Super delicious birthday cookies

So, what happens when you give a couple of cake artists a dozen eggs and some spare time?!?

Yep!  Tie-Dyed Glitter Eggs!  We had a blast making these little suckers!  After dying them, we got out ALL the luster dusts and edible glitter and just went to town!  My personal favorite was the golden disco glitter egg (look to the middle right in the picture).  It's been forever since we made Easter eggs and for the life of me, I don't know why!

Once that excitement wore down, we thought we would enjoy a cookie break, so we broke out a package of Milano cookes.  30 minutes later...

Yes!  Milano marshmallow sheep!  We're sickos, OK!  But in case you're interested, here's the lowdown on making these cute little guys!  Coat a Milano cookie in white chocolate and cover in  marshmallows.  Once set, use more chocolate to glue on four "feet" (we used some sort of Reeces egg candies).  Now take another milano cookie and using your mini marshmallows, make eyes and ears.  Use more chocolate to glue the cookie head to the cookie/marshmallow body.  Viola!  These little guys will serve as plate decorations / possible dessert for our guests today as we serve Easter lunch!

Happy Easter Everybody!

Do you remember eating these chow mein noodle bird's nests when you were a kid? I do and they're one of my favorite things to make for Easter!

I found a recipe for them in the King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion. They are really, really simple, too!

Seriously, it'll take you less than an hour (unless you are going to blog about them, then it will take FOUR), assuming you have chow mein noodles, marshmallows and Easter candy on hand. And who doesn't? ;)

Bird's Nests
{adapted from King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion}

3 c. mini marshmallows
3 TBSP unsalted butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
4 c. dry chow mein noodles
small candies, jelly beans, m & m's, etc.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

Over low heat, melt the marshmallows and butter in a large saucepan.

Once melted, stir in the vanilla, then the chow mein noodles.

Coat your hands liberally with shortening, (butter doesn't work as well) and have some nearby for re-coating.

{Your hands will feel so soft all day. :) Hmmm...maybe I should carry a little tub of Crisco in my purse?}

Grab a clump of noodles smaller than a tennis ball and larger than a golf ball. Form into a ball while pressed your thumbs into the middle, forming a nest.

Allow the nests to cool, then fill with with the candy of your choice....


OK...so while I was taking pictures, I thought..."wouldn't these be cute placecards?!?"
Of course, you can probably find a better pen than a ballpoint and cut out construction paper a little neater, but they ARE cute, aren't they?

{I used a toothpick to attach the Peep to the nest.}

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Remember to link up your Easter goodies and crafts here. Or, just go check them out...I am blown-away with all of the CUTE ideas!!! You guys are so fun! I'm stealing ALL of your ideas next year!

Related Posts:

• Good Eggs
• Fluffy Easter Chicks
• Here Comes Peter CottonTail

We used to make this cheesecake when we were little. I remember crushing up the biscuits for the base..
It was a recipe that came on the back of the Philly Cream Cheese packets, but they don't have it on there anymore. I went searching on the Kraft website and found it.


You Will Need..
1 1/4 cups biscuits crushed (I used milk arrowroot, and I used almost 2 cups because our cheesecake plate is huuugge)
80 grams butter - melted (If you're using 2 cups, you need more butter, I probably ended up doubling this..)
500 grams Philadelphia Cream Cheese
400 gram can of Sweetened Condensed Milk
3 teaspoons gelatine, dissolved in 1/4 cup boiling water
1/3 cup lemon juice (worked out to be 1 1/2 medium lemons)
2 Tablespoons grated lemon rind (I used 2 lemons)

Crush your biscuits until they are like breadcrumbs. (Place your biscuits in your food processor, or in a bowl and crush with the end of your rolling pin)
Combine the melted butter and biscuit crumbs.

I take no credit for this design; it comes straight out of last year's Williams-Sonoma catalog. (Well, their bunnies were cuter.)

They gave me an excuse to break out the sanding sugar...and I like a cookie with sanding sugar. And, really, something about SPRING just screams sanding sugar to me. You, too?

Here's how I add sanding sugar once a cookie is complete:

• Let the cookies dry overnight.

• Mix together equal amounts of meringue powder and water, just stir it together with a spoon. (I used 1/2 tsp. each here.)

• Using a small (food-only) paintbrush, brush the mixture along the edge and tail of the bunnies.

• Sprinkle on the sanding sugar. Shake off the excess. (I use a coffee filter to catch the excess and funnel it back into the container. Read more about how I set up a "sanding sugar station" here.)

That's it!


{Please link to your blog POST URL, not just your blog main page. Thanks!}

I'm working tonight on some *new* Easter cookies, but here are some blasts from the past for a little Easter cookie decorating inspiration. {Click the links for the full posts.}

Good Eggs...personalized or not, these are always a hit!

Basket Case...I made these for the first time last year. My favorite part? The Easter grass peeking out! :)

"Fluffy" chicks...so simple and so sweet! I *heart* these! This would be a good one for decorating with the kids.


And, finally, which to *you* eat first? The Ears or the Tails? These are really easy to make...click here and I'll show you how.
{Re-name these"Twilight bunnies" and make the bite out of the neck! ;)}

I love the face on this little guy!

How about these? I can't decide which is my favorite....the bunny with the glasses or the "surprised" one.






One day left for Easter baking! Need some inspiration?

• Good Eggs
• Easter Baskets
• Easter Chick Flicks

Today (Saturday) Bake at 350's pantry is being featured at The Perfect Pantry. Go on over and check out Lydia's blog. It's full of great recipes, info and yes, pantries! :) Thanks, Lydia!

And, before I forget again....the winner of the King Arthur Scone giveaway was Lorie. Thanks for entering! :)

Have a Happy Easter!

I just love that expression..."good egg." Does anyone even use it anymore? "He's a good egg." Maybe I am dating myself!

Here's one more Easter cookie idea for you...decorated Easter egg cookies.

These personalized cookies would be really cute if you're hosting a group for Easter. You could use them as placecards on your Easter table. Or maybe you could sneak them to the adults while the kids are hunting eggs and elbow-deep in chocolate bunnies.
Getting ready to add the names here....I used an AmeriColor Gourmet Writer (food coloring pen) in purple. Be sure to do this after the cookies have dried overnight and use light pressure with the pen. I had several extras on hand and used everyone of them. Sometimes I press too hard and most of the time, I'm not happy with my handwriting. :)
For more info on how to make the dots, click here. To make the squiggly lines, follow the basic instructions for dots (adding the line color on top of the WET flood icing), but squeeze lines instead of dots across your cookie. Make all of the lines that you want in one section...in the cookies above, I used 3 different colors, then drag a toothpick through your lines alternating up and down.

{Yes, several toothpicks were harmed in the making of these cookies.}

The eggs look pretty cute without personalization, too. I like to alternate the dots and squiggles for the different sections.

To make the yellow scalloped lines (my favorite part of the cookie), pulse or add pressure to the icing bags as you are piping a line across the cookie. It's a good idea to practice first on a sheet of wax paper or a paper towel.

Be sure to check out the King Arthur Flour scone giveaway!!! Drawing will be Sunday night!


More Easter cookie ideas:

• Easter baskets
• Fluffy Easter chicks
• "Bitten" Easter bunnies (maybe for the Twilight crowd?) ;)

Happy Easter!!!