the way. Bake for 22-23 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean.

Cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan before gently pulling the cupcakes out of the pan to cool completely on a cooling rack.

Cream the butter until smooth. With the mixer on low, slowly add in the confectioners sugar by the spoonful followed by the vanilla and cream.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix just until combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill until ready to use.

Preheat oven to 200º F. Place pack of graham crackers in food processor and blend until fine crumbs. You can also crush graham crackers in a plastic baggie with a rolling pin.

Put a few drops of green food coloring in a small bowl and dilute it with some vanilla extract before mixing it into graham crackers. Repeat this process until you like the shade of green.

Spread graham cracker moss onto parchment lined baking sheet and place in oven for about 5 minutes until slightly toasted. Pour graham cracker mixture into the other small bowl.

Carefully dip each cupcake into the graham crackers so it is fully covered. Place cupcakes in the fridge to chill.

Melt chocolate wafers in a double boiler or in the microwave. Transfer melted chocolate to a piping bag and carefully pipe it into the bunny mold. Let chocolate bunnies set.

Once chocolate bunnies are set use a soft brush to dust each chocolate bunny in gold luster dust, making sure you brush all of its edges and crevices.

Fill a piping bag or small plastic bag with its tip cut off with remaining frosting

Stand chocolate Easter bunny on top of moss covered cupcake and pipe a small dollop of frosting either underneath or behind it to help adhere and support it.

Repeat this process until all bunnies are atop a cupcake. Chill until ready to serve. Enjoy!

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