With Easter just around the corner and new colors brightening up your world, it’s time to bring a fresh perspective to your old favorites. Easter baskets don’t have to be full of the same store-bought items year after year.
Instead, try creating some of these goodies that everyone can enjoy right at home—they’ll be gone before your Easter egg hunt is even over!
Follow ACTIVEkids on Pinterest for more fun Easter ideas.
Homemade Cream-Filled Eggs
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Get the richness of cream-filled chocolate eggs without the harmful ingredients found in store-bought, processed candies.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 tsp. corn syrup
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
6 cups sifted icing sugar
Yellow food coloring
1 lb. semisweet chocolate
1 oz. paraffin wax
Directions:
In a large bowl, mix milk, butter, corn syrup, salt and vanilla together. Next, add the icing sugar in a little at a time. After mixing, knead with hands until it holds a shape. Take a fourth of the mixture and color with yellow food coloring. Form into about 15 smaller balls to set aside. With remaining mixture, break apart into larger balls. Take the large ball and put the yellow ball in the center and form into an egg shape. Place all "eggs" on a tray and cover with plastic wrap. Chill for about 4 hours.
For the dipping chocolate, place chocolate and paraffin wax in a bowl over hot water. Use a fondue fork to dip eggs into the chocolate. Place eggs on a tray lined with parchment paper. Cool until chocolate is firm.
Easter Bark
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This recipe has less than four ingredients and you can easily make large quantities of it. It's perfect for little gifts for your Easter guests.
Ingredients:
1 package vanilla candy coating
3/4 cup Easter M&M candies
10 springtime Oreos
Spring colored sprinkles
Directions:
Melt candy coating into a small saucepan on low heat, stirring constantly until melted. Pour over sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle on Oreos, M&Ms and sprinkles. Cool in fridge for about an hour. Break into bite-size pieces.
Easter Egg Nests
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These little guys are Rice Krispy Treats—with a twist! If you're hosting an Easter get-together, this treat is sure to be the talk of the party.
Ingredients:
1/4 tsp. water
4 drops green food coloring
1/2 cup flaked coconut
3 tbsp. butter
4 cups mini marshmallows
6 cups Rice Krispies
Jellybeans/Egg-shaped candy
Directions:
In a bowl, stir together water and green food coloring. Add coconut and stir until tinted green. In a large saucepan, melt butter over low heat and stir in marshmallows until melted. Add cereal and stir until coated. Divide cereal mixture into little muffin-pan cups coated with cooking spray. Cool, and then remove from the pan. Fill each cooled nest with the colored coconut and jellybeans for the eggs.
Peeps S'mores
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This camping favorite will be a hit with your kids this Easter. Reinvent this classic dessert with colorful, delicious Peeps.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, warmed
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
5 packages Peeps (whatever colors preferred)
Graham crackers
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Heat heavy whipping cream in a pot over medium heat. In a skillet, evenly spread out chocolate chips. Pour heated whipping cream over the chocolate. Arrange the Peeps on top. Bake until golden brown or about 8 to 10 minutes. Fill Graham crackers with s'mores filling.
Bunny Tail Truffles
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Your guests won't get enough of these delightful coconut truffles. They're simple to make and are great party favors for parting guests.
Ingredients:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
5 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. almond extract
3 cups sweetened coconut
Directions:
Beat cream cheese until fluffy, and add in powdered sugar one cup at a time until mixture forms into thick dough. Add more powdered sugar if it's too sticky. Roll 1-inch balls out of dough, and roll in coconut. Place on parchment paper for storage.
Easter Popcorn
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Throw this sweet snack in a festive bowl for all-day Easter snacking.
Ingredients:
1 bag microwave popcorn (regular size)
15 purple candy melts
15 pink candy melts
15 white candy melts
Sprinkles in Spring colors
Peanut M&Ms (Easter edition)
Directions:
Separate popped popcorn into two large bowls, trying to remove as many unpopped kernels as possible. Place candy melts into individual small bowls, one for each color. Microwave one of the candy melts for 40 seconds, stir and then repeat in 20-second intervals until melted. Drizzle over one of the bowls of popcorn, and use a spatula to coat evenly. Leave to cool. Repeat process with the pink candy melt and the other bowl of popcorn. Then, mix the two popcorn bowls together. Drizzle melted white candy over the popcorn and immediately top with candy sprinkles. Add M&Ms for garnish and serve.
Strawberry Pretzel Salad
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This concoction is refreshing, sweet and a perfect introduction to the coming summer months. It makes an ideal post-Easter dinner treat, too.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter, softened
3 tbsp. brown sugar
2 1/2 cups crushed pretzels
6 oz. package strawberry flavored gelatin
2 cups boiling water
3 cups strawberries, chilled
8 oz. cream cheese
1 cup white sugar
8 oz. frozen whipped topping
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter with brown sugar. Mix in the crushed pretzels and pat mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, and then set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, dissolve the gelatin in the boiling water and stir in chilled strawberries. Chill until partially thickened. In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and white sugar until smooth. Fold in whipped cream. Spread the mixture over cooled pretzel crust, sealing the edges. After chilling that mixture, pour gelatin mixture over cream cheese layer, chilling whole salad until firm.
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