Easter is around the corner, and that means spring colors are coming back to make people smile! Spring colors appear in many different things including delicious Easter desserts. These three Easter treats are sure to get you in the festive spirit. The flavors range from sweet marshmallow to crunchy carrots!
Rice Krispie Treat
A colorful spin on a classic dessert!
Ingredients
1/3 cup unsalted butter
A pinch of salt
12 ounce bag of marshmallows
5 1/2 cups Lucky Charms cereal
Instructions
Grease a 9 x 9 pan with cooking spray and set aside.
In a large pot over medium heat, melt the butter.
Add the marshmallows and salt and stir with a rubber spatula,
scraping down the sides to make sure the marshmallows don’t burn.
As soon as the marshmallows are melted, remove from the heat immediately.
Add the Lucky Charms cereal, folding to coat the cereal completely.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan, pressing down into an even layer.
Place in the fridge to set for at least 20 minutes. Once set, use a sharp knife to cut the treats into 12 rectangles.
Mini Carrot Cake
An unexpected tasty treat!
Ingredients
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup neutral oil, (such as avocado, grape seed oil or vegetable oil)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/3 cup buttermilk, shaken
1 1/4 cups grated carrots
3/4 cup roughly chopped walnuts
Ingredients for Frosting
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
5 ounces cream cheese frosting, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups and 6 tablespoons powdered sugar, divided
2 teaspoons heavy cream
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8×8-inch baking pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and ginger. Set the dry mixture aside.
In the bowl of a stand-up mixer, with the paddle attachment, add the butter, neutral oil, white sugar and brown sugar; beat until nice and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Crack in the eggs; beat until combined.
Alternating between the buttermilk and the dry mix, add them to the butter mixture, until just combined. Lastly, add the carrots and walnuts and mix until thoroughly distributed throughout the batter. Grab a spatula and scrape the bottom of the bowl just to make sure there aren’t any flour pockets.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and transfer to the oven to bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
Allow to cool in the pan for about 5 to 10 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool before adding the frosting.
Instructions for Frosting
Cube up butter. In a small saucepan, set over medium heat, add the cubed butter.
Once it’s melted, it will begin to foam up and bubble a bit. Allow it to cook until you begin to see lightly browned specks beginning to form. Give it a stir and cook until it’s browned. You should also start to smell its nutty aroma. Pour it in a freezer-safe bowl and stir to cool it down.
Transfer it to the freezer to chill, for about 10 minutes. We want it to be around room temperature butter. After it gets to that room temperature butter-firmness, transfer it to the bowl of a stand-up mixer (or bowl using an electric mixer). Add the cream cheese and beat until smooth.
Sift in the 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar and add the vanilla extract, salt and heavy cream. Beat the frosting for about 3 minutes. The fluffiness from the heavy cream really lightens up this frosting so be sure to beat it for the full 2 minutes. If the frosting is too loose, feel free to transfer it to the fridge to chill for about 10 minutes. Then beat it one last time.
Cadbury Egg Blondies
A candy filled yummy dessert!
Ingredients
½ Cup Butter, melted and cooled to room temp
¾ Cup Brown Sugar
¼ Cup Sugar
1 Egg, large
1 ½ teaspoons Vanilla Extract
¾ teaspoon Almond Extract
1 ½ Cups Flour
1 teaspoon Cornstarch
¼ teaspoon Baking Powder
½ teaspoon Baking Soda
¾ teaspoon Salt
½ Cup Cadbury Mini Eggs
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray an 8×8 baking pan with nonstick spray to help hold the parchment in place. Line the pan with parchment paper and press into the edges.
Cream together melted butter, brown sugar, and sugar for about 3 minutes or until light and fluffy.
Add egg, vanilla and almond extract and mix until combined.
Fold in flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Fold in the Cadbury Eggs and press into the pan. Bake for 18-20 minutes.
They will set up more out of the oven. Cool completely then cut into squares.
