Supplies

  • Hot Cross Bun ‘Bombs’
  • 16 hot cross buns
  • Butter, for spreading
  • 1 tub vanilla ice cream, slightly softened

Steps

  1. Slice 4 hot cross buns in half and toast in a toaster, or under a preheated grill, until golden. Spread the halves with butter and leave to cool.
  2. Meanwhile, cut the remaining 12 buns in half. Working with the top half of the buns, the half with the crosses on, roll out with a rolling pin until about ½ cm thick. Repeat until all the crossed halves are rolled out. Press the rolled out buns into a 12 hole muffin tray lined with clingfilm.
  3. Chop the toasted hot cross buns into small pieces and add the to slightly softened ice cream, then mix to combine and place a scoop of the toasted bun ice cream into each muffin hole. Use Using a cookie cutter, stamp out circle from the ‘base’ buns halves that you have remaining and place on top of the ice cream then fold any overhang into the centre of the muffin tin.
  4. Place the tray into the freezer for at least 4 hours.
  5. To serve, remove the hot cross bun bombs from the muffin tray, peel of the cling film and leave at room temperature for 10 minutes before enjoying!

Supplies

  • 2 medium egg whites
  • 100g caster sugar
  • 1/2 tsp cornflour
  • Yellow food colouring paste
  • Orange food colouring paste
  • Black icing pen, to decorate

Steps

  1. Heat oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 1. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment and put a medium-sized plain nozzle on one piping bag and a very small plain nozzle on a separate piping bag.
  2. In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until they are very stiff. Add the sugar a spoonful at a time and continue to whisk until the mixture is firm and shiny.
  3. Stir the cornflour into the meringue, along with a small amount of yellow food colouring. Whisk again until you have a very thick, firm and glossy pale yellow meringue. Remove a large spoonful of the meringue from the bowl, place into a smaller bowl and add a tiny bit of orange food colouring, stirring to combine.
  4. Using a paintbrush, paint a small amount of yellow food colouring onto the inside of the piping bag fitted with the larger nozzle then carefully spoon the yellow meringue into the piping bag. Spoon the orange meringue into the piping bag with the smaller nozzle.
  5. Pipe about 25 meringue kisses with the yellow meringue onto the baking sheet and then add a little beak of orange meringue onto each kiss.
  6. Cook in the oven for 30 mins until they are crisp, firm and come off the baking parchment easily. Leave to cool on a wire rack.
  7. To decorate, use the black icing pen to draw eyes on each chick.

Supplies

  • 65g butter, at room temperature
  • 100g icing sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • Pinch salt
  • 170g plain flour
  • Vanilla flavoured buttercream
  • Toasted coconut flakes
  • Mini eggs

Steps

  1. Put the butter into a large mixing bowl and use an electric whisk to beat it. Add the icing sugar, and mix that through, followed by the egg, vanilla and salt. When the mixture is smooth, add the flour, give it a quick stir with a wooden spoon then use the electric whisk to mix it all through.
  2. Turn the dough onto a floured worktop and bring it together with your hands. If the dough is too sticky, you can place it into the fridge at this point, otherwise, roll the rough out to about 1 cm thick and use a 4cm cookie cutter to cut out rounds of dough. Place the rounds onto a baking tray and place into the fridge for 30 minutes.
  3. Preheat oven to 180 C / 160 C fan and place the cookies into the oven to bake for 15 - 20 minutes, until cooked through but not coloured.
  4. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow to cool.
  5. When cool, pipe a ring of vanilla buttercream on each cookie, smoothing the inside of the ring with a spatula or spoon. Press the toasted coconut into the buttercream to create a nest effect then finish by adding the mini eggs into the nest.