Hop into spring with these delectable Easter recipes. Even Peter Cottontail would approve of these great treats.

Bunny Cookies

Recipe courtesy of allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

1 1/4  C white sugar

2/3 C shortening

2 eggs

3 1/2 C all-purpose flour

1/2 Tsp salt

2 Tsp baking powder

2 1/2 Tsp orange zest

1 Tbs orange juice

1/4 C cinnamon red hot candies

Optional: 1 package of mini marshmallows

Optional: Frosting

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and shortening. Add eggs and beat until smooth. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt until well blended. Mix in the orange juice and orange zest.

3. On a lightly flowered surface, roll out the dough to ¼-inch thickness. Cut out rabbit shapes with a cookie cutter. Place rabbits onto a cookie sheet and place cinnamon Red Hots where the eyes should go. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

4. If frosting, let cool 10 minutes. After frosting the cookies, add a mini marshmallow to each, simulating a tail.

Yields 3 to 4 dozen cookies.

Robin's Egg Nest Treats

Recipe courtesy of ricekrispies.com

Ingredients:

1/4 Tsp water

2 to 4 drops green food coloring

1/2 C flaked coconut

3 Tbs butter or margarine

1 pkg. marshmallows or 4 C mini marshmallows

6 C Rice Krispies

Mini marshmallows

Jelly beans

Chocolate eggs

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, stir together water and green food coloring. Add coconut and stir until coconut is tinted green. Spread on baking sheet to dry.

2. In a large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.

3. Add Kellogg's Rice Krispies cereal. Stir until well coated.

4. Divide warm mixture into sixteen 2 1/2-inch muffin pan cups coated with cooking spray. Shape mixture into individual cups. Cool. Remove from pan.

5. Fill cooled nests with coconut, mini marshmallows, jelly beans or chocolate egg.

Store no more than two days at room temperature in an air tight container. Yields 16 nests.

Easy Lemon Cake

Recipe courtesy of kraftrecipes.com

Ingredients:

1 pkg. Lemon cake mix (2-layer size)

2 pkg. JELL-O Lemon Flavor Instant Pudding

1 1/2 C milk

1 tub COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed.

Optional: candy decorations (jelly beans, chocolate eggs, etc.)

Directions:

1. Prepare cake batter and bake as directed on package for 2 (8- or 9-inch) round cake layers. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove to wire racks and cool completely.

2. Beat pudding mixes and milk with whisk 2 minutes. Immediately spread over tops of cakes.

3. Stack cake layers and frost with COOL WHIP.

4. Optional: decorate top of cake with candies and chocolates.

Yields 16 servings.

Easter Surprise Cupcakes

 

Recipe courtesy of allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

2 1/4 C all-purpose flour

2 1/2Tsp baking powder

1 Tsp salt

2/3 C margarine, softened

1 C brown sugar

3/4 C white sugar

2 eggs

1 Tsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 C milk

24 small chocolate eggs, unwrapped

Frosting

Optional: green licorice-thins

Optional: mini marshmallows

Optional: gel icing

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 24 muffin cups, or use paper liners. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, cream together the margarine, brown sugar and white sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the milk, mixing just until incorporated.

3. Fill each muffin cup 1/3 full, and place a chocolate egg in the center of each. Top with the remaining batter until cups are 2/3 full.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove.

5. When completely cool, frost each cupcake. Optional: cut green licorice ropes in half, just long enough to cover half of the cupcake and insert into the top, forming an arc. This will make the cupcake look like an Easter basket. Use gel icing and marshmallows to decorate some of the cupcakes to look like bunny's.

Yields 24 cupcakes.