By Guest Blogger Kristen Bagwell
Happy Easter everyone! If you know me, you know that I am not a crafty person. At all. However, if there is frosting involved, I’ll try almost anything once…and with that said, I am inspired to try some adorable Easter treat ideas.
There are about 100 different (and very cute) ways to do cupcakes, many of them found here. Today’s blog photo is from my mom’s cookbook called Hello, Cupcake! by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson. You don’t necessarily need a recipe though – most of these you can look at and copy on your own.
My one concession to “all things sweet” on Easter is a deviled egg. If you are making hard boiled eggs to decorate, you can easily boil a few extra for the recipes I’ve included at bottom. Time to get cooking (and snacking!)
The cupcake ideas are probably my favorite, and possibly the easiest to do with the kids. Top with frosting, then let the kids make nests out of edible easter grass and add candy eggs. If you want to be really simple, stick a Peep on top and call it a day. If you like coconut, frost your cupcake and then sprinkle coconut on top for a furry easter bunny face, and decorate the face accordingly. (This will make your cupcake appear to be looking up at you, which is kind of fun.) There is another photo that turns a cupcake into a sheep made almost entirely with tiny, tiny marshmellows. If anyone figures this one out, please let me know.
Here’s another fun idea that’s kind of different, or else I just need to get out more…have you ever heard of cake pops? I had not until I received my Kroger Easter special coupon booklet last week, complete with yummy recipes. One of their readers shared a cake pop recipe, which basically consists of mixing crumbled cake with frosting, molding into a ball, dipping in candy coating, and inserting a lollipop stick in the bottom. Then decorate however you want!
Egg Pops
This is the most obvious idea (and the only one I came up with on my own…lack of craftiness is showing, isn’t it?). However, I searched “Easter cake pops” online and there are tons of eggs, bunnies, sheep, and more. And how cute is this little chick? A baker named Bakerella is given credit for the creation of cake pops on every website I found. Her original recipe is below:
Ingredients
• 1 box cake mix (cook as directed on box for 13 X 9 cake)
• 1 can frosting (16 oz.)
• Wax paper
• Candy Melts (choose your favorite color)
• 1 lbs. of lollipop sticks
Instructions
1. After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into large bowl.
2. Mix thoroughly with 1 can frosting. (I use the back of a large spoon, but it may be easier to use fingers to mix together. But, be warned, it will get messy. Also, you may not need the entire can of frosting, so start out by using almost the entire can and add more if you need to.)
3. Roll mixture into quarter size balls and place on wax paper covered cookie sheet. (Should make 45-50)
4. Melt chocolate in the microwave per directions on package. (30 sec intervals, stirring in between.)
5. Dip the tip of your lollipop stick in a little of the melted candy coating and insert into the cake balls. (Insert a little less than halfway.)
6. Place them in the freezer for a little while to firm up.
7. Once firm, carefully insert the cake ball into the candy coating by holding the lollipop stick and rotating until covered. Once covered remove and softly tap and rotate until the excess chocolate falls off. Don’t tap too hard or the cake ball will fall off, too.
8. Place in a Styrofoam block to dry.
9. Once dry, draw faces with an edible ink pen and allow ink to dry!
If you want to decorate with sprinkles, etc, stick those on at step 8. To coat the pop entirely in sprinkles, colored sugar, etc, dip in candy coating (step 7) and then quickly roll the sticky pop in the sprinkles. Adorable and fun for the kids as well.
Whoopie pies
This is another sure hit, and the cookie version is simple! Make Easter Bunnies by baking chocolate chip or another favorite cookie, and let them cool. Spread frosting between 2 cookies to make the sandwich part. Cut a 3rd cookie in half and fit into the top of the cookie in the frosting to stick out like ears. (These will need to be served lying down, by the way.) Frost the ears with pink frosting and add in white chocolate drops or mini marshmellows on top to make the ear centers. On top of the cookie sandwich, dot white icing and add chocolate chips for eyes, and a pink frosting and marshmellow nose. Then draw on a mouth and whiskers with a small tube of decorator (writing) frosting.
You could also cut sugar cookies into egg shapes, make frosting “sandwiches,” and decorate the tops like Easter eggs. A very traditional cookie sandwich idea is similar: make sugar cookie cutouts in the shape you desire, and cut a small “window” shape in the center of half the cookies. Bake, let cool, and then spread frosting or jam on the bottom cookies. Top with the “window” cookies and let the filling show through the shape. Yum!
Finally, as promised, no Easter party is complete without deviled eggs. It actually never occurs to me to eat deviled eggs except on Easter; I think that’s the only time my mom was ever inspired to make them. Take your choice from the two recipes below. (I recommend the pickle version but both are delish.)
Classic deviled eggs
6 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and cut lengthwise
¼ cup Light Mayonnaise or Salad Dressing
½ teaspoon dry ground mustard
½ teaspoon white vinegar
1/8 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Paprika for garnish
Pop out (remove) the egg yolks to a small bowl and mash with a fork. Add mayonnaise, mustard powder, vinegar, salt and pepper and mix thoroughly. Fill the empty egg white shells with the mixture and sprinkle lightly with paprika.
Cover lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to one day before serving.
Deviled eggs with pickle relish
6 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and cut lengthwise
3 tablespoons Light Mayonnaise or Salad Dressing
1½ tablespoons finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Paprika for garnish
Pop out (remove) the egg yolks to a small bowl and mash with a fork. Add the mayonnaise, onion, relish, dijon mustard, salt and pepper and mix thoroughly. Fill the empty egg white shells with the mixture and sprinkle lightly with paprika.
Cover lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to one day before serving.
What are some of your favorite Easter treats or dishes? Leave a comment below and inspire us!
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