Come on Easter… you can’t get here soon enough. I’m sooooo tired of this loooooong winter! Last year Chicagoans were blessed with an incredibly mild winter. We had mid 40′s for most of the season. Unfortunately nature wasn’t feeling a repeat this year. Its been cold and gloomy- we didn’t even get much snow until March rolled around, of course! My kids are so stir crazy that they literally have been running in circles around my living room (they are actually doing it right now as I type this- not kidding). So beyond play dates, story hours and bouncy-towns we’ve been keeping busy with some home craft making and cooking. Valentines Day and St. Patricks Day have given us some fun options, so now we’re moving on to Easter.
If you’re a Pinterest addict like me, you’ve probably seen some great Easter ideas already, but I wanted to share a few of my other finds. First up are our Easter Peep Cookies. These are super simple and very kid friendly. You can be creative by dying the candy/chocolate coating different colors, using different candies for decoration, trying different Peeps like the birds or chocolate coated bunnies…options are endless. The best part is that once you mix the “nest”, the kids can do the rest. It kept my kiddos busy for at least 20-30 minutes.
- 12 oz bag of chow mein noodles
- 1 20 oz package vanilla almond bark or white candy coating
- 1 small bag of jelly beans
- 1-2 package of Peeps
- food coloring- as desired
- Empty the package of chow mein noodles into a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl melt the candy coating or almond bark per the package instructions. Pour on top of the chow mein noodles and mix until fully coated.
- Using a tablespoon, spoon the mixture onto a baking sheet covered with wax paper. Form a nest-shaped mound and push down in the center with the back of the spoon to create an indentation.
- While the cookies are still wet, decorate each nest with jelly beans, sprinkles, colored sugar, etc…
- Cut the bottom off of each Peep to insure they are flat. Place a Peep on top of each nest, press down gently to insure it sticks. Put the tray of cookies into a refrigerator to harden, 10-15 minutes.
Not enough to keep your family busy for the last few weeks of yucky weather? Try out some of these!
Easter Egg Cake Pops- I made these last year for Easter dinner. I put them in a basket, stuck them into some of the green styrofoam used for floral arrangements and then covered the styromfoam with Easter “grass”. They’re another great Easter treat for kids to help with!
Peep Stuffed Brownies- One of the only candies we usually have left over from Easter are those Peeps. This is a great way to use them!
Easter Deviled Eggs- Not sure why I haven’t thought of this before?!?
Deep Fried Cadbury Eggs- WHAT?!
Here’s to hoping spring comes SOON!
~Wendy
Great idea, Wendy! We love Peeps in our house! If you don’t want to color your chocoalt/bark, Wilton makes colored bags. You can find it in many retailers and I believe Michaels carries all of our color offerings.
Great tip Becky, thanks!