Easter Baking

Easter is a holiday that is steeped with tradition and reflection. It holds a different meaning for each of us. Every Easter I reflect on how it was when I was a kid, way back in the dark ages, and how everything has changed so much. For many families it is a time to come together to celebrate the traditions that are meaningful to them. Easter is a sacred time for Christians as they celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Easter is known as a time for rebirth, hope and new beginnings.  

                                

I doubt anyone has a family memory that can trump the "Dixon Family Egg Hunt". My Dad was one of 10 children in his family. They were never all at home at the same time, but there were probably at least 6 or 7 kids on the egg hunt each year. Their dear mother would dye 14 dozen eggs with no food coloring. All I know is beets make red eggs. Dad would speak of hauling straw into the house for the Easter bunny. I just want to say once again, Pioneer women are amazing. My Dad loved Easter morning and eating dyed hard-boiled eggs.

One of the things I was going to do when I started to blog was to share recipes. I have done a very poor job of that, until today. I have just been through a whirlwind of baking with my business partner. We had 47 orders to fill. An order consisted of 10 pieces of Easter baking. Our selling slogan was, "Easter Treats by May and Faye". We made about one hundred of each of the 5 different bake items. We decided to try curbside pickup, which worked beautifully. At the end of each business day, I remain truly amazed at the interest people have in homemade baking and supporting our business. I decided I would like to share all of the recipes and pictures of the finished product. My hope is that you will feel like you are looking at a cookbook and you may just want to make a May and Faye treat someday.    

Carrot Cake and Cream Cheese Icing

 2 c flour                          1 tsp baking soda

2 c sugar                          3 eggs

2 tsp cinnamon                 1 1/2 c oil

2 c grated carrots              1 tsp vanilla

1 c crushed pineapple        1 c coconut

We poured mixture into a large cookie sheet, recipe calls for 9X13.  

Cream Cheese Icing

Cream together a Pkg of cream cheese and 1/2 cup of margarine. Add vanilla and icing sugar and whip to make it smooth. 

Brownies

Blend everything together:

1 1/2 c flour                1 tsp salt

2 c sugar                    1/2 cocoa

2 tsp vanilla                1 c oil

4 eggs                        1/4 c cold water

We put them in muffin tins, but you can use a 9X13 or a cookie sheet. Don't overbake. Ice while hot. 

Monster Cookies

Blend:

2 eggs                    1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt                1 c margarine

1 c peanut butter     1 1/2 brown sugar

1/2 c white sugar     1 tbsp vanilla

Add:

2 c flour                2 c oats

1 1/2 c M&M or smarties

1 1/4 c chocolate chips                

Bake at 350 until almost done. Remove from oven and let finish baking on cookie sheet. Don't overbake. This makes about 50 cookies.

Cupcakes with Creamed Icing

Make a white cake mix as directed. Fill muffin tin 1/4 full then put a chocolate easter egg in the dough. Cover to about half full. Bake as directed. 

Icing

Cook and cool: 3/4 c milk and 2 tbsp flour.

Cream: 1/2 c Crisco and 1/2 c margarine

Add icing sugar and flour alternatively until right consistency. We added coloring but you can add 5 tbsp of cocoa for chocolate icing. 

Puffed Wheat Nests

Boil for 1 1/2 minutes: 

1 c brown sugar

1/2 c corn syrup

1/2 c margarine

1/2 c cocoa

1 tsp vanilla

Add: 3 c mini marshmallows, stir until melted then pour over 8 cups of puffed wheat.

Press into a 9X13 pan. We pushed the mixture into muffin tins to make nests. This is a never fail puffed wheat cake. 

Since I am into recipe sharing, I am going to include the recipes my cousin and I used when we made donuts and pretzels in her air fryer. Who knew!!!!

Pretzels

1 cup warm water

2 1/4 tsp yeast

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

2 1/4 cups flour

2 tbsp melted butter

Coarse salt for topping

Prepare your air fryer basket by lightly coating the basket with oil. In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, salt and yeast. Pour in the melted warm water and melted butter. Stir together with a fork until the dough looks flaky. Remove from bowl and knead on floured surface until it is smooth. Don't over mix as it makes the pretzel chewy. Form into ball and cut in 8 equal portions. Roll into ropes about 12" and then twist into pretzel. Place in air fryer. Mix an egg with a tbsp of water. Brush each pretzel once in fryer. Air fry at 320 degrees for 12-15 minutes, or until cooked and tops are golden brown. Sprinkle coarse salt on top to taste. 

Donuts

1 c lukewarm milk

2 1/4 tsp yeast

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

1/4 c melted butter

3 c flour

Glaze

6 tbsp butter 

2 cups icing sugar

2 tsp vanilla

4 tbsp hot water

You can use a stand mixer. I just kneaded by hand. Combine milk, yeast and 1 tsp sugar and let rise for 10 mins. Mix remaining ingredients except for 1 cup of flour. Mix on low until combined. Add remaining flour and mix either by hand or mixer until smooth. About 5 minutes. Let rise in a warm place until double in size. Roll out to 1/2 thick and cut with donut cutter. Let them rise until double. Preheat fryer until 350, we found 390 was better. Spray baskets and place donuts gently in basket. You can spray them with oil or leave as is. We did both. It suggested 4 minutes, but it took longer. You will know when they are done. 

Roll in sugar or dip in glaze. 

In closing, I am wishing each of you a very blessed Easter Sunday. May today be filled with whatever is most meaningful to you. I believe that every day we need to celebrate something. It may be as simple as another successful bake day or donuts from an air fryer. Maybe, today on Easter Sunday we all need to take the time to pause, reflect and appreciate the simple joys of our lives.