Instructions

Bunny Rilakkuma:

1. Using the Rilakkuma nori punch, punch out the full design from the nori seaweed. Reserve the nori eyes and nose/mouth.
2. Using the Rilakkuma facial feature cutter, cut out one oval from the white cheese – this will become the white part of Rilakkuma’s face.
3. Pink Rice: In a small bowl, mix beet powder with 1/2 tablespoon warm water until dissolved. Feel free to add more beet powder as needed to achieve desired color. Add your homemade pink dye to the 1/2 cup portion of warm rice, and mix until rice becomes evenly pink in color.
4. Brown Rice: Add soy sauce to the 1/4 cup portion of warm rice, and mix until rice is evenly brown in color. Feel free to add a little more soy sauce if needed.
5. Wet the Rilakkuma rice mold with a damp paper towel, and fill with the brown rice. Note that you only have to fill the mold just under halfway full, and that you can leave the ears completely empty (since we only need the face). Press the rice firmly into the face portion of the mold using the back of a rice paddle or chopstick. Flip the mold upside down over top a sheet of plastic wrap, and gently tap until the shaped rice slides out. Wrap in plastic wrap and smooth out the edges of the face as needed.
6. Wet the rabbit rice mold with a damp paper towel, and fill with the pink rice (reserve about 1 tablespoon of it for the paws). Place the insertable push piece on top, press down on the rice, and remove. Flip the mold upside down over top a sheet of plastic wrap, and gently tap until the shaped rice slides out.
7. Add half of the remaining pink rice to a small square of plastic wrap, and wrap completely. Begin forming a tiny ball by squishing the rice together and then rolling it around in the palm of your hand or between your fingers. Once smooth, wrap in plastic wrap and repeat with remaining pink rice to create a second paw.
8. Using either the back of a rice paddle or your clean, damp hands, gently form an indent in the middle of the bunny face, where Rilakkuma’s head will go. Aim to make the indent the same size and depth as the Rilakkuma head. Place the Rilakkuma head into the indent, and press it down and smooth out the surrounding rice as necessary, until it looks as if Rilakkuma is wearing a bunny costume (it’s okay if the head sticks out a tiny bit).
9. Optional: Wrap the entire Rilakkuma bunny head in plastic wrap, and, using your finger(s), carefully separate the two bunny ears until there is a bit of space in between them.
10. Using tweezers, apply the white cheese oval onto the middle of Rilakkuma’s face. (Feel free to use a little honey or mayo to help it stick better.) Add the nori eyes on either side of the cheese oval, and the nori nose/mouth right on top of the cheese oval. I recommend looking at a Rilakkuma picture for reference as you decorate.
11. Break off two small pieces from the uncooked spaghetti noodle, and insert one into each pink rice paw. Place the two rice paws at the bottom of the bunny suit, close to the middle, and gently push them into the rice like you would a pushpin. (Here’s a video demonstrating how to use spaghetti like an edible pushpin.)
12. Optional: Using the carrot cutter located on the rabbit food cutter, cut out a single carrot from the carrot slice. Use the carrot top cutter (also located on the rabbit food cutter) to cut out a carrot top from white cheese. Color the cheese green using a green edible food marker. Place the colored green carrot top onto the orange carrot, then place the entire carrot in between Rilakkuma’s paws. You can use some leafy greens or small veggies to help prop it up from underneath.

Bunny Kiiroitori:

1. Using the Rilakkuma nori punch, punch out the full design from the nori, reserving the nori eyes (you can discard the other pieces) – these will become Kiiroitori’s eyes.
2. To make Kiioritori’s tiny nostrils, take a square or rectangular piece of nori and, using scissors, cut off the very tip of two corners. The nori pieces should resemble tiny dots. (See Recipe Notes for how to make the nostrils using a nori punch.)
3. Using the Rilakkuma facial feature cutter, cut out 2 smalls ovals from the orange cheese – these will be used to make Kiiroitori’s beak. Using only half of the small oval cutter, cut one of the cheese ovals into a thin crescent moon shape – this will form the bottom portion of the beak.
4. Optional: Using the winking face nori punch, punch out the full design twice from the nori, reserving the two “winking” eye pieces – these will become Kiiroitori’s feet.
5. Using the small circle food cutter, carefully cut a shallow circle into the middle of one hard-boiled egg, making sure to only cut into the white portion. Remove the cutter, and gently peel the circular piece of egg white off – if done correctly, it should peel off cleanly, revealing the yolk.
6. Cut the second hard-boiled egg in half, and scoop out the egg yolk into a small bowl (reserve the egg whites). Add a dollop of mayonnaise to the egg yolk, and mix and mash with a fork until a smooth yellow paste has formed. Feel free to add more mayo to achieve a smoother consistency.
7. Using the small oval food cutter, cut out 2 ovals from the reserved hard-boiled egg whites – these will become the bunny ears for Kiiroitori’s bunny suit.
8. Using a small spoon, carefully add the mashed egg yolk mixture into the circular “hole” you made in the first egg. Spread and smooth it out (either with a spoon, chopstick, or knife) until the entire “hole” is filled and looks like one solid yellow circle.
9. Using tweezers, add the orange cheese “beak” to the middle of the egg yolk circle (place the oval cheese piece on top, and the crescent moon-shaped piece directly underneath it). Add the two nori “nostrils” on top of the oval piece. Place the nori eyes on either side of the beak. Optional: Place the nori feet onto the egg white portion just below the yellow yolk circle. I highly recommend using a Kiiroitori image as reference while you decorate.
10. Break two small pieces off the uncooked spaghetti noodle, and carefully insert them into the bottom of each egg white “bunny ear”. Gently insert the “bunny ears” into the top of the Kiiroitori egg, pushing them in like you would a pushpin, until fully inserted and secure. (Here’s a video demonstrating how to use spaghetti like an edible pushpin.)