From bunny pizzas to fluffy cupcakes – try these fun and easy recipes to give your kids an extra special Easter

FANCY an eggs-tra special Easter? Ditch shop-bought ­goodies and try cooking up a storm with your kids instead.

From super-cute cupcakes to bunny-shaped pizzas, your little ones will love these fun recipes.

Created by leading children’s cookbook author Annabel ­Karmel, they’re all easy to make and even better to eat.

So get cracking!

BUNNY PIZZAS

(Makes 4)

YOU NEED:

For the pizza dough:

• 250g strong bread flour
• 1 tsp dried yeast
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 150ml water
• 1 clove garlic, crushed

For the tomato sauce and toppings:

• 150g chopped tomatoes
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 tbsp sun-dried tomato paste
• 1 tbsp thyme, chopped
• 100g grated mozzarella
• 50g grated Cheddar
• Basil leaves, chopped

For the decoration:

• 250g ball of mozzarella
• Black olives
• Cherry tomatoes, sliced
• Basil leaves

METHOD: To make the dough, put the flour, yeast, salt, olive oil, water and ­garlic into a bowl.

Mix together using a wooden spoon until the mixture comes together.

Place on a work surface and knead into a soft shiny dough.

Place in an oiled bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave to rise for 1½ hours.

Pre-heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas mark 7.

Divide the dough into four balls.

Take the first ball and remove a third of the dough.

Roll out to make bunny ears then roll out the remaining dough to make the bunny’s face.

Place on a baking sheet lined with baking paper.

Repeat with the other three balls to create more bunnies.

Mix the tomato, garlic, tomato paste and thyme together in a bowl. Spread over the bases.

Sprinkle the cheese over the top. Bake the pizzas for 15 minutes.

Decorate with the olives, tomatoes, mozzarella, chives and basil to make the bunny faces.

EASTER CHICK CUPCAKES

(Makes 12)

YOU NEED:

• 175g self-raising flour
• 175g soft butter
• 175g caster sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp baking powder

For the icing:

• 175g butter, softened
• 300g icing sugar
• Yellow food colouring

For the decoration:

• Orange jelly sweets
• Edible eyes

METHOD: Preheat the oven to 180C/160 fan/gas mark 4.

Line one muffin tin plus one mini muffin tin with paper cases.

Measure the sponge ingredients into a large bowl.

Whisk together using an ­electric hand whisk. Spoon the mixture into the cases.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until well risen and lightly golden.

Leave the cupcakes to cool on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, make the buttercream.

Beat the butter, icing sugar and food colouring together in a bowl until fluffy.

Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a small, fluted nozzle.

Pipe the buttercream on to both the ­cupcakes and the mini cupcakes.

Arrange the mini cupcakes on top of the larger cupcakes, putting one on each, on its side to make the chick’s head.

Add the eyes and an orange sweet for the beak.

EASY EASTER SHEEP CUPCAKES

(Makes 6)

YOU NEED:

• 125g softened butter
• 125g caster sugar
• 125g self-raising flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Buttercream icing
• 100g softened butter
• 200g icing sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp milk

For the decoration:

• White mini marshmallows
• 6 Mini Creme Eggs
• Ready-made white and black fondant or edible eyes
• Black icing pen
• Ready-made brown fondant icing

METHOD: Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas mark 4. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with cupcake cases.

Measure all of the cake ingredients into a bowl. Whisk until light and fluffy.

Spoon into the cases.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until well risen and lightly golden. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

Measure all of the icing ingredients into a bowl. Whisk until fluffy.

Take one cupcake and remove the paper case.

Turn it upside down and sandwich together on top of another cupcake using buttercream. This will make the sheep’s rounded body.

Completely cover with buttercream and add marshmallows to make the sheep’s woolly coat, leaving a space for the head.

Decorate the Mini Creme Eggs with edible eyes (or using ready-made black and white fondant icing) and create little ears from the ready-made brown fondant.

Add a nose and mouth with the black icing pen. Add the head to the sheep’s body using extra buttercream.

EASTER EGG FRITTATAS

(Makes 6)

YOU NEED:

• 8 eggs
• 2 tbsp milk
• 6 spring onions
• 50g Cheddar cheese, grated
• 8 cherry tomatoes, chopped
• Chives

METHOD: Beat the eggs and milk in a large bowl.

Add the spring onions, Cheddar cheese and tomatoes.

Mix well and then pour into the tin.

Bake for 20 minutes until just set and lightly golden.

Leave to cool slightly, then stamp out six oval Easter egg shapes.

Arrange on a plate and decorate the eggs with chives.

MINI BUNNY QUICHES

(Makes 8)

YOU NEED:

• 8 tortilla wraps
• Olive oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 50g spinach
• 10 cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 75g mature Cheddar cheese, grated
• 2 eggs
• 150ml double cream
• 150ml milk
• 2 tbsp basil, chopped

METHOD: Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas mark 6.

Heat the oil in a frying pan.

Add the onions and fry for 5 ­minutes until soft.

Add the spinach and fry until wilted.

Line six ramekins with tortilla wraps.

Spoon the onion and spinach ­mixture into the bases.

Divide the tomatoes and cheese between the ramekins.

Mix the eggs, cream and milk together.

Pour into the dishes and sprinkle with basil.

Bake for 20 minutes.

WAFFLE BUNNIES

(Makes 2)

YOU NEED:

• 3 small, round, ready-to-eat waffles
• 3 strawberries, sliced
• 2 raspberries
• 3 blueberries
• 1 banana, sliced
• ½ carrot, peeled and sliced into thin strips

METHOD: Put one waffle on to a plate. Slice the second waffle in half and add to make the bunny’s ears.

Slice the third in half and add under the face to make the body.

Add two small banana slices for the eyes and two larger round slices for the cheeks.

Add two blueberries for the eyeballs, a raspberry for the nose and carrot strips for the whiskers.

POPCAKE EASTER EGGS

(Makes 8)

YOU NEED:

• 220g Madeira cake
• 3 tbsp ready-made vanilla butter cream
• For the decoration:
• 250g white chocolate
• Food gel, for colouring (Alternatively you can use assorted coloured Candy Melts, available from Lakeland)
• Polka Dot & Mini Jazzies cake-decorating sweets
• Hundreds and Thousands
• Popcake sticks
• Coloured straws

METHOD: Crumble the Madeira cake into a bowl.

Add the buttercream and mix using your hands until the mixture comes together.

Shape into 8 eggs. Insert a pop stick into the middle and form the egg around it and set aside in the fridge to chill.

Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water until runny.

Divide the melted chocolate between three bowls and colour one yellow, one blue and one pink.

Alternatively, use Candy Melts to coat the eggs.

Dip each egg into the chocolate and swirl around to coat the egg.

Decorate with the sweets. They should stick to the melted chocolate before it sets completely.

You can also use hundreds and thousands sprinkled on to the eggs to create stripes.

If the chocolate sets too quickly, you can use a hairdryer to melt it a little!

Leave to set on a stand. Popcake stands are cheap to buy or a polystyrene box will also work.

• Annabel Karmel’s bestselling Baby & Toddler Recipe App is jam-packed with 650+ recipes, and tasty new ideas every week. Plus, access meal planners, shopping lists, helpful guides and Annabel’s No 1 listen-along Weaning Guide. Visit the App Store today to start your free 14-day trial.