Easter Bunny Cupcakes

For making the cupcakes:

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two muffin tins with paper liners.
2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Add the eggs and egg whites, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and beat until well combined.
4. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in three additions, alternating with the milk and beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Beat until just combined.
5. Fill each cupcake liner ⅔ full with batter. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
6. Remove the cupcakes from the oven and let cool in the muffin tin for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.

For decorating:

1. Either use a piping bag or spoon to place the frosting on top of the cupcake. A nice rounded mound looks best.
2. Place the coconut in a bowl, and dip the top of the cupcake into the coconut.
3. Dip in the coconut until the frosting is fully covered.
4. Cut 24 marshmallows at a diagonal with a clean, sharp scissors. If the scissors get too sticky, wash them between cuts.
5. Place the sanding sugar in a small bowl. Dip the sticky side of the marshmallow into the sanding sugar. (You can pinch the marshmallows to push the centers down so that the edges pull away from the sugar to get a white ridge around the ear.) Place the marshmallow halves on top of the bunny. If they aren’t sticking, you can apply additional frosting to help make it stick.
6. Cut the remaining marshmallows into 6 pieces. I cut them in half vertically, then each side got cut into thirds. Then I used my fingers to form it into a ball, trying to get the sticky parts on the outside of the ball. Roll the balls in the sanding sugar and apply it on the bunny face.
7. Apply mini chocolate chips for the eyeballs. Using tweezers were really helpful for this!