Hello April and hello Easter! Can you believe we’re already into the full swing of spring? The days are getting longer, the flowers are blooming, and Easter is just around the corner—what a lovely time of year to be in the kitchen. This month I’ve got three joyful and delicious recipes for you that are perfect for celebrating Easter with friends and family.
My first recipe is my showstopping Mini Eggs Cheesecake. This one is for all the chocolate lovers out there! Creamy, rich, and packed with the crunch of everyone’s favourite Easter treat—Mini Eggs. It’s the perfect centrepiece for an Easter Sunday dessert table, and it’s so easy to make ahead, giving you more time to relax and enjoy the celebrations.
Next up, I’ve got something colourful and fun for the little (and big!) kids—Easter Sprinkle Crinkle Cookies. These soft, chewy cookies are rolled in icing sugar and packed with pastel sprinkles. They’re as pretty as they are tasty, and make a great gift or a lovely addition to an Easter egg hunt spread.
And finally, I’ve got a savoury twist for you—my Roast Chicken Egg Fried Rice. This recipe is a brilliant way to use up any leftover roast chicken from your Easter lunch and turn it into something fresh and flavourful. It’s quick, satisfying, and packed with springtime greens too, making it a great go-to for those busy post-holiday evenings.
Happy Easter and happy baking!
Mini Eggs Cheesecake
Serves 10-12
Ingredients
Base:
300g chocolate hobnob biscuits
100g unsalted butter-melted
Filling:
3x 80g packs mini eggs-roughly chopped
600g full fat cream cheese
300ml double cream
100g icing sugar
3 tsp vanilla bean paste
Decoration:
45g (x2) shredded wheat-crushed
100g milk chocolate-melted
1x 80g pack mini eggs
Fluffy craft chicks-to decorate
Method
This needs to be made the day before to set overnight. First of all, make your little chocolate nest. Line a small bowl with clingfilm. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of lightly bubbling water, then mix in the crushed shredded wheat. Place in the bowl and press up around the size as if you are making a well in the middle. Place in the fridge to set completely.
Line an 8inch springform cake tin with a round of greaseproof paper at the bottom and lightly grease the sides. In a food processor, blitz up the biscuits until they look like sand and then whizz in the melted butter. Pour into the cake tin and press with the back of a spoon to create a smooth flat base. Place in the fridge to set for 1 hour.
Now make the filling. In a large mixing bowl whisk together the cream cheese, icing sugar and vanilla bean paste until lovely and thick. Now gently mix in the chopped mini eggs. In another bowl whisk the double cream until thick, then gently fold it through the cream cheese mixture.
Gently spoon into the tin and smooth off with the back of a spoon. Place in the fridge to set overnight with a piece of clingfilm over the top of the tin, not touching the filling, so the cheesecake doesn’t absorb any other smells from the fridge.
Just before you serve, remove the cheesecake from the tin and gently place on a serving place. Top the cheesecake with your chocolate nest and fill the chocolate nest with mini eggs, placing a few outside the chocolate nest. Decorate with some fluffy craft chicks and serve for a truly wonderful Easter pudding.
Easter Sprinkle Crinkle Cookies
Makes 25
Ingredients
300g self raising flour
250g vanilla sugar-sit a vanilla pod in 250g sugar for 1 week before
115g unsalted butter
90g colourful cupcake sprinkles-I used Dr Oetker Unicorn sprinkles
2 free range eggs
5 tbsp icing sugar
Method
Place the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and using an electric whisk, whisk the butter and sugar (minus the vanilla pod) together until combined and then one at a time whisk in the eggs. Now using a spatula or wooden spoon, mix in the flour and sprinkles. Shape into a flat disc and wrap in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
Preheat your oven to gas mark 3/170c. Line 3 baking trays with greaseproof paper or just cook ⅓ of the batch at a time. Divide the cookie dough into 25 pieces and roll into balls. Place the icing sugar into a bowl and then roll the cookie dough ball in the icing sugar until coated. Place on the baking trays leaving a good 2 inches between each cookie as they will spread out whilst cooking.
Bake for 15-18 minutes until the cookies are just lightly golden brown but don’t over bake them. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 1 minute on the baking tray. Cook the next batch. Repeat until all cookies are cooked, then leave to cool completely. Serve with a lovely cup of tea for a delicious Easter treat.
Roast Chicken Egg Fried Rice
Serves 4
Ingredients
3 tbsp olive oil
300g shredded cooked roast chicken
300g dry rice-cooked
1 onion-chopped
1 red bell pepper-diced
200g frozen peas
3 free range eggs
3 tbsp worcestershire sauce
4 spring onions chopped-save one for topping
Black pepper
Method
In a large wok, fry off the onion with the olive oil until cooked. Add the red pepper, frozen peas, chicken and spring onions and cook until the pepper is tender and the chicken is heated all the way through. Heat the cooked rice in the microwave until hot and add to the wok.
Beat the eggs in a bowl and then push the rice to the side of the wok. Pour in the eggs and scramble them, then mix them into the rice. Add the worcestershire sauce and season with black pepper to taste. Divide between bowls, then sprinkle over the remaining spring onions and serve for a delicious dinner.
Shopping list for all 3 recipes
Check your cupboards first as you may have a lot of these already
300g chocolate hobnobs
215g unsalted butter
4x 80g packets mini eggs
600g full fat cream cheese
300ml double cream
150g icing sugar
3 tsp vanilla bean paste
45g (x2) shredded wheat
100g milk chocolate
300g roast chicken
300g dry rice
1 onion
1 red bell pepper
200g frozen peas
5 free range eggs
Worcestershire sauce
4 spring onions
300g self raising flour
250g caster sugar
Vanilla pods
90g colourful sprinkles
