Easter recipes

A big favourite with all the family, a great recipe that is vegan, and can be made gluten free to make it fun for everyone.

Ingredients – makes 30 mini cookies

• 200g plant-based margarine, at room temperature
• 90g demerara sugar
• 100g soft brown sugar
• 100ml Egg substitute (Oggs aquafaba for example)
• 365g plain flour
• 1.tsp baking powder
• 150g vegan chocolate mini eggs, cut into 4 or crushed – Doisy & dam as a brand for example
• 60g toasted skinned hazelnuts, crushed.

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 175c
2. Whisk together margarine with sugars until pale and fluffy
3. Stir in egg substitute
4. Fold in flour and baking powder and combine to a smooth dough
5. Gently fold in the hazelnuts and chocolate egg pieces
6. Using a spoon scope out pieces of dough about the size of a 50p coin, roll into little balls and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper, ensure they have at least 4-5cm space around them as they spread when baked
7. Bake for 12-15 mins, until golden and crunchy, the middle should still be slightly soft and chewy.

A delicious chocolate cake topped with a double helping of chocolate nests- yum!

Ingredients:

• 75g self-raising flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 40g cocoa powder
• 125g unsalted softened butter or a buttery margarine such as Flora Buttery
• 125g caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 75g dark chocolate broken into pieces

Method:

1. Grease a 23cm (9inch) cake tin and line the base. Springform if you have it
2. Sift the flour, baking powder and cocoa power into a bowl
3. Add the butter, sugar and eggs and whisk until smooth and creamy
4. Turn mixture into the prepared tin, level and bake at 180/gas 4 for 20-25 minutes. Test for spring back on the top or use a fine skewer to test it is cooked
5. Cool

Now for the chocolate nests which will sit on top of the finished cakes...

Ingredients:

• 1 bar of chocolate (your choice of chocolate)
• Rice krispies
• 2 bags of Cadburys mini eggs
• Fairy cake cases (not muffin as you don’t want to have them too big)

Method:

1. Melt the broken pieces of chocolate in a microwave or over a pan of hot water. Take care as chocolate doesn’t like to get overheated and will split. Carefully does it
2. Stir in enough Rice Krispies to be evenly coated, you will use more Rice Krispies than you think. Keep adding!
3. Put a spoonful into each paper case, put the paper cases into a bin tin for stability. Mould a dent in the centre and place a couple of mini eggs in the nest...try not to eat too many!
4. Put in fridge to set.

Nearly done, it’s assembly time!

You'll need either butter icing or pre-brought chocolate frosting preparation.

Ingredients for chocolate butter icing:

• 125g softened butter
• 200gs sieved icing sugar
• 50g sieved cocoa powder
• about 2 tbsp milk.

Method:

1. Beat butter until very soft. Gradually add sugar and milk. Beat really well.
2. Cover the top of the cooled cake with icing/frosting.
3. Place the Easter nests around the top of the cake and one in the middle
4. And voila, you've created a masterpiece!

Another family favourite, these are great for younger children. Let their imaginations run wild with the decoration!

Method:

• 125g softened butter
• 50g caster sugar
• 175g plain flour
• Flavouring, if desired: vanilla essence; lemon or orange zest
• You will also need an Easter inspired biscuit cutter, but any shape will do!

Method:

1. Whisk the butter in a bowl until really soft
2. Beat in the sugar a little at a time
3. Fold in the flour and knead until smooth
4. Roll out on a floured surface to the thickness of £1 coin
5. Cut out using your cutters
6. Bake at 150/gas 2 for about 25 minutes
7. Cool and decorate.

Utterly delicious, these will impress friends and family (if you're able to resist eating them)!

Ingredients (makes 7):

• 10 Oreo biscuits (or similar)
• 7 mini Creme Eggs (or Rolos, Wispa chunks, any small chocolates)
• 50g cream cheese (room temperature or softened)
• 130g milk chocolate

Method:

1. Crush the Oreo biscuits into crumbs, either in a food processor or by hand with a rolling pin (save some crumbs to decorate with later, about 1 tbsp)
2. Mix the crumbs into the cream cheese
3. Scoop up a teaspoon of the mixture and flatten it, adding a mini Creme Egg to the centre. Roll up the mixture in your palm to make a ball – that's your truffle!
4. Do this until you’ve used up all the mixture. Place the truffles on a baking tray and chill in the freezer for about 20 minutes until they've set
5. Whilst they're setting, melt your milk chocolate either over some water or in the microwave
6. Then get the truffles out of the freezer and dip them into the melted chocolate, making sure every bit gets covered. Use the leftover Oreo crumbs to sprinkle over as decoration
7. Leave truffles in the fridge until the chocolate sets

Something a big different, combining two traditional Easter staples into a great starter or substantial snack, the spices and other exotics give a bit of a twist.

Ingredients – makes 6 scotch eggs

• For the filling
• 325g minced lamb
• 6 large free-range eggs
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground allspice
• 30g fresh parsley, chopped
• 60g toasted pistachio, crushed
• 1 diced red chilli (optional)
• 4 dried apricots, finely chopped
• 5g sea salt

For the coating

• 100g plain flour
• 2 eggs, beaten or whisked till smooth with 1 tablespoon milk
• 100g breadcrumbs
• 50g poppadoms – crushed to crumbs
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds

Method:

1. Bring a saucepan of water to the boil, gently lower the eggs in without cracking and boil for 4:45 - if you want the finished egg to have a runny centre or 6 minutes if you want cooked through. Using a spoon remove them from the water and place into ice water straight away.
2. After 5 minutes in the iced water, gently crack the shell and peel, the eggs will still be very soft if you opted for the soft centre, this bit is tricky, be patient and try not to tear the eggs. Once peeled set aside on kitchen paper
3. In a bowl, combine the lamb with the spices, herbs, salt, chilli, and apricot, mix well to ensure even distribution
4. Divide the lamb mince into 6 balls, using your hand flatten them out and carefully wrap each cooked egg.
5. Once all the eggs are coated in the lamb, set them aside on a tray
6. Get 3 bowls in 1 place the flour, the next one the egg/milk mixture and the final one the breadcrumbs, cumin seeds and crushed poppadoms
7. Carefully flour each egg, then coat in egg mixture then in the crumb mixture, once all are covered return to a tray
8. Using a fryer or pan (ensuring it is never more than half full of oil), carefully heat oil to 175c then carefully add the eggs in small batches and fry for 7-9 minutes
9. Once all the eggs are cooked, set them on kitchen paper to dry and cool, eat straight away or chill to serve cold.

Traditional recipe given to me by an old friend years ago. The small amount of wholemeal flour adds a lot in terms of flavour and makes them slightly 'healthier'; I personally never bother with putting the crosses on, hence not-cross buns.

Ingredients (makes 12 buns):

• 375g white bread flour
• 75g wholemeal bread flour
• 7g fast yeast / instant yeast sachet (1 sachet)
• 40g soft light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 ½ teaspoons of mixed spice
• 1 teaspoon of fine sea salt
• 50g mixed peel
• 75g sultanas
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 200ml whole milk – room temperature
• 50g unsalted butter, in small cubes

Glaze ingredients:

• 50ml whole milk
• 1 teaspoon caster sugar

Method:

1. Weigh out the flours, spices, sugar, yeast and salt in a large mixing bowl, stir until well mixed
2. Add the butter and work into the flour until you have a fine crumb
3. Add the mixed feel and sultanas, stir in
4. Make a well in the centre and add the egg and milk then stir into the dough until combined
5. Tip the dough out onto a work surface and knead for 8-10 minutes until you have a smooth elastic dough, if the dough is very sticky, you can use a small amount of extra flour to help with the kneading
6. Place the dough in a large mixing bowl and cover, leave it for 1-2 hours, until it's doubled in size
7. Knock the dough back – hitting it with the palm of your hand or knocking the bowl will do this; you should see the dough deflate
8. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and shape into round balls (if you are unsure on how to do this, YouTube has lots of videos!)
9. Place the shaped buns on a large, lined baking tray, with plenty of space between each bun, as they will more than triple in size once cooked
10. Cover the buns and allow them to double in size (this should take around an hour) – after half an hour, preheat your oven at 200c
11. Once risen, place the buns in the oven for 15-18 minutes, until they're golden brown 
12. Whilst the buns are baking, simmer the milk and sugar for the glaze, before setting aside
13. When the buns are ready, take them out the oven and glaze straight away, before putting them on a wire cooling rack.