It’s getting toward that time of year when we see more eggs, pastel colors and of course chocolate, which is a perennial favorite among those of us here at NCA. Easter season is upon us. The Peeps are flocking back home and before long, Tori will be making s’mores out in the woods with her camping friends.
Thanks to Frances Civello, who makes all manner of wonderful photos, for this one. It really brings the springtime into my heart as the last of the snow seems to be melting.
Do you want your candy photos featured here? Submit them to the Candy Dish Blog Flickr group. We want to see your candy photos and so does the rest of the world!
The age-old question is what to do with all the leftover Easter candies. At least with Thanksgiving you have an obvious solution for leftovers. With candy you sometimes have to be a bit more creative.
Many thanks to About.com author Elizabeth LaBau, who presents us with a recipe for jelly bean fudge. Here are the ingredients:
- 2 cups (12 oz) white chocolate chips
- 2 cups jelly beans
- 1 (16 oz) can vanilla frosting
- 1 tsp rum extract
- 1 tsp coconut extract
The coconut extract is sure to get Susan to make this yummy looking treat for us. Check out the recipe for all the directions and let us know how it turns out.
What do you do with leftover jelly beans?
Jelly Beans by Grim….
Update: Many thanks to Fancy Food Magazine for tweeting about this!
On second thought, let’s not call the whole thing off. There’s chocolate to be had! Check out this chocolate bilby Flickr user Shana Lee brought back from Australia:
Looks like a scared little critter. I am pretty sure this is not an Easter treat but I really don’t know for sure. Maybe Shana can comment on the symbolism of the bilby and whether it is an Easter animal we should aspire to devour. Do you know?
This bunny cake will be a welcome guest at any springtime gathering. What’s your favorite Easter cake recipe?
You will need:
- 1 package (any type) of cake mix (plus the ingredients necessary to make that cake)
- 2 cans pre-made vanilla frosting
- 1 14-oz. package of coconut (about 5 cups)
- food coloring
- small candy pieces for decorating the cake (gum drops, jelly beans, licorice, chocolate chips, etc.)
Directions:
- Prepare cake mix as directed and pour into two 8- or 9-inch round cake pans. Bake cakes according to package directions. Cool completely.
- Cut cake as show in diagram.
- Line large tray or sturdy cardboard with foil.
- Frost sides of each cake piece.
- Place pieces of cake as shown in diagram on foil-lined tray.
- Frost top of cake.
- Sprinkle about 2 ¾ cup coconut over top and sides of cake, lightly pressing coconut onto the sides
- In a small bowl combine ¾ cup coconut with two – three drops red food coloring and toss until evenly colored. Place aside. Repeat with 1 ½ cups coconut and two – three drops green food coloring.
- Sprinkle pink coconut over ears and bowtie; outline with chocolate chips
- Decorate bunny face with other candy pieces using small slices of licorice for whiskers
- Sprinkle green coconut on foil-lined tray around cake. Place additional candies on the green “grass” if desired. You can also make the bunny’s bow tie a different color if desired.
We had some incredible entries for our Easter candy giveaway contest. Our celebrity judges have finally been released from the Candy Dish Blog isolation tanks and have chosen their winners. The first three get the large bags of candy, the fourth gets the box of M&Ms and the last one gets the Toxic Waste gift basket.
- Kelly Reising - Poor Kelly had to wear a bunny costume and hand out candy and after years of that she deserves some yummy candy! (Thanks, Kristen.)
- Heather – It was really hard to pick, but I really identified with Heather and lack of moderation. I also loved that they named their black cat Jellybean. We had a black cat named Licorice when I was a kid. (Thanks, Cybele.)
- Cheryl – She had me at “trail of M&Ms” and “Happy Snorkum Glibble!” sealed it for me. (Thanks, Brian.)
- Theresa – Her memory was focused on the smell of the Easter basket. The olfactory sense was not mentioned by others, as I recall. Good one! Also for her active imagination even as a wee tyke.
- Diann – She helped her mother’s kindergarten class enjoy the fun of hunting for Easter treats. Also, she said she wants the Toxic Waste candy!
The entrants have been contacted and the candy will be shipped out as soon as I get their addresses.
Thanks for entering and keep your eyes peeled for upcoming chances to win fabulous prizes!
Easter Bunny by Yogi.
These chocolate egg holders make great place settings at the dinner table. Let kids design different holders for everyone at the table.
Directions:
- Print this page and use crayons or coloring pencils to color the egg holder below.
- Use safety scissors to carefully cut around the dotted edges.
- Secure egg holder around a chocolate Easter egg and attached with transparent tape or glue.
Make Mine Chocolate encourages all of us to stick to the chocolate bunnies this and every year instead of buying loved ones a cute pet furry bunny. Sure, they are adorable and soft and seem like they would make a great seasonal pet, but every year these precious critters are given up just as readily as they are adopted. Taking care of a rabbit is a lot of work and they are not domesticated the way dogs and cats are. They need different, specialized care that many people are not aware of when they seek out the pet.
Please, everyone, whatever you do, make your bunny gift this year be chocolate, not the real hopping type.
Bunnies by Normanack.
