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    Home » Easter » Easter Treat Recipes

    Easy Shortbread Sheep Cookies Recipe

    Mar 15, 2019 · 10 Comments

    524 shares
    • 1

    These cute and easy sheep shortbread cookies make a fun Spring or Easter treat and a great Easter baking project for the kids during the holidays!

    Today I have a super cute sheep shortbread cookies recipe to share with you. These are really easy to make and the kids (and grown-ups) loved them! 

    How to make cute and easy shortbread sheep cookies recipe - fun Easter treat to bake with kids

    These fun sheep cookies are great for a springtime or Easter treat, or a fun Easter baking project for kids during the Easter holidays.

    Cute and easy sheep shortbread cookies recipe - a fun Easter treat for kids to bake and decorate

    The cookies have a basic shortbread base, which is crumbly and delicious and goes beautifully with the buttercream and coconut topping.

    How to make fun and easy sheep shortbread cookies - fun Easter baking recipe for kids

    If you're pushed for time but still want to make a fun treat with your kids, you why not skip making your own and decorate shop-bought shortbread biscuits or cookies - any round biscuits would work, from shortbread rounds to digestives! 

    Cute and easy sheep shortbread cookies recipe - fun Easter recipe for kids

    Easy Shortbread Sheep Cookies

    Ingredients (makes 16): 

    • 200g butter
    • 100g sugar
    • 300g plain flour
    • 1 tsp vanilla extract
    For the buttercream: 
    • 100g butter
    • 225g icing sugar
    • 1 tsp vanilla
    To decorate: 
    • 100g desiccated coconut
    • 16 chocolate buttons
    • 16 giant chocolate buttons
    • candy eyes
    • tube of writing icing

    Method: 

    Line 2 baking trays with greaseproof or baking paper.

    Place the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl, then whisk together until pale and fluffy. 

    Sieve in the flour, then add the vanilla extract.  Whisk again until the mixture comes together in a dough.

    Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to around 1cm thick.  Cut circles from the dough (I used the fluted side of my cookie cutter), then carefully transfer them to the baking trays.

    Place the trays in the fridge to chill for around 20 minutes.

    Meanwhile preheat oven to 160°C (Gas mark 2/325°F). 

    Remove the trays from the fridge and bake for around 15 minutes until golden.

    Once cooked, leave the shortbread rounds to cool on the baking trays for 15 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

    How to make shortbread sheep cookies - step 1 bake and cool the shortbread cookie bases

    Make the buttercream icing. Whisk the butter with an electric whisk until light and fluffy, then sift in the icing sugar, a little at a time, until completely combined. Add the vanilla extract and whisk again. Add the milk in small splashes until the icing is at the correct consistency for spreading.

    Once the shortbread cookies are completely cool, spread a generous layer of buttercream icing over the top of each one.

    How to make shortbread sheep cookies - step 2 spread buttercream over each shortbread cookie base

    Pour the desiccated coconut onto a plate, then dip each cookie, icing side down, into the coconut to coat.

    How to make shortbread sheep cookies - step 3 dip in desiccated coconut to coat

    Make the sheep faces - 'glue' 2 candy eyes to each giant chocolate button using the writing icing.

    How to make shortbread sheep cookies - step 4 glue candy eyes to a giant chocolate button with icing

    Cut each smaller chocolate button in half for the ears.

    How to make shortbread sheep cookies - step 5 cut chocolate buttons in half for the ears

    These will be assembled with the ear pieces behind the giant chocolate button face.

    How to make shortbread sheep cookies - step 6 assemble the sheep head

    Spread a little leftover buttercream on the back of a giant chocolate button. Press it into the top of a cookie for the head, then push a chocolate 'ear' into the buttercream on each side to finish. 

    How to make shortbread sheep cookies - step 7 add chocolate button head to the cookie to finish

    Repeat with the remaining shortbread cookies to turn them into sheep.

    Enjoy! 

    Cute and easy shortbread sheep cookies recipe for Easter - fun Easter food for kids to bake and decorate

    If you enjoyed this recipe, you might also like these cute Easter bakes too:

    Cute Chick Cookies

    How to make cute and easy spring chick cookies - fun recipe for kids

    Easter Bunny Carrot Biscuits

    Easter Bunny Carrot Biscuits Recipe - fun and simple project for kids to make this Easter

    Easy Lamb Cupcakes

    Fun and easy lamb cupcakes recipe - great Easter treat for kids

    Easy Easter Nest Cupcakes

    Quick and easy Easter nest cupcakes recipe - a fun dessert for Easter that takes no time at all to make

    Or for more delicious and fun food ideas for Easter, check out the Easter Treat Recipes and Fun Easter Food sections here on the Eats Amazing blog or pop over and follow my Easter Pinterest boards for lots more fun ideas from around the web; Healthy Easter Food and Easter.

    Grace

    Cute and easy sheep shortbread cookies recipe - fun Easter recipe for kids
    Print Recipe
    5 from 3 votes

    Easy Shortbread Sheep Cookies

    Cute and easy sheep shortbread cookies - this fun Spring or Easter treat makes a great Easter baking project for the kids during the holidays! 
    Prep Time20 minutes mins
    Cook Time15 minutes mins
    Chilling Time20 minutes mins
    Total Time55 minutes mins
    Course: Dessert, Party Food
    Cuisine: British, Easter
    Servings: 16 cookies
    Author: Grace Hall

    Ingredients

    For the shortbread cookies:

    • 200 g butter
    • 100 g sugar
    • 300 g plain flour
    • 1 tsp vanilla extract

    For the buttercream:

    • 100 g butter
    • 225 g icing sugar
    • 1 tsp vanilla

    To decorate:

    • 100 g desiccated coconut
    • 16 chocolate buttons
    • 16 giant chocolate buttons
    • candy eyes
    • tube of writing icing

    Instructions

    • Line 2 baking trays with greaseproof or baking paper.
    • Place the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl, then whisk together until pale and fluffy. Sieve in the flour, then add the vanilla extract. Whisk again until the mixture comes together in a dough.
    • Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to around 1cm thick.  Cut circles from the dough (I used the fluted side of my cookie cutter), then carefully transfer them to the baking trays.
    • Place the trays in the fridge to chill for around 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 160°C (Gas mark 2/325°F).
    • Remove the trays from the fridge and bake for around 15 minutes until golden. Once cooked, leave the shortbread rounds to cool on the baking trays for 15 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
    • Make the buttercream icing. Whisk the butter with an electric whisk until light and fluffy, then sift in the icing sugar, a little at a time, until completely combined. Add the vanilla extract and whisk again. Add the milk in small splashes until the icing is at the correct consistency for spreading.
    • Once the shortbread cookies are completely cool, spread a generous layer of buttercream icing over the top of each one. Pour the desiccated coconut onto a plate, then dip each cookie, icing side down, into the coconut to coat.
    • Make the sheep faces - 'glue' 2 candy eyes to each giant chocolate button using the writing icing. 
    • Cut each smaller chocolate button in half for the ears. These will be assembled with the ear pieces behind the giant chocolate button face.
    • Spread a little leftover buttercream on the back of a giant chocolate button. Press it into the top of a cookie for the head, then push a chocolate 'ear' into the buttercream on each side to finish.
    • Repeat with the remaining shortbread cookies to turn them into sheep.

    Love this recipe idea? Why not save it to Pinterest so you can easily find it again! 

    Fun and easy Easter lamb cookies recipe - fun Easter baking for kids #EatsAmazing #easter #kidsfood #funfood #cookies #shortbread #easterfood #cutefood #cookingwithkids #easterfun #sheep   How to make cute and easy Sheep shortbread cookies - fun Easter treat recipe for kids to bake and decorate #EatsAmazing #easter #kidsfood #funfood #cookies #shortbread #easterfood #cutefood #cookingwithkids #easterfun #sheep

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    524 shares
    • 1

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    Comments

    1. Nancy Perine says

      June 11, 2019 at 10:45 am

      5 stars
      Hi there ~~ I had fun wandering through your website/blog. Your recipe for Sheep Shortbread Cookies caught my eye. What a cleaver idea! These were fun to make ... but the decorating was a challenge for me. They weren't done perfectly, but the grandkids and neighborhood kids didn't mind a bit!! Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
      • Grace Hall says

        June 12, 2019 at 11:14 pm

        I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe! As long as it tastes good that's all that matters! 🙂

        Reply
    2. annie kirton says

      June 25, 2020 at 3:15 pm

      5 stars
      i really recommened this recipe

      Reply
      • Grace Hall says

        June 27, 2020 at 1:45 pm

        Thank you, I'm so glad you enjoyed it!

        Reply
    3. Melon says

      January 21, 2023 at 10:31 am

      5 stars
      Nice!

      Reply
    5 from 3 votes

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