Easter Egg Hunt Blondies
When I think of Easter, I go back to the days when I would run across the yard, to-and-fro, dressed in my pretty pastel outfit with an Easter basket in hand, squealing in delight with the discovery of every hidden egg. That is the memory that inspired this cute Easter dessert that is so very festive and perfectly adorable for the Easter holidays. Using Egglands Best I am creating a fun dessert that also has an excellent source of vitamins D, B12, E, B5, and riboflavin. Unlike other egg company, EB has overall more than six times more vitamin D, more than double the Omega-3s, 10 times more vitamin E and 25% less saturated fat than ordinary eggs. Not only is EB eggs incredibly nutritious but Eggland’s Best’s hens are also fed a strictly controlled, proprietary, high-quality all-vegetarian diet, which results in a better-tasting, more nutritious egg that stays fresher longer. This Easter pick up your favourite Egglands Best eggs because Eggland’s Best is the only egg good enough for your family
WHAT ARE BLONDIES?
Blondies are very similar to their cousin the brownie in almost every way, except for the fact that they have no cocoa, and the flavor of a blondie itself very much resembles the base of a chocolate chip cookie…only, ya know, without the chocolate chips.
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST CHEWY BLONDIES
Like the chocolate chip base, blondies are made of a mix of dry ingredients like flour, baking powder, and salt, along with butter, a combination of both white and brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Blondies are actually much easier to throw together than a batch of chocolate chip cookies. Rather than having to scoop out cookie dough balls one-by-one, blondies are part of the bar cookie family, meaning the batter is emptied into a baking vessel all at once and baked. Once the blondies are baked, they are cut into squares for serving.
However, how they’re baked isn’t the only difference between the two. And, while they are similar in flavor, they are quite different when it comes to texture. Blondies are chewy and dense, while chocolate chip cookies are typically light and fluffy…at least, that’s how I like ’em. The main difference is in the amount of flour within the recipe. Less flour (when used in correct proportion to the other ingredients) makes for a perfectly chewy blondie. A little extra brown sugar doesn’t hurt either.
HOW TO DRESS UP AN EASTER BLONDIE
After your blondies are baked, it’s time for their transformation into the cutest Easter dessert of all time. Are you ready for this? Here we go.
PIPE ON BUTTERCREAM ICING TO LOOK LIKE GRASS
Buttercream icing is easy to make and only requires a few simple ingredients. However, if you don’t care to make homemade buttercream frosting, you could always use white, store-bought frosting instead. In addition to the frosting, you’ll also need food coloring, a pastry bag and tip.
I always use gel food coloring. A little bit goes a long way, and you can get some pretty intense color from just a tiny bit of food coloring. You can buy it at Amazong.com or at local specialty craft stores like Hobby Lobby and Michaels. And while I love the vibrant colors you get from the gel food coloring, please note, you don’t have to use it, and regular ol’ food coloring drops will work as well.
To make our blondies look as though they are covered in grass, we will be using Wilton grass tip #233 fitted inside of a pastry bag.
And, if you don’t want to mess with the pastry bag and tip at all, you could always just slather on a heaping pile of green icing and call it a day…well, after the M&M’s go on top that is. Definitely can’t forget the M&M’s.
ADD THE PASTEL M&M’S
Come Easter time, you can find pastel candies at just about every store. Pastel M&M candies are the perfect Easter egg look-alike for our Grass Hunt blondies. Plus, they add chocolate to an otherwise chocolate-less dessert. Whew. I almost served y’all up a dessert with zero chocolate. That was a close call, wasn’t it?
Prep Time: 25 mins
Cook Time: 25 mins
Cooling Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 50 mins
Serving: 16
Ingredients
For the Blondies:
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup unsalted butter melted
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 large eggs + 1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the Homemade Buttercream Frosting:
1 cup + 2 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
2 3/4 cup powdered sugar
Pinch fine sea salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Food coloring if using
Topping:
1/3 cup Pastel M&M's
Instructions
For the Blondies:
Preheat the oven to 350° and have ready a greased, square (8x8”) baking dish. Line the bottom and the sides of the baking dish with a fitted sheet of parchment paper for easy removal.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sea salt, and baking powder. Set aside.
Add melted butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, egg, yolk, and vanilla to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. If you do not have a stand mixer, use a large mixing bowl and a handheld mixer.
Mix on medium-high speed until combined. Reduce the mixer speed to low, and gradually add in the dry ingredients.
Add the batter to the prepared dish, and smooth over the top. Bake for 25-28 minutes. Remove from the oven, transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely for about 30 minutes.
For the Buttercream Icing:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the butter and powdered sugar. If you do not have a stand mixer, use a large mixing bowl and a handheld mixer.
Begin mixing at low speed, until most of the powdered sugar is mixed in, then increase the speed to medium-high. Mix until well-combined. Add the salt, extract, and food coloring (if using). Mix once more.
Cut and Add the Topping:
Pipe or spread on the icing. Cut the blondies into 16 squares, and place M&M's (on their side) across the tops of the blondies. Serve and enjoy.
Nutrition Content: Calories 346, Fat 18g, Saturated Fat 11g, Cholesterol 56mg, Sodium 156mg, Potassium 48mg, Carbohydrates 44g, Sugar 35g, Protein 1g, Vitamin A 555IU, Calcium 27mg, Iron 0.6mg.
