A recipe for Quarkhasen (German Quark Bunnies)! These festive little bunnies have a quark-based dough and a cinnamon sugar or vanilla sugar topping.
These Quarkhasen are such a fun Easter baking project for the whole family. Also called Quarkhäschen, or Topfenhaserl in Austria, these bunnies are formed with an easy Quark-Öl-Teig (Quark-Oil-Dough, Topfen-Öl-Teig in Austria) as the base.
Simply bring together the dough with a mixture of flour, milk, sugar, baking powder, egg, oil, and Quark. Roll the dough into a sheet, cut out the Osterhasen (Easter bunnies), brush with an egg wash, and bake in a 350˚F (180˚C) oven until set.
To finish, brush the Quarkhasen lightly with melted butter and top with either vanilla sugar or cinnamon sugar for a sweet addition to Easter brunch or as an afternoon treat. They are especially perfect alongside coffee, tea, or hot chocolate.
Quark
Quark (translates to curds in German) is a fresh, soft, creamy cheese with a cow’s milk base. It can sometimes be found in the specialty cheese or dairy section of larger American grocery stores or markets with Central European ingredients.
Lately, I have been making my own using buttermilk and a yogurt maker. If you do have a variety of quark available, this recipe is best with Magerquark (low-fat Quark).
If you absolutely cannot find Quark or make your own, swap for equal parts 0-2% Greek yogurt. It won’t quite be the same, but will have a similar texture. If the yogurt is too wet, drain in a cheesecloth-covered fine mesh strainer for a few hours in the refrigerator first.
Vanilla Sugar
Vanilla sugar (Vanillezucker) adds a wonderful light vanilla flavor to the dough and topping. You can buy small packets of vanilla sugar in the European section of many larger supermarkets, but it is easy to make at home.
Scrape out the seeds of one vanilla bean and mix well with 2 cups (400 grams) granulated sugar. Store in an airtight container with the scraped out pods. Some use powdered sugar in place of the granulated sugar.
If you do not have vanilla sugar available for the dough, swap for an additional tablespoon (12 grams) granulated sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract.
If you do not have vanilla sugar available for the topping, simply top the bunnies with only cinnamon sugar or use colored sanding sugar for a fun, festive variation.
Forming the Quarkhasen
To shape the Quarkhasen, I used bunny/rabbit cookie cutters. The exact yield will depend on the size of your cutters.
Roll the formed dough out on a floured work surface until about 1/4 inch (6 millimeters) thick, no thinner or they will start to become crisp instead of fluffy. Dip the desired cutters in flour to prevent sticking, and cut out the shapes as close together as possible.
Bring the scraps of dough back together, re-roll, and cut out more shapes to use up as much dough as possible.
If you do not have bunny-shaped cutters, there are also a few variations where you can cut out and form the dough into bunnies. Bake to the Roots uses a round cutter to assemble the bodies and ears.
The dough can also be formed into different shapes for other holidays and celebrations. On St. Martin’s Day, you can make Martinsgänse (St. Martins Geese) or Weckmänner (bun men) and Nikolausmützen (St. Nicholas/Santa hats) are fun during the Advent season.
A Few More Osterhase Tips
I used all-purpose flour as the base for the dough. If using German flour, go with Weizenmehl Type 405.
Do not pack in the flour when measuring or you may end up with too much. To measure flour, gently spoon it into the measuring cup and level with a knife without pressing down. The most accurate way to measure is by weight.
If the dough is too crumbly and just won’t come together after mixing everything thoroughly, add another spoonful of Quark. Give it some time to blend fully with the flour before adding more.
Add just enough flour to create a smooth and workable dough. Too much flour or overworking will cause the bread to become dense.
If the dough is just too sticky to roll out and handle, form into a disc, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for up to 30 minutes.
Bake the cut-out dough just until lightly golden around the edges. Over-baking may cause them to become tough.
Brush the cooled Osterhasen lightly with butter, just enough to allow the sugar to stick to the surface.
These Quarkhasen are best shortly after baking and topping with sugar. The quark baking powder-based dough will start to dry out fairly quickly.
Looking for more Easter bread recipes?
Try my:
- Paashaasbroodjes (Easter Bunny Bread)
- Crescia al Formaggio (Italian Easter Cheese Bread)
- Húsvéti Kalácskoszorú (Hungarian Easter Wreath)
Quarkhasen (German Quark Bunnies) Recipe
Adapted from Einfach Kochen
Quarkhasen (German Quark Bunnies)
Ingredients
Quark-Öl-Teig:
- 3 cups (375 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup (67 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon (12 grams) vanilla sugar or 1 tablespoon (12 grams) granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 2 teaspoons (9 grams) baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Zest from 1 lemon
- 3/4 cup (188 grams) Quark
- 1/3 cup (80 milliliters) sunflower oil
- 1/4 cup (60 milliliters) milk
- 1 large egg
Topping:
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tablespoons (15 milliliters) milk
- 2 tablespoons (30 grams) unsalted butter melted
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon (12 grams) vanilla sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350˚F (180˚C). Line two baking sheets with parchment.
To make the Quark-Öl-Teig:
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, vanilla sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest.
- Make a well in the center and add the Quark, sunflower oil, milk, and egg. Mix together just until combined and a soft, smooth dough forms.
- On a floured surface, roll the dough into a sheet about 1/4 inch (6 millimeters) thick.
- Use floured, bunny-shaped cookie cutters to cut out shapes in the dough and transfer the shapes to the parchment-lined baking sheets at least 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) apart.
- Bring together the remaining scraps of dough and re-roll and cut to form more shapes.
To bake:
- In a small bowl, beat together the egg yolk and 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) milk to combine.
- Brush the egg milk mixture over the tops of the bunny dough pieces and bake in the preheated oven just until puffed and lightly golden around the edges, 12-14 minutes.
- Transfer the bunnies to a wire rack to cool to room temperature.
- In a small bowl, add 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar and stir in the 1 tablespoon (12 grams) vanilla sugar.
- In another bowl, add 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar and stir in the 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon.
- Lightly brush the melted butter over a cooled bunny. Sprinkle either the vanilla sugar mixture or the cinnamon sugar over the top. Repeat with the remaining bunnies.
- Serve the Quarkhasen shortly after assembling and they are best within a day.
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