Marshmallow Filled Chocolate Eggs (GFCF)

3 envelopes of unflavored gelatin

2 cups of sugar

2/3 cup of white corn syrup

gfcf chocolate chips

Make marshmallows according to this recipe.

The next day, turn marshmallows out and cut with an egg-shaped cookie cutter.

Melt chocolate chips. Coat marshmallow eggs in chocolate. Turn out on a parchment lined cookie sheet or tray. Sprinkle with Easter sprinkles, if desired. Put in refrigerator to harden.

Save the leftover pieces of marshmallows and use as you would regular marshmallows.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Filled Chocolate Eggs

½ cup soft butter
¾ cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cups flour
2 teaspoons milk
½ cup powdered sugar
½ cup mini chocolate chips

In large bowl cream together butter and brown sugar. Add vanilla, salt, flour, milk and powdered sugar. Mix until well combined, add chocolate chips.
Scoop dough into 1 inch + balls and shape into eggs on a parchment paper lined pan.
Freeze for at least 2 hours.
After 2 hours, melt the chocolate almond bark according to the package.
Dip each frozen egg into the chocolate, shake off extra and put on parchment paper, let dry.

Makes 16-18

Easy Homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Eggs

1 cup creamy peanut butter
¼ cup butter-melted
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
Dash of salt
2 cups powdered sugar
about 10-12 oz. chocolate or chocolate chips 

Stir together peanut butter, melted butter, brown sugar, vanilla and a dash of salt, just to combine.
Gradually mix in powdered sugar.
Line a tray with parchment paper. Using your hands, shape into eggs and place them on the tray. If it is too soft to mold, you can place in refrigerator or freezer until firmed up a bit. 

Once molded, place them in the freezer for 45-60 minutes.
Melt the chocolate and line another tray with parchment paper.
Using a fork, dip each egg into melted chocolate to cover completely. Gently tap the fork to drip of the excess of chocolate. Place chocolate covered eggs on the parchment paper lined tray. Refrigerate until chocolate has set.
Store in the fridge or freeze for longer storage.

Makes about 16-18 eggs.

source: modified slightly from the recipe at Oh My Goodness Chocolate Desserts

Ambrosia Salad

1 can pineapple tidbits, drained
1 can mandarin oranges, drained
1 jar marischino cherries,  drained
2 oz. Coconut flakes
1/4 bag mini marshmallows
2 oz. Sour cream
8 oz. Cool Whip

Cream together sour cream and Cool Whip. Fold in the rest of the ingredients. Chill at least 2 hours before serving.

Easter Recipes from Household Ways

Nest Bread

Resurrection Rolls

Soft Bavarian Pretzels

Bunny Buns

Hot Cross Buns

Classic Waldorf Salad

• 3 medium size ribs celery thinly sliced
• 3 large Gala apples, unpeeled, quartered, cored, and cut into 1/4 inch dice
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup walnut or pecan pieces
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise, prepared or homemade
• 1/2 teaspoon celery seed salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  
  
  In a large bowl, toss together all the ingredients. Refrigerate 1 hour.
  
  
  source: modified from All Vegetable Recipes

Nest Bread for Easter

I found this recipe on Catholic Cuisine, which was posted by Waltzing Matilda. It is a variation of St. Lucia bread.

1 1/2 cups milk
2 1/4-ounce packages active dry yeast
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
6 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
2 large eggs
1/4 cup orange juice
optional- 1 tea. orange extract
1 tablespoon finely grated orange rind
1 teaspoon salt
5 1/2 to 6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
5-6 RAW colored eggs
2 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
2 1/2 to 3 1/2 tablespoons orange juice


Warm the milk in a small saucepan, then pour 1/2 cup of it into a large bowl. Add the yeast and 1 tablespoon of the sugar and let it set for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, melt the butter in the remaining milk. Add the butter and milk mixture to the yeast mixture. Whisk in the eggs, juice, extract, 1/4 cup of sugar, orange rind, and salt.
Stir in the flour, 1 cup at a time, until the dough can be gathered into a ball. Knead the dough on a floured surface for 10 minutes, adding more flour until the dough is smooth and elastic and does not stick to your hands.
Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, turning it once to coat it. Loosely cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
Punch down the dough and divide it into 5 or 6 equal parts. Roll each part into three ropes and braid the ropes together, Then, shape the dough into small braided rounds like a round nest, pinching together the ends to form a circle. Nestle an egg in the middle of the nest. The eggs must be raw eggs that have been colored in non-toxic food coloring. The egg will cook along with the bread and can be eaten as well. Some of the food coloring will bleed onto the bread which is why you want to make sure you use a non-toxic coloring substance. Transfer the rounds to a greased baking sheet and then place in the fridge overnight on Holy Saturday night. That will stall the second rise. When you are ready to bake on Easter morning, let the dough have a short second rise in a warm oven of about 30 minutes. Remove pans and heat the oven to 375°. Bake the bread for 25 minutes or until golden brown, then let it cool on a wire rack for about 30 minutes.
For the glaze, stir together the confectioner's sugar and orange juice in a medium bowl until smooth. Drizzle the glaze mix over the bread. You can also sprinkle with colored sugar, if desired.

Resurrection Rolls

We made Resurrection Rolls. I have seen these so many places, I can't begin to give credit to the appropriate person.
You will need crescent rolls, cinnamon sugar, marshmallows and confectioner's sugar or honey.

To make them, take crescent rolls, sprinkle with some cinnamon sugar...

and put a marshmallow inside and roll the dough all around, making sure that the dough covers all the marshmallow.

Put it on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, and then turn off the oven and let them rest in the oven for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile you can tell or read from the Bible the story of Christ's body being laid in a tomb and when the stone was rolled back, the tomb was empty.

Once you take them out of the oven, sprinkle with a little powdered sugar.

When you give them out, they will quickly see that the rolls are light...

and empty inside.

Just like Jesus' tomb.
Happy Easter!

Bavarian Soft Prezels

From Local Breads: Sourdough and Whole-Grain Recipes from Europe's Best Artisan Bakers by Daniel Leader
History of Pretzels here.

Yields 8 pretzels.

3 1/4 cups unbleached bread flour
3 tbs unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups tepid water
1 tsp instant yeast
2 1/4 tsp sea salt
1/3 cup baking soda for boiling
Kosher salt and/or sesame seeds for topping


In a large bowl, mix flour and butter and work butter into the dough with your fingers until evenly distributed. Add water and mix until absorbed, then add the salt to one side of the dough and yeast to the other side and work in both. Turn the dough out onto a floured counter top and kneed for 10 to 12 minutes until firm and smooth. Round dough into a ball and allow to rise, covered, in a oiled bowl at room temperature until light and springy, about 1 hour (it won’t double in size.)
Place the dough on a lightly floured counter top and from into a rectangle. Use a knife to cut into 8 equal pieces, form each piece into a ball, and allow to rest covered for about 5 minutes. Roll out each piece with your hands until it is about 18 inches long, tapering the ends slightly. To form the pretzels, grab hold of each end and cross the left end over the right with the looped portion nearest you. Now create a twist by crossing top piece under.

 Finally, lift the twisted ends and flip them over onto the loop. Press the ends down to seal.
Place the pretzels on a oiled baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 2-24 hours.

When you are ready to make the pretzels, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add the baking soda slowly and turn the heat down to a simmer. Place the pretzels into the boiling water one at a time, simmering on each side for 15 to 20 seconds. Remove from the water, draining well and return to the oiled baking sheet. Repeat until all pretzels are boiled. They will swell a little as the heat makes the yeast rise.

Sprinkle pretzels with kosher salt and/or sesame seeds and bake until they are a rich brown, about 35 minutes. Enjoy warm or at room temperature with a good mustard. They are best fresh.

Bunny Buns

recipe from Mommy's Kitchen

1 - (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 1/2 - cups warm water (110 degrees F)
3 1/4 - cups all-purpose flour
1/2 of regular box (18.5 oz) cake mix (approx 1 1/4 cups)
1/4 cup butter, softened to brush on baked rolls
Cinnamon Sugar
Colored Easter Sprinkles
You will also need for the icing, if desired
2 - cups powdered sugar
2 - tablespoons milk
1/2 - teaspoon vanilla extract
1 - teaspoon butter, softened
2 drops red food coloring

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. Stir in the flour and cake mix. Beat until dough is smooth. Add some flour on the counter and knead any additional flour into the dough. Knead until it is no longer sticky. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes - 1 hour. Punch down the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface.
Roll dough into a long rectangle 1/2-inch thick. Cut dough into strips 1/2-inch wide and 14-inches long.  Reserve 1-2 of the strips to cut into pieces about 1/2-inch long and roll into small balls, to use for bunny tails.

photo from Mommy's Kitchen

Place one long piece of dough on parchment paper or a greased baking sheet. Place one end of the strip over the other to make a loop; bring the end that is underneath up and cross it over the other end. Place a ball of dough on top of the bottom loop, to be the tail.

Brush the bunnies with melted butter and sprinkle on a mixture of cinnamon and sugar.

Cover the bunnies with plastic wrap that has been sprayed with baking spray. Allow the rolls to rise in a warm place for 45-60 minutes, until nearly double in size. Remove plastic wrap and bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

Let cool and then brush on simple icing and add holiday sprinkles to the plain rolls. Just add the simple icing to the cinnamon ones.

Simple Icing
2 - cups powdered sugar
2 - tablespoons milk
1/2 - teaspoon vanilla extract
1 - teaspoon butter, softened
to make it pink, you will need to add 2 drops of liquid food coloring

Stir the powdered add the butter and blend with a fork. Add the milk and the vanilla extract and mix until you have the consistency of a pourable glaze. Brush on the glaze while the bunnies are still warm. Add colored sprinkles.

Hot Cross Buns For Easter

with just raisins

with fruitcake fruit mix

1 cup milk
2 tablespoons yeast
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
4 eggs
5 cups flour
1 1/3 cups currants, raisins and/or fruitcake mix fruit
1 egg white

Glaze
1 1/3 cups confectioner's sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped lemon zest
1/2 teaspoons lemon extract
1- 2 tablespoons milk

In a small saucepan, heat milk to very warm, but not hot (110°F if using a candy thermometer). Fit an electric mixer with a dough hook. Pour warm milk in the bowl of mixer and sprinkle yeast over. Mix to dissolve and let sit for 5 minutes.
With mixer running at low speed, add sugar, salt, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg and eggs. Gradually add flour, dough will be wet and sticky, and continue kneading with dough hook until smooth, about 5 minutes. Detach bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let the dough "rest" for 30-45 minutes.

Return bowl to mixer and knead until smooth and elastic, for about 3 more minutes. Add currants or raisins and knead until well mixed. At this point, dough will still be fairly wet and sticky. Shape dough in a ball, place in a buttered dish, cover with plastic wrap and let rise overnight in the refrigerator. Excess moisture will be absorbed by the morning.

Let dough sit at room temperature for about a half-hour. Line a large baking pan (or pans) with parchment paper (you could also lightly grease a baking pan, but parchment works better). Divide dough into 24 equal pieces (in half, half again, etc., etc.). Shape each portion into a ball and place on baking sheet, about 1/2 inch apart. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

In the meantime, pre-heat oven to 400° F. When buns have risen, take a sharp or serrated knife and carefully slash buns with a cross. Brush them with egg white and place in oven. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350° F, then bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack. Whisk together glaze ingredients, and spoon over buns in a cross pattern. Serve warm, if possible.