Bunny-licious!

I just wanted to share a very quick and cute way to have fun on a sweet Easter Sunday!   Just so you know how fast this project is, I sent my husband out to pick up grilled chicken a few miles away, and by the time he got back, the chocolate egg was out of the mold, the bunny was finished and salads were made!  

Here's what you will need. 

White Chocolate fondant :

2" ball of white

1" ball of electric yellow

1" ball of neon pink

1" ball of neon green

1/2 cup white chocolate melts

Wilton Butterfly Sprinkles

 A few Pastels

Shortening for rolling out fondant

Malted Milk eggs or favorite candy

Tools:

Toothpick

gum glue

Paintbrush

Fondant Roller

Fondant Board

4" egg mold with base

Blossom Cutters

Leaf Cutter 

Blue or Black edible pen

Cotton gloves for handling chocolate

Start by rubbing your fondant board lightly with shortening.

Roll two very small balls, 3/8" and 1/4".

Press flat into mold, as shown.

Roll out pink fondant on lightly greased board. Cut two small blossoms, using your cutters.

Place over yellow centers in mold. Gently press the petals into the mold.

When you turn it over, it should look like this.

Roll a narrow green cord about 4" long from the green fondant.

Cut in half and press into back of flower, then shape into stems, pressing the stems gently into the mold.

Roll out green on lightly greased board and cut a leaf.

 Place on stem, gently pressing into the mold.

When turned over, it should look like this.

 Set aside.

In the microwave, melt the white chocolate in a heat safe measuring cup, for about 2 minutes at med power.

Remove from microwave, and stir until chocolate is melted and smooth.

Spoon into molds, tilting to coat the sides,
continuing to rotate the mold slightly to cover the sides with a nice thick layer of chocolate.
 If some spills over the edge, just scrape off with the flat side of a spatula.

Place in the freezer. 

While the chocolate is in the freezer, 

Divide the white chocolate fondant into two equal pieces. 

Form one into an oblong shape slightly larger on one side,
as shown below.

 

Clip the sides to create arms, and clip 1/2" into the center of the bottom to create legs,

 as shown below.

 

Gently roll the arms and legs to create a body.

Clip off ends of arms and set those pieces aside for later use.

Make feet and hands by shaping the arm/leg ends of the fondant.

Place the body in a sitting position and set aside.

Take the second ball of white fondant and make another oblong shape, 

as shown below.

 Clip the center of the narrow edge, as shown to create ears

Flatten the ears.
Roll out a small amount of pink and place in the center of the ears.

Attach with gum glue, if necessary.

Break a toothpick in half and place into body, with a portion extending above the neckline.

Moisten bottom of head with gum glue and push into the toothpick to secure to the body.

Add pink to the bottoms of the feet, (as shown below)
 and buttons on the front of bunny, if desired.

Roll out two tiny balls with the reserved white fondant, and a smaller pink ball. 

Attach to the face to create the bunny's nose and mouth.

And don't forget to save a little white for a tail!

Using an edible pen, make two dots for eyes.

Reheat the leftover chocolate in the measuring cup
.(being careful not to burn it, 30 seconds, med power should be plenty, but keep a watchful eye)

Okay, now using the artist brush, dip into chocolate
and brush a little onto on side of the pastels to attach to the bunny.
 We don't want our Easter Bunny empty handed! 

If you cannot find pastels, just  use 1/4" edible pearls, candies or rolled fondant. 

Okay, Bunny is finished!!

The chocolate eggs should be set up.

Remove from freezer and set right side up.
Allow the eggs and base to loosen.

They should fall right out of the mold.

How cute is that?

Use cotton gloves to prevent fingerprints.

Turn the flat sided egg upright and fill it with candy.

Gently brush melted chocolate along the edge of the egg,
then afix the decorated side of

the egg on top.  

Brush a little melted chocolate over the seam,
then add the butterflies to cover the seam.

Brush a little chocolate on the top of the base, then set the egg on top of the base.

Place the bunny on top of the egg.
And add a little butterfly to his foot, just because it's spring!

There you go...

Peter Cottontail with lots of sweet treats!

  Happy Easter!

Tutorial and Photography by Jacque Benson

                                                                2014 all rights reserved.

This tutorial and material on this website cannot be republished without permission from the author.

Easter Egg Marshmallow Pies

This Easter, I wanted to put something special into my grandchildren's Easter baskets.
I tried to think of something that they might like to eat, yet different than a sugar cookie.
Then remembering my favorite Moon Pie treats as a child,
 I pondered just how to recreate them using an Easter theme.

Since these needed to be made ahead to package into the baskets,  I needed a marshmallow filling that would not ruin.  Kraft made it easy for me by introducing Jumbo Egg Mallows--large pastel colored egg shaped marshmallows.
Thank you Kraft!
After altering an old nutmeg cookie recipe from my Charlotte Turgeon cookbook,
 all that was left to do was dip them in pastel colored confectioners melts and decorate.

I inserted straws into the filling of my "Moon Pies" so that they can be easily placed upright into the Baskets, but you can make them without using the straws if you like.

To make these Easter Egg Marshmallow Pies, you will need:

I recipe Almond Nutmeg Cookies
3-1/2" egg shaped cookie cutter

Jumbo Egg shaped Easter Marshmallows

Pastel confectioner's melts
Vegetable shortening
Colored Straws (opt-- to insert into basket )

5 Plastic disposable piping bags

#1, #3 piping tubes

Sparkling sugar

Sprinkles (opt)
Pastel candies (opt)

Almond Nutmeg Cookies

  

 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

 1/2 cup sugar

 6 tablespoons Half & Half cream

 3 tablespoons honey

 3 cups all-purpose flour

 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

 1/4 teaspoon salt

Cream butter and sugar together. Mix half&half with honey; set aside.

Sift together flour, nutmeg and salt.  Add the flour mixture alternately with the liquids until thoroughly blended together. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill well.

Cut 3 rectangles of parchment paper to fit baking sheet.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Divide dough in half, keeping one half chilled. On parchment paper, roll the other half quite thin and cut cookies using a 4" egg shaped cookie cutter.

Gather scraps and chill.

Repeat with second half of dough, then scraps until all dough is used.

Place in center of oven and bake 6-8 minutes until edges are slightly browned.

While the cookies are in the oven, on a piece of waxed paper,  flatten the marshmallows using a rolling pin.

When cookies are ready, remove from oven.

While still hot, turn half of the cookies upside down and place marshmallows, sandwiching between two cookies; gently press cookie on top.

( If your hands are sensitive to heat, place a clean cloth on cookie for protection ).

Insert straw into the center off soft filling.

Set cookies aside, and
allow to cool thorougly.

(Don't worry if some of the marshmallow melts over the side.
Once completely cooled, you can spray a pair of clean scissors with non-stick spray and easily cut the cooled marshmallow even with the edges of the cookie.)

Melt confectioners melts in a chocolate pot or double boiler. Thin melts to a glazing consistency by adding vegetable shortening, one tablespoon at a time.

If you used straws, insert bamboo skewer into straw for support.
Holding cookie over pan, spoon melted pastel colored confectioner's melts over moon pies.

 Allow to cool, then turn over and repeat process on the other side.

Remove bamboo skewer and place on waxed paper until cooled and confectioners' melts have set up.

Prepare piping bags with #1 and #3 piping tubes. Fill bags with melted colored confectioners melts.
Pipe lines, dots, squiggles, loops or scallops in contrasting colors.

Decorate your Easter Egg Moon Pies with sparkling sugar, contrasting colors, or pastel

candies or sprinkles.

Just have fun and be creative!

When ready to put into Basket, cover Easter Eggs with a cellophane bag and tie with a ribbon.

 ***


Tutorial and Photography by Jacque Benson
2011
All Rights Reserved
This material may not be republished or reproduced in any manner without the expressed permission of the author.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Easter Eggs

This started out as an experiment. I had tried other recipes for peanut butter cups, but they never tasted quite right. My husband said they just weren't "peanutty" enough. So like the proverbial mad scientist, I went into the kitchen, determined to make a more "peanutty" peanut butter cup!! After a couple of tries, I made some ingredient adjustments and came up with this recipe. I recommend you use a high quality milk chocolate, but it must be tempered. If tempering chocolate seems too intimidating, you can use milk chocolate flavored candy melts.

****

Jacque's Peanut Butter Cups

1/4 cup unsalted dry roasted peanuts

1/2 cup peanut butter

2  Tablespoons softened butter

dash salt

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

3/4 cups powdered sugar

Melted Milk chocolate ( tempered)

Grind peanuts very fine in a blender or processor. In a bowl, Mix together  ground peanuts, peanut butter, butter, salt and brown sugar. Add Powdered sugar and incorporate until you have a nice dough, about the same feel as a pastry dough. 

If it is too crumbly, add more peanut butter. If too soft, add more powdered sugar.

Roll out on a silicone mat or wax paper about 3/8" thick.

 Using a 3/4" circle cutter, cut out patties and set aside.

Use only what you need. Wrap remaining dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Fill a medium sized Peanut Butter Cup mold  almost half full with milk chocolate.

Using a stiff artist brush, paint the chocolate up the sides of the molds.

Place peanut pattie in each cup. 

Drop enough chocolate over the top of the patties to fill cups.
 Lightly tap mold on counter to remove bubbles. Place in freezer for 5 minutes. Pop out of mold.

Wash mold and repeat process.

____________________________________________

For Easter Eggs, use a chocolate egg mold.  Form the peanut butter centers into ovals instead of round.

 Follow the directions as shown above.

Pop out of mold for your own Chocolate Peanutbutter Eggs.

Now if you want the Easter Bunny to deliver these, you will have to hide them!

Because they are likely to disappear "mysteriously".  ;-)

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Photography and Tutorial by Jacque Benson 2010- All Rights Reserved

This material may not be republished or reproduced in any manner without the expressed permission of the author.