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My family looks forward to Easter time every spring with great anticipation, so I’m excited to share a few of our favorite foods that help make our celebrations special, starting with these Easter Basket Cookie Cups!
There’s just something about spring that screams, “happiness and renewal”. The earth comes alive once more and the flowers show their pretty faces. It’s one of my favorite seasons.
I’m hoping old man weather will catch the memo that it’s March and thus bring on the warmer weather, because this past week we’ve been enduring below freezing temps. Then, Saturday morning we had quite the surprise when we woke up to 8 inches of snow!
We rarely get snow here. The forecast predicted we’d get some white stuff, but whenever that happens, the storm either passes us over completely or barely gives us a dusting of the pavement. So you can imagine our shock.
We had loads of fun making snowmen all day, but in the back of my mind I was secretly hoping that this would be the last snowfall until next winter. I’m just ready to say goodbye to the coats and gloves and hello to shorts and flip flops.
How about you?
One of the first welcome signs to me that spring is on its way is when the Easter candy hits the shelves! I can’t get enough of it. Are you the same way? I find myself frequenting Walmart just so I can raid the seasonal treats aisle. On my last trip I picked up some STOUFFER’S® Buffalo-Style Mac Cups for our festivities as well.
I found them in the frozen meals aisle at Walmart.
When we host a large crowd for an egg hunts or just an excuse to gather and celebrate the season, I like to serve simple foods that everyone will love. As you know, I hate stressing over what we’ll eat. STOUFFER’S® Mac Cups fit into my busy event-planning schedule and who doesn’t enjoy a cup of cheesy pasta? Especially when it’s Buffalo-Style?
Probably one of my favorite parts about hosting friends is the excuse to bake up a storm!Ironically enough, my first Easter baking this year, happened when it was a blizzard outside this past weekend. 🙂 My daughter said, “It doesn’t even feel like Easter time!” But I don’t need sun and warmth to enjoy a yummy Easter Basket Cookie Cup, now do I?
Because my absolute favorite cookie is chocolate chip, I chose to make these cute edible baskets with my favorite homemade dough, then fill them with a creamy, dreamy mixture, and top them with coconut “grass” and NESTLÉ® BUTTERFINGER® NestEggs (have you had them…they’re SO tasty!). Then I finished them off with a licorice “handle”.
Aren’t they cute?
Start by making up a batch of your favorite chocolate chip cookies…here’s mine. This next part takes some finesse, so just be patient. Turn a muffin pan over. Grab a small ball of dough and press it down on the top of a muffin mold. You’ll want it to come over the sides slightly, but not too far because it will expand as it bakes. You also want the dough thickness to be as consistent as possible so the sides will be even lengths. It’s a little tricky and mine were not perfect by any means, but I did find that you can trim the sides with a knife when they’re just out of the oven and still warm.Bake according to your favorite cookie recipe’s instructions. I baked mine at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 or 11 minutes. Let them cool for a few minutes, then very carefully remove them from the muffin molds and place them on a cooling rack.
Next, whip up your filling (recipe below).
{SWEET CREAM CHEESE FILLING}
Fills 10 cookie cups
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
4 c. frozen whipped topping, thawed
2 Tbsp. vanilla instant pudding, dry from the packet
1 cup powdered sugar
Place all ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until fluffy.
Making coconut “grass” is so easy. Simply toss some coconut in a bowl a few drops of green food coloring. Continue adding drops and tossing until the desired color is reached. Then spread the coconut out on a cookie sheet and bake at a low temp for a few minutes until it’s dry.
It’s such a perfect addition to these basket cups!
Next, I unwrapped some NESTLÉ® BUTTERFINGER® NestEggs, popped a few in my mouth (because I just couldn’t help it), and then added three to the top of each cookie cup. The confections just aren’t complete without them! They also make great Easter egg fillers for the hunt!
Then I stuck a piece of colorful licorice in the creamy filling of each cup, and voila! they’re done. My licorice started to sag a little, so if you want the handle to be more stable, just use more strings of licorice.
How fun are these?
Happy Easter! What are some of your favorite traditions that help you celebrate? I’d love to hear!
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