Creative Ways to Keep Kids Busy During Easter
Easter is a time for fun, family, and festive activities. For parents, keeping little ones occupied during the school break can be a challenge. However, there’s a delightful solution that not only entertains but also teaches kids valuable skills—cooking. By involving children in the kitchen, you can turn mealtime into a creative and educational experience.
Annabel Karmel, a renowned children’s cookery author, has gathered a collection of recipes over the years that are both fun and delicious. These recipes are perfect for engaging children in the kitchen, whether it’s making sweet treats or crafting mini pizzas. Here are some of her favorite Easter-themed dishes to try at home.
Easter Biscuits
Makes: 15 biscuits
Ingredients for the biscuit dough
– 175g plain flour
– 100g butter, softened
– 85g icing sugar
– 1 tsp vanilla extract
– 1 egg yolk
– ½ tsp salt
Ingredients for the decoration
– 200g icing sugar
– Pastel food colouring gel/paste (blue, yellow, pink, green)
– Edible sugar flowers
– Selection of Easter cookie cutters
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan. Line two large baking sheets with non-stick baking paper.
Measure the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl. Whisk until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla, a pinch of salt, and the egg yolk. Beat in the flour and whisk until well combined. Shape into a ball and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Once chilled, roll out the dough on a floured surface to about 1cm thick. Stamp out shapes using Easter cookie cutters and arrange on the baking sheets. Chill in the fridge for 15 minutes if possible. Bake for about 12 minutes until lightly golden around the edges. Leave to cool on a wire rack.
Put the icing sugar into a bowl. Add a little hot water and mix until you have a thick icing consistency. Divide the icing into small bowls and colour each one with food-colouring gel/paste. Spoon into small piping bags and pipe colourful decorations onto the biscuits. Decorate with edible sugar flowers. Leave to set for 30 minutes before tucking in!
Easter Chick Cupcakes
Makes: 12 cupcakes
Ingredients
– 175g self-raising flour
– 175g soft butter
– 175g caster sugar
– 3 eggs
– 1 tbsp vanilla extract
– 1 tsp baking powder
– 175g butter, softened
– 300g icing sugar
– Yellow food colouring
– Orange jelly sweets
– Edible eyes
Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan and line one muffin tin and one mini muffin tin with paper cases.
Measure the sponge ingredients into a large bowl. Whisk together using an electric hand whisk. Spoon the mixture into the cases. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until well risen and lightly golden. Leave the cupcakes to cool on a wire rack.
Meanwhile, make the buttercream. Beat the butter, icing sugar, milk, and food colouring together in a bowl until fluffy. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a small, fluted nozzle. Pipe the buttercream on the cupcakes.
Arrange the mini cake on top on its side to make the chick’s head. Add the eyes and an orange sweet for the beak.
Blueberry and Banana Bunny Muffins
Makes: 24 muffins
Ingredients for the muffins
– 350g self-raising flour
– 1 tsp baking powder
– ½ tsp ground cinnamon
– 100g caster sugar
– 75g soft brown sugar
– 2 large eggs
– 17g sour cream
– 225g overripe bananas, mashed
– 125g butter, melted
– 250g blueberries
– Pinch of salt
For the bunny face decoration
– 200g white vanilla buttercream
– Edible eyes
– White marshmallows
– Pink sugar
– Pink jelly heart sweets
For the bunny tails decoration
– 200g white vanilla buttercream
– Lime green food colouring paste
– White fondant icing
– Pink fondant icing
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan. Line two x 12-hole muffin tins with paper cases.
Put the flour, baking powder, pinch of salt, cinnamon, and sugars into a large bowl. Mix the eggs, sour cream, mashed banana, and butter in another bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and carefully fold in the wet ingredients using a wooden spoon. Add the blueberries. Spoon into the cases and bake in the oven for 25 minutes until well risen and lightly golden.
To decorate the bunny faces, slice the marshmallows in half and add the pink sugar to the sticky part of the marshmallow. Spread the buttercream over the cupcakes and stick two halved marshmallows to the top of the cupcakes to the bunny’s ears. Add the eyes and sweets for a nose.
To decorate the bunny tails, mix the buttercream and green food colouring together in a large bowl. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a small, fluted nozzle. Pipe the green buttercream over the surface of the cupcakes. Make 12 bunny’s bottoms by shaping a ball and two long feet out of white fondant icing. Add pink fondant icing for the paws. Add each one on top of the green icing.
Bunny Pizzas
Makes: 4 pizzas
Ingredients for the pizza dough
– 250g strong bread flour
– 1 tsp dried yeast
– ½ tsp salt
– 1 tbsp olive oil
– 150ml water
– 1 clove garlic, crushed
For the tomato sauce & toppings
– 150g chopped tomatoes
– 1 clove garlic
– 2 tbsp sundried tomato paste
– 1 tbsp thyme, chopped
– 100g grated mozzarella
– 50g grated Cheddar
– Basil leaves, chopped
For the decoration
– 250g ball of mozzarella
– Black olives
– Cherry tomatoes, sliced
– Basil leaves
Make the dough. Put the flour, yeast, salt, olive oil, water, and garlic into a bowl. Mix together using a wooden spoon until the mixture comes together. Place on a work surface and knead into a soft shiny dough. Place in an oiled bowl, cover with clingfilm, and leave to rise for 1 ½ hours. Preheat the oven to 200°C Fan.
Divide the dough into four balls. Take one ball. Remove a third of the dough. Roll out to make bunny ears then roll out the remaining dough to make the bunny’s face. Place on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Repeat to create three more bunnies.
Mix the tomato, garlic, tomato paste, and thyme together in a bowl. Spread over the bases. Sprinkle the cheese over the top. Bake the pizzas for 15 minutes.
Decorate the pizzas with the olives, tomatoes, mozzarella, chives, and basil to make the bunny faces.
Easter Sheep Cupcakes
Makes: 6 cupcakes
Ingredients for the cupcakes
– 125g softened butter
– 125g caster sugar
– 125g self-raising flour
– ½ tsp baking powder
– 2 eggs
– 1 tbsp milk
– 1 tsp vanilla extract
Buttercream icing
– 100g softened butter
– 200g icing sugar
– ½ tsp vanilla extract
– 1 tbsp milk
For the decorations
– White mini marshmallows
– 2 Cadbury mini eggs
– White and black fondant icing (for eyes) or edible eyes
– 12 cupcake cases
Preheat the oven to 160°C fan. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with cupcake cases.
Measure all of the cupcake ingredients into a bowl. Whisk until light and fluffy. Spoon into the cases. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until well risen and pale golden. Leave to cool on a wire rack.
Measure all of the icing ingredients into a bowl. Whisk until fluffy.
Take one cupcake and remove its case. Turn it upside down and sandwich together on top of another cupcake, using some buttercream icing. This will make the sheep’s body. Completely cover with buttercream and add marshmallows to make the sheep’s woolly coat, leaving a space for the head.
Decorate a mini egg with eyes using white and black fondant icing (or edible eyes) and stick on two mini marshmallows for the ears. Add the sheep’s head to the body using extra buttercream icing.
Waffle Bunnies
Makes: 2 portions
Ingredients
– 3 small, round, ready-to-eat waffles
– 3 strawberries, sliced
– 2 raspberries
– 3 blueberries
– 1 banana, sliced
– ½ carrot, peeled and sliced into thin strips
Put one waffle onto a plate. Slice the second waffle in half, add to make the bunny’s ears. Slice the third in half and add under the face to make the body.
Add two small banana slices for the eyes and two larger round slices for the cheeks.
Add 2 blueberries for the eyeballs, a raspberry for the nose, and carrot strips for the whiskers.
