Easter is here and we've searched out some of the yummiest Easter recipes for you to try over the long weekend - a mix of adult only and child friendly to keep everyone happy, enjoy!
Easter Hot Chocolate (Child Friendly)
Ingredients:
- 200ml milk
- 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 100g hollow chocolate egg (milk or dark) broken into small pieces
- 2 tbsp whipped cream
- 25g mini chocolate eggs, sugar coated buttons, more chocolate eggs etc., broken into small pieces
- 1 tbsp mini marshmallows
Method: Heat milk and cocoa in a small pan or in the microwave, until steaming. Tip the chocolate egg pieces into a warmed up mug, then pour in the hot milk and stir for 30 seconds or until melted.
Garnish: Top with cream, sprinkle over the mini eggs or broken egg pieces and marshmallows to serve.
Recipe: BBCgoodfood
Cadbury Creme Egg Cocktail (Adults Only)
Ingredients:
- 45ml Vanilla flavoured vodka
- 15ml Licor 43 Original Liqueur
- 15ml Dutch Cacao white creme de cacao
- 15ml Warninks Advocaat Liqueur
- 15ml Single creme / half-and-half
Serve in: A coupe glass or similar.
Garnish: Prep the glass - Melt a few squares of dark chocolate in a plate and then dip the rim of the glass into the melted chocolate to coat. Coat the rim of the glass with chocolate. Finishing touches - once you've poured the drink, grate chocolate over the surface and add half a Cadbury's Creme Egg skewered on a stick.
How to make: Shake all of the ingredients with ice and fine strain into a chilled glass.
Tips: It is best to cut the Cadbury's Creme Egg straight out of the fridge and use a metal cocktail stick that has been heated in water.
Recipe: Difford's Guide
Easter Cocktail or Mocktail (Adult Only & Child Friendly Versions)
Ingredients:
- 72ml White creme de cacao
- 36ml Caramel Kiss vodka
- 36ml Chocolate vodka
- 36ml Heavy cream
- Caramel sauce
- Chocolate
- Sprinkles
- Marshmallow Peeps
Garnish the rim of the glass: Poor a circle of chocolate syrup or melted chocolate onto a plate. Press the top edge of a martini glass into the chocolate. Pour colourful sprinkles on a plate and press the chocolate rimmed glass into the garnish.
How to make: In a cocktail shaker fill halfway with ice, add the 360 chocolate vodka, caramel kiss vodka, creme de cocoa and heavy cream. Close the shaker and vigorously shake for at least 30 seconds. Add the caramel drizzle to the inside of the prepped glass and strain the cocktail over top.
Mocktail: Prep the glass, as described in the garnish section. Use extra caramel in the bottom of the glass. Pour milk into the glass and add extra sprinkles on top of the drink.
Recipe: Savoring the Good
Swirled Easter Brownies (for everyone)
Ingredients:
- 150 g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
- 50 g dark muscovado sugar
- 0.5 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp cornflour
- 4 medium free range eggs
- 200 g creamy soft cheese
- 225 g light muscovado sugar
- 75 g plain flour
- 90 g Mini Eggs
- 150 g butter, plus extra for greasing
Instructions: Preheat oven to 180oC/350oF/gas mark 4. Melt chocolate in heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. For the cheesecake mixture, in a new bowl beat together the dark muscovado sugar, vanilla extract, cornflour and 1 egg. Gently stir in the cream cheese until combined. In a bowl, beat the remained 3 eggs. Stir in the melted chocolate with the lightmuscovado sugar and flour. Spoon half of the mix into the tin. Then drop small spoonfuls of the cheesecake mixture. Spoon over the remaining chocolate mixture. Use a skewer or stick to lightly swirl the top. Bake for 15 minutes. Scatter over the mini eggs and return to bake for a final 15 - 20 minutes, until ready. Set aside to cool before cutting into squares.
Recipe: Love Food
Chocolate truffle egg box (for everyone)
Ingredients
- 150ml double cream
- 100g dark chocolate, chopped into small bits
- 100g milk chocolate, chopped into small bits
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 50g chopped hazelnut (or other coatings of your choice)
You'll also need:
- Mini paper cases
- empty egg boxes
- ribbon (optional)
Method:
Step 1 - Gently heat the cream in a pan. When hot, remove from the pan and leave to stand for 1 minute. Add the dark and milk chocolate pieces to the pan, and stir until melted and smooth. Pour the mixture into a bowl and chill in the fridge until firm.
Step 2 - when the chocolate is firm, use 2 teaspoons to scoop out 12 walnut sized truffles. Roll half the truffles in the cocoa powder and the other half in hazelnuts. Place the truffles in mini paper cases and pop into egg boxes. Tie box with ribbon (for a gift).
Recipe: BBCgoodfood
Hot Cross Buns (for everyone)
Ingredients:
Super Booster
- 1.25 cups high grade/strong flour
- 1.5 cups milk
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 3 tsp active dried yeast
Fruit
- 1.5 cups raisins, sultanas, chopped apricots or a mixture
- Zest and juice of 2 oranges
Dough
- 3 cups high grade/strong flour
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp mixed spice
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 0.5 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp salt
- 50g butter, chilled
- Super Booster (above)
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
Glaze
- 0.5 cup sugar
- 0.33 cup reserved fruit liquid from above fruit (add water if needed)
Crosses
- 0.5 cup flour
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 3-4 tbsp water
- 0.5 tsp baking powder
Preparation time 30 minutes, plus 3 - 4 hours rising. Cooking time 17-20 minutes.
Method:
Fruit - Heat the orange juice and zest in a small pan until hot. Add the fruit to a bowl or resealable bag and pour the orange liquid in. Seal/cover and leave for at least an hour or overnight. Drain the fruit before using, reserving the liquid for later.
Super Booster - Add the first measure of flour into a large mixing bowl. Add the milk to a heatproof bowl and microwave in 20 second increments until it reaches skin temperature ~ 32oC. If it gets too warm let it cool down to skin temperature before using. Add the sugar and yeast and whisk gently for 20 seconds or so. Make a well in the flour and pour in the milk mixture, stirring to combine. Cover with a clean damp cloth or plastic bag and leave somewhere draft-free and warm/room temperature (it will take longer to rise in a cooler room) until it doubles in size.
Dough - Once the Super Booster has risen, in a separate large metal/plastic mixing bowl, add the second measure of flour, sugar, spices and salt and stir. Bowl needs to be big enough for dough to double in size. Finely chop the chilled butter and add to the flour mixture along with the Super Booster mixture and egg. Stir with a wooden spoon to bring it all together into a rough dough. Tip it out onto a clean benchtop. Start to knead (it will be sticky at first and dough will stick to your hands, you can rub flour on your hands to clean them, but don't add too much flour - a stickier dough produces better buns). Keep kneading until the dough stops sticking to your hands and the surface. You can use a dough scraper. Knead firmly for 10 minutes until dough is smooth and stretchy. Once ready, leave it to sit for 5 - 10 minutes before adding in the fruit. Tip the drained fruit onto the benchtop, squash the dough on top and knead it together for another minute or so (it might get slippery but will knead back into a sticky dough). Put the dough back in the mixing bowl, cover with a plastic bag and leave to rise again in a draft free place for an hour or two until doubled in size. Next tip the dough onto the clean benchtop and divide into 16 even pieces (you can weigh them). Roll each firmly until you have a smooth ball. Place the balls 1 - 2cm apart on a lined baking sheet in cold oven with bowl of boiled water and leave to rise again for another hour or two until they are bun size (they won't rise again when they cook), don't worry if they touch/stick together, they should. Preheat the oven to 180oC (not fan), but don't add the buns until you've done the crosses.
Crosses - Only do this before you pipe it onto the buns. Stir flour, baking powder, water and sugar together with a fork to form a smooth paste. Add mixture to a piping bag with a smooth round nozzle (or snap lock bag with a tiny corner cut off). Pipe thin crosses on top of each bun. Bake immediately in the middle of the oven for about 20 minutes or until dark golden brown all over. You can turn the oven up to 200oC for a couple of minutes towards the end if they aren't browning.
Glaze - Use the reserved fruit liquid and add water if needed to make 0.33 cup of liquid total. Add this to a heatproof bowl with the sugar. Microwave on high for 1 minute then whisk to dissolve the sugar. Brush on top of the buns as soon as they come out of the oven.
Recipe: Chelsea Winter
