Cooking with Tammy Kelly: Fun Foods for Easter Snacks
Easter is a great Holiday for making fun snacks with kids, there are many cute ways to serve up Easter Bunny specials. Whether you are planning a family dinner, school party or just fun at home in the list below you will even find some cute Easter treats for school as well as some easy (and even some healthy!) treats that your kids can make themselves.
Easter Carrot Cheeseball
2 8-oz packages light cream cheese, room temperature
3 stalks green onion chopped
1 Tbsp. light mayonnaise
1 tsp. white vinegar
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. ground mustard
1/2 tsp. garlic salt California seasoning blend
Finely shredded cheddar cheese
Bundle of parsley
Mix all ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Form a large triangle in the shape of a carrot on a large plate.
Trim parsley so it's the length desired. Push parsley bundle into the top of the cheese ball to make the greens on a carrot. Now, cover the ball with cheddar cheese and pat down so it adheres.
Serve with crackers and veggie sticks. Enjoy!
Carrot Top Crescent Rolls
8 Crescent rolls
8-oz Cream cheese
1/4 Cup chopped chives
1/4 Cup chopped parsley
Sprigs of fresh parsley
Grated lemon peel & salt (to taste)
Wrap crescent rolls around tin foil shaped in a cone to create a space for the filling. Spray the cones with non-stick spray before wrapping.
Bake 7-9 minutes until golden brown. Cool completely before removing foil.
In a bowl, mix cream cheese, chopped parsley and chives, lemon, and salt.
Use pipe or spoon to fill each crescent roll and top it all off with sprigs of parsley.
Easter Pudding Parfaits
1 box pistachio pudding (4 serving size)
2 cups milk
¼ crushed Oreo cookies (or vanilla wafers or graham crackers)
¼ cup coconut
1 to 2 drops green dye
4 small chocolate bunnies (homemade or purchased)
Gold pearl dust (optional)
12 Whoppers Mini Robin Eggs (or other small egg shaped candy)
Make chocolate bunnies using mold if making homemade. (Can be prepared days in advance.) Brush with gold dust, if desired.
Add 1 tablespoon crushed cookies to bottom of four small (5 to 6 oz) parfait dishes.
Prepare pudding according to package directions.
Pour evenly into dishes before it has a chance to set.
Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes, up to 4 hours.
In Ziploc bag, and coconut and one or two drops of green dye.
Seal and shake until fully coated.
Before serving, top each parfait with 1 tablespoon of green coconut, chocolate bunnies and three Mini Whopper Robin Eggs. Serves 4.
Deviled Egg Chicks
(These are so precious, but not the easiest treat to make)
12 hard-boiled eggs
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
Mini chocolate chips or peppercorns for the eyes
Orange bell peppers or small carrot pieces for the beak
Peel and wash the eggs. Use a v shaped tool, like a straw cut down the middle and folded, to cut a jagged top off of each egg.
Cut a flat bottom on each egg. Cut off the smallest amount of egg white to make a flat surface.
Carefully remove the yolks and put them into a bowl.
Add the remaining ingredients and stir until smooth. This can be as smooth or lumpy as you prefer.
Scoop or pipe the filling back (piping is the easiest, you can use a zip lock bag with the tip cut out) into the eggs, piling it up as high as needed to make a face on each egg. Put the tops back on the eggs, making sure there's room for a face.
Add the eyes and beak.
Serves 12, each serving contains; Calories 120, Carbohydrates 1g., Protein 6g., Fat 10g., Cholesterol 189mg., Sodium 201mg., Fiber 1g.
Super Simple Peeps S’Mores
8 graham crackers
1 (15.25 ounce) chocolate cake mix
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
16 Peeps
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 9×13″ pan with aluminum foil. Lightly spray with baking spray.*
Lay the graham crackers in the bottom of the pan, forming a single layer.
In a mixing bowl, stir together cake mix, eggs and oil. Spread over the graham crackers.
Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and place Peeps over the chocolate layer.
Return to oven for 5-6 minutes.
Cool before removing from pan and cutting into bars. Yields 14.
Easter Bunny Trail Mix
1 cup Froot Loops cereal
2 cups mini twists pretzels
1 cup peanuts
1 cup pastel M&M’s
1 cup pastel colored marshmallows
Mix all of the ingredients together and enjoy!
Makes 6 cups of trail mix
Store leftovers in an airtight container.
Serves 12, each serving contains; Calories 179, Fat 10g., Cholesterol 4mg., Sodium 224mg., Carbohydrates 20g., Finer 3g., Protein 5g., Sugar 6g.
Chocolate Chip Easter Egg Nests
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups chocolate chips
Mini eggs
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly spray 2 muffin pans with cooking spray and set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.
Mix in the vanilla and eggs, one at a time, until fully combined.
In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda and salt. Slowly mix into the butter mixture until fully incorporated.
Fold in the chocolate chips.
Using a cookie scoop, divide the batter into the prepared pans and press down in the center with your thumb or the back of a spoon. Bake in the preheated oven for 13-15 minutes, or until the top is golden.
Allow the cookies to rest for 1-2 minutes, then press in 3 mini eggs unto the center of each cookie. Allow to sit for around 2-3 additional minutes, then transfer to wire racks.
Fruit Easter Baskets
4 apples
3 cups club soda
4 pieces of licorice, I used red
2 cups diced fruit, I used strawberries, pineapple, kiwi, and blueberries
Start by cutting the top off of an apple. Use an apple corer or a metal spoon to scoop out the insides of the apple out leaving a quarter-inch intact around the outside. (You can dice the apple pieces that you scooped out and add them to the other diced fruit or use it for another purpose.)
Carefully cut two notches into the sides of the apple, about the width of a piece of licorice, directly across from each other, without cutting the peel.
Place the apples in a bowl and fill them with club soda, allowing them to soak for about 3 minutes.
Pour out the club soda and insert the pieces of licorice into the cut-out notches.
Fill the apple baskets with the diced fruit.
Store in the fridge until ready to serve. Makes 4 baskets.
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