The Easter Bunny has nothing on these treat…or does he?
What you see are not cupcakes. They’re cookies made into little decorative, edible Easter baskets. I’ll admit, the idea was not mine. I found the steps to make the baskets which I found on Oh! Nuts’ blog. I also veganized my favorite sugar cookie recipe from Dorie Greenspan.
In addition to the cookie ingredients, I needed the following:
- Colored sugar – Can’t find it? You can make it by mixing food coloring in with sugar.
- Food coloring – India Trade makes one that’s vegan-friendly (A bit on the expensive side at around $20, but worth it if you do a lot with it)
- Shredded coconut
- Licorice shoe laces or twists (If using Twizzlers – cut them in half lengthwise, then cut each half into thirds)
- Jelly beans or gummies (I like Surf Sweets)
- Frosting – Homemade vegan vanilla buttercream works (see recipe at the end of this post)
I rolled the cookie dough into balls and tossed them in colored sugar. Next, I baked them in a mini muffin pan. After decorating with the frosting, coconut and candy, I put each cookie in a pastel plaid mini cupcake wrapper. Then, I got craft-happy and put the cookies in a Easter “grass” filled pan.
With the exception of chilling cookie dough for 2 hours (good to make ahead), the whole process took a little over an hour. The time seem to fly by.
I had fun making these for our family. They seemed to enjoy them a lot. Plus, it was a change from the usual Jelly Beans Nests I make.
I got a little carried away with my decorating. Cute?
Here’s a quick recipe to make vanilla buttercream frosting:
Homemade Vegan Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
Source: Macaroon Whip-up
Makes about 2 cups
Ingredients:
- 3 c. powdered sugar (I like Florida Crystals)
- 1/2 c. vegan margarine or 1 Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Stick
- 1/4 c. unsweetened soy milk
- 1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Directions:
- Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat margarine on medium until light and fluffy. Scrape down sides of the bowl
- Adjust speed to slow and beat in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time
- Slowly pour in soy milk, followed by vanilla
- Mix until smooth
The Food Duo 