Easter Inspiration: Part One
01 Apr

Easter Inspiration: Part One

Well, I don’t know about you guys but I feel as though I have just finalised saying all my Merry Christmas’ and a Happy New Year!

It’s already Easter time! I should feel more prepared I guess. The supermarkets gave me an ample amount of time with them releasing their Easter confectionery and decorations, not to mention the Hot Cross Buns… IN JANUARY!

January… come on… January? I’d hate to find a hidden Easter Egg that was purchased in January. Although, with all the additives and preservatives found in some of the confectionery I’m pretty sure that most of them would outlive my expected life span. At worst… it would be very melted thanks to the good ol’ Brisbane Humidity.

As a kid, Easter time meant Chocolate. I know that I should have held the religious sentiments closer to heart however; Easter to me meant my Birthday and Chocolate.

Pretty selfish of me I know…

So why the Easter Bunny and Easter Eggs?

Easter Bunny Image fixed

I guess the Easter Bunny is very similar to Santa Claus. Sneaking around at night to leave you some wonderful surprises in the morning.

Easter Time is a very religious affair for some. A time for chocolate and gifts for others. An extended Holiday from work for most and for some… it has no significant meaning to them at all.

That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy some tasty treats! Here are a few that we have whipped together minus all the nasty additives.

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Equipment

  • Vitamix 2L Wet container

Ingredients – Chocolate Nests

  • 1/2 cup coconut oil (melted)
  • 1/2 cup raw cacao powder
  • 1/4 cup coconut syrup
  • 1 cup shredded coconut
  • 1 pinch Himalayan salt

Ingredients – Eggs for the Nests

  • 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
  • 1/2 cup shredded coconut
  • 1/4 cup hemp seeds (shelled)
  • 1/4 cup sesame seeds
  • 1 pinch Himalayan salt
  • 2 Tbsp lucuma powder
  • 1 Tbsp coconut nectar/ maple syrup
  • 2 Tbsp coconut oil
  • 6 drops mint essences

Ingredients – Melted White Chocolate

  • 6 Tbsp virgin coconut oil (melted)
  • 2 Tbsp maple syrup or coconut nectar
  • 1/4 tsp real vanilla powder
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 pinch Himalayan salt

Method – Chocolate Nests

  1. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and form into balls and then mould them into a nest shape. You may need to warm the coconut butter slightly.
  2. Chill in the refrigerator on greaseproof paper.

Method – Eggs for the Nests

  1. Put all the ingredients into the Vitamix 2L wet container in the order listed and secure the lid.
  2. Select Variable 1. Turn the machine on and quickly increase the speed to 10, then override to High.
  3. Use the tamper to effectively press the ingredients into the blades whilst processing, until you have formed dough.
  4. Form the small eggs in the size of kidney beans and place them on top of a plate with grease proof paper.
  5. Put the eggs in the freezer while you make the melted white chocolate.

Method – Melted White Chocolate

  1. Slowly melt the coconut oil in a water bath. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir with a whisk.
  2. Wait until the melted chocolate thickens as it cools down.
  3. When it’s become thicker it is time to start dipping the eggs.
  4. Lay them on the grease proof paper to harden.
  5. Flip them to make sure they won’t stick to the paper.

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Ingredients – Shortbread

  • 2 cups macadamia nuts (ground into flour)
  • 3-4 pitted dates
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla paste
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp Himalayan sea salt

Method – Shortbread

  1. Place all your ingredients into your 2L Vitamix wet container and secure the lid.
  2. Turn your variable speed dial to speed 7 and pulse your machine on and off a few times to start processing your dough.
  3. Once you have pulsed 3 or 4 times quickly turn your machine up to HIGH speed and use your tamper effectively to push the ingredients down to the blade. It is important to get onto HIGH speed as quick as possible and to use that tamper.
  4. Once you have formed a dough cut it out into your desired shapes. I used a cookie cutter for the “Bunny Bums” and an olive oil lid for the bunny feet.
  5. Once all shapes have been cut place them on your mesh dehydrator sheets and dehydrate on HIGH (65 degrees Celsius) for 4 hours.
  6. After 4 hours turn the heat down to 40 degrees Celsius and dehydrate for about 24 hours or until you think they are ready.
  7. Once you think the cookies are ready place them in the fridge before you start to move them around as they are very delicate and I found them easier to work with once they had been set in the fridge for a while.

Ingredients – Cashew Icing

  • 3/4 cup cashews (soaked 24 hours)
  • 2 Tbsp coconut oil
  • 3 Tbsp rice malt syrup (or liquid sweetener of choice)
  • 1 tsp vanilla paste
  • 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 pinch cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp beetroot juice to add some colour (optional)

Method – Cashew Icing

  1. Put all the ingredients into the Vitamix 2L container in the order listed and secure the lid.
  2. Select Variable 1. Turn the machine on and quickly increase the speed to 10, then override to High.
  3. Use the tamper to effectively press the ingredients into the blades whilst processing
  4. Blend for 45-60 seconds or until smooth.

 Assembly

  1. Take your cookie parts out of the fridge and start to spread the icing onto the ” bunny bums”
  2. Stick two feet onto each “bunny bum” and pipe some additional icing on them to make the feet. I missed this when assembling mine! So I had a little help from photoshop in the image above… cheeky…
  3. Use some shredded coconut for the bunny tail and you’re done!

Please note… I am not very good at decorating as you can probably see…

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!

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