It’s Easter weekend! Soon, all the candy will be unwrapped and the eggs will all have been found – hopefully! Now, what do you do with all those chocolate bunnies, candies, Peeps and colorful hard boiled eggs after the hunt?
Didn’t eat all those marshmallow Peeps? Don’t fret about any leftovers – they are just the thing to melt into my Jelly-Bean Rice Crispy Tweeps. The Peeps stand in for the traditional marshmallows folded with Rice Krispies cereal. Rip the peeps tiny heads off and save for “garnish!”
Peep heads for garnish
For the adults, grab a few of the kids chocolate bunnies and stir yourself up some Bunny’Licious Chocolate Mocha Fondue using a splash of your favorite liqueur – I like to use Grand Marnier. Serve with an assortment of fruits for dipping or any other leftover Peeps.
Peeps lined up for a chocolate dip
As for the extra eggs? Make deviled eggs of course! And get creative with the fillings, from brunchy Bacon Cheddar to Retro Shrimp Cocktail variations. You can find over 50 more inspiring ideas in my D’lish Deviled Eggs cookbook – any of which would be great to use up those Easter Eggs. For more deviled eggs ideas, check out www.DLishDeviledEggs.com and follow @ChickysTweets on Twitter.
Happy Easter everyone! –Kathy
Jelly Bean Rice Crispy Tweeps
Makes 30 treats
3 Tbsp. butter
6 packages yellow Peeps® – 30 peeps(you can use bunnies too for pink treats)
6 cups Rice Krispies® cereal
1 cup small jellybeans
Pull 30 of the peeps heads off and set aside for garnish.
In a large sauce pan heat butter over low heat melt the butter until melted. Then add peeps and stir over low heat until melted. Then stir in rice crispies and jelly beans. Stir until cereal is well coated and jellybeans are distributed.
Place mixture in a pan sprayed 8”x8” baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and press down to compact the crispy treats. Let set for at least 15 minutes before serving. To serve cut (5×6) into 30 squares.
Recipe by Kathy Casey Food Studios®.
Bunny’licious Chocolate Mocha Fondue
Makes 4 servings
6 ounces of left-over chocolate bunnies
1/4 cup hot, strong brewed coffee
1 tablespoon liquor such as: Grand Marnier, amaretto or Frangelico liqueur (optional)
For dipping: fresh fruit for dipping cut into chunks, such as: pineapple, strawberries, raspberries, apple wedges and oranges
Other fun things for dipping are: pound cake chunks, holiday cookies, small chocolate chip cookies, other candy such as Peeps® …..
Break up or cut bunnies in small pieces (chocolate chip size) into a glass or ceramic bowl and pour hot coffee over them. Stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. If coffee is not hot enough to melt chocolate, then microwave for 10 seconds. Stir in liqueur if desired.
Transfer mixture to a fondue pot or pretty bowl and serve warm with long forks and lots of goodies for dipping.
Recipe by Kathy Casey Food Studios®.
(Photo © Kathy Casey Food Studios from D’Lish Deviled Eggs)
Bacon Cheddar Deviled Eggs
Eggs, bacon, cheese … they go hand in hand. These all-American eggs are great to serve as an app or a fun salad garnish—or grab a couple for breakfast on the go.
Makes 24
1 dozen hard-cooked eggs (recipe follows)
Filling
3 Tbsp mayonnaise
3 Tbsp sour cream
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard (optional)
1 tsp minced fresh garlic
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup finely grated sharp cheddar cheese
Topping
1/4 cup finely chopped crisp-cooked bacon
2 Tbsp very thinly sliced green onion
Freshly ground black pepper
Halve the eggs lengthwise and transfer the yolks to a mixing bowl. Set the egg white halves on a platter, cover, and refrigerate.
With a fork, mash the yolks to a smooth consistency. Add the mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, if using, garlic, salt, and pepper, and mix until smooth. (You can also do this in a mixing bowl with a whip attachment.) Stir in the cheddar until evenly mixed in.
Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip, then pipe the mixture evenly into the egg white halves. Or fill the eggs with a spoon, dividing the filling evenly.
To make the topping, in a small bowl, mix the bacon and green onion. Top each egg half with about 3/4 teaspoon of the mixture, and then sprinkle with black pepper.
Hard-Cooked Eggs
1 dozen large chicken eggs
Place the eggs in a large nonreactive saucepan and add cold water to 1 inch above the eggs. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn off the heat and let the eggs sit for 10 minutes. Remove from the stove and run cool water over the eggs in the pan until they are cooled. When cool, carefully peel them under running water.
Recipe from D’Lish Deviled Eggs by Kathy Casey, Andrews McMeel Publishing
