Save with Mrs Crunch by baking a batch of fun and traditional Easter treats with the kids

WITH Easter just a week away, it’s time to get cracking on your spring-time extravaganza.

And save cash by baking a batch of traditional Easter treats. Enjoy!

You’ll be able to save cash and enjoy time with the kids by baking these fun treats

Chocolate Easter Nests

(Makes eight)

Morrisons

These chocolate Easter treats don’t even need baking – more savings on yours and your oven’s time

YOU NEED:

• 8 Shredded Wheat biscuits
• 300g plain chocolate
• 4 tbsp golden syrup
• 50g butter
• 120g candy-coated chocolate mini eggs

METHOD: Using clean hands, break up the Shredded Wheat biscuits in a large bowl.

Break the chocolate into squares and place in a heatproof bowl with the syrup and butter.

Melt over a pan of simmering water until smooth and glossy. Pour over the Shredded Wheat bits and mix well so they are coated in the chocolate mixture.

Line a baking tray with non-stick baking parchment. Shape spoonfuls of the mixture into balls, place on the tray and make a dip in the middle of each using your thumb. Chill until they are firm.

Place into a cake case and add mini eggs into the centre of each.

Pop into Morrisons to get all the ingredients you need for these traditional Easter treats

Easter Chick Cupcakes

(Makes 12)

Think of the fun making these chicks with the whole family – enjoy!

YOU NEED:

• 12 cupcake cases
• 275g Stork with Butter (150g for cupcakes, 125g for frosting)
• 150g caster sugar
• 3 medium eggs
• 150g self-raising flour
• 1 lemon; 350g icing sugar
• yellow food colouring
• orange ready-to-roll icing
• 1 pack chocolate chips

METHOD: Line a cupcake pan with yellow paper liners and preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/Gas mark 4.

Cream 150g of the Stork with the caster sugar until light and fluffy, then beat in zest of a lemon. Add the eggs, a little at a time, beating the mixture well. Fold through the flour and juice of ½ a lemon. Divide the mixture between the paper cases and bake for 20 mins.

For the frosting, beat together the remaining 125g of Stork, lemon juice and icing sugar. Add a little yellow food colouring to achieve a golden yellow.

Spread the frosting over the tops of the cupcakes.

Dust your work surface with icing sugar and roll out some of the orange ready-to-roll icing. For each chick, cut two ­triangular wings – marking lines for the feathers using a knife – and two triangular feet. Cut a square and make an indent diagonally, gently folding it to make a beak. Add one to each cooled cupcake, plus two small choc chips for the eyes.

Easter Biscuits

Makes 20

Morrisons

Let your creative juices flow this Easter playing with colourful icing pens

YOU NEED:

• 200g plain flour
• 100g semolina
• 100g caster sugar
• a lemon, finely grated zest only
• 200g butter, cold
• 300g ready-to-roll icing
• two food colourings (we used pink and yellow)
• one pack writing icing pens

TIP: Put the butter in the freezer for 30 minutes to make it easier to grate.

METHOD: Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/Gas 4. Sift the flour into a mixing bowl, then stir in the semolina, sugar and lemon zest. Coarsely grate the butter into the bowl. Rub into the flour mixture and bring together so it forms a ball.

Roll out on a lightly-floured surface and, using cutters or a template, cut out 20 egg-shaped biscuits. Lift on to a parchment-lined baking tray, set well apart, and bake for 18-20 minutes until pale golden.

Cool on the tray for ten minutes then transfer the biscuits to a rack to cool completely.

Colour the icing by kneading in a few drops of food colouring then thinly roll out on a surface dusted with icing sugar.

Use the same cutters you used for the biscuits to stamp out identical shapes in icing. Stick the icing on to the biscuits with a dot of writing icing. Press down and smooth out. Draw on patterns with the icing pens.