You can make filling Easter baskets even more fun for you and your kids by preparing Easter candy recipes, including marshmallow chicks and sugar bunnies.
Decide which recipes you plan on making well in advance of the big day. With all of the hustle and bustle going on, it's easy to leave the baking until the day before. Unfortunately, that usually ends with you being exhausted. Instead, set a day or two aside before the holiday, and do your baking while the children are away at school or when you have a moment to yourself.
Because Easter gift baskets would look bare without marshmallow animals in them, you may want to rediscover the easy art of marshmallow making this year. Once your marshmallows are done, you can break out the colored sugar sprinkles and get to work decorating them in various pastel colors. After that, maybe you'd like to try your hand at making powdered sugar bunnies.
Gourmet Candy
Marshmallow animals might not be considered gourmet candy by most adults, but what child wouldn't agree? While it's exceedingly easier to purchase a package of Peeps at a store during the Easter holiday, you will enjoy making your own marshmallows and decorating your own chicks.
Marshmallow Chicks Recipe
Ingredients You Will Need:
Various colors of crystallized sugar
3 tablespoons gelatin
½ cup cold water
2 cups white sugar
¾ cup light corn syrup
½ cup water
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla
Equipment You Will Need:
Cookie sheet for each color of sugar
Parchment paper for each cookie sheet
Large bowl
Saucepan
Candy thermometer
Mixer
Pastry bag with a half-inch tip
Set out the cookie sheet, place the parchment paper on top and sprinkle a little crystallized sugar onto the sheet. Use a different color of sugar on each sheet. (Because marshmallows begin to set immediately, it's best not to try and do too many colors at once. Three is a manageable number.)
Mix the gelatin with the ½ cup cold water, and stir until the gelatin has dissolved. Set the gelatin aside while you heat the sugar. Place a heavy-bottomed saucepan on the stove over medium heat, and add the sugar, corn syrup, second half cup of water and the salt and bring to a boil. Use a candy thermometer to determine the exact temperature. When the candy reaches 244 degrees Fahrenheit, remove it from the heat. Stirring constantly, slowly pour the resulting syrup into the bowl with the gelatin.
Mix for about 15 minutes or until it turns white and thickens. While still warm, add the vanilla, and mix well. Spoon the still warm mixture into the pastry bag. Make the chicks in one motion. Start with the pastry bag moving toward you to make a thick two-inch line for the body of the chick, and then push backward into the body to make the neck. Pull the pastry tip upwards and still toward you to make the head, ending off with a point for the beak. If you like, go to the back, and pinch the chick's backside with an upward motion to make the pointed tail.
Immediately sprinkle colored sugar crystals over the chick. Store them in airtight containers.
Powdered Sugar Bunnies Recipe
Ingredients You Will Need:
1 egg white, beaten until frothy
1 tablespoon corn syrup
5 cups powdered sugar
Food coloring
Small white marshmallows
Frosting to affix tail to bunny
Equipment You Will Need:
Wooden spoon
Plastic wrap
Rabbit-shaped candy mold, available from various candy stores
Notes:
This recipe calls for one raw egg white. Using raw eggs can be risky. To try this recipe without using the raw egg white, try this substitute: one teaspoon gelatin dissolved in three tablespoons of boiling water. Let the gelatin cool and begin to gel slightly before you use it in the recipe. About five minutes in the freezer or refrigerator should do the trick.
Mix the egg (or gelatin) with the corn syrup until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, and beat until smooth. Divide into several equal measurements, and add food coloring as desired. Mix well to blend the food coloring. Then, using one color at a time, wrap the remaining mixture in plastic wrap to keep it from drying out.
Press the sugar candy firmly into the molds, and then pop the candy back out again. Affix the white marshmallow tail to the bunny with frosting.
 | Candy making can be fun for beginners, and the many varieties of homemade candies make it an ongoing challenge for the veteran. Christmas is the time of year most people try their hand at old-fashioned candies, such as divinity, peanut brittle, chocolate fudge, logs and southern pralines. Year round, these goodies can bring a smile of delight to the sweets lover. Valentine's Day is the perfect time for making gourmet candies like truffles, butter toffee and lollipops. Halloween calls for caramel, peanut clusters and popcorn balls. |
 | Making chocolate candy bars is not an easy or cheap task. It can be a time-consuming and tedious process. But chocolate made from scratch, without the added waxes and unnecessary flavors, is worth the extra work. |
 | If you're looking for a holiday gift that's inexpensive and homey, consider learning how to make caramel. Buttery and sweet, milk caramels are easy to make and fun to eat. Once you try these recipes, you'll be hooked, and a holiday tradition will be in place. |
If you want to impress your guests, try making these easy homemade marshmallows. They're perfect for topping off a cup of hot chocolate or for simply popping into your mouth as a quick treat. Making marshmallows is simple, and you'll savor the light, fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth sweetness so much more. |
Easy homemade vegan candy like nut brittles and fruit glace can be a great addition to your kitchen repertoire. Vegans and non-vegans alike are sure to smile when they catch a glimpse, a whiff, or a taste of homemade candy. |
