Rice Crispie Easter Eggs

This was a really easy thing to make and would make great easter gifts for kids or grown ups alike. You could definitely make them smaller than I did, but this is the mould I had to hand!

It's about 2 cups organic puffed rice kernels, mixed with about 250g to 300g melted chocolate and a few tablespoons of coloured sprinkles (definitely optional - I figured this amount of colouring and sugar as a special treat wouldn't break the healthfulness bank...but they'd also look great with some finely chopped goji berries and orange zest, or grated white chocolate). 

Also, the plan with this was to wrap it in cellophane and top it with a bright yellow ribbon, but as you can see from the above pictures, once the kids saw it being made, they wouldn't rest until they had tasted its bounty!! 

Alphabet Cookies

"Now I know my ABCs (and ONE TWO THREEs) won't you come and have cookies with me?" Well, that's the way it goes in my house!

A little while ago I bought these awesome alphabet stamps from a great antique market. Each individual letter is about the size of an old fashioned type writer key and I love love love them. I gave them a good wash before baking with them, of course, but I don't know if I'll ever be able to use them for anything other than words in cookies now!

A while ago I blogged my outrage about biscuits being made with packet cake mix, and this is why. These little guys have butter, organic raw caster sugar, spelt flour, vanilla seeds and a little filtered water. That is it. What a fun and treat-tastic way to help little guys learn their letters and numbers.

Molasses cookies

When I was grocery shopping yesterday, I saw these big boxes of cookies on sale. They were branded with children's characters and were obviously being marketed at the under-ten set. I wasn't actually overly concerned by the ingredients, although why anyone needs to buy cookies made in China with vegetable oil as the third listed ingredient is beyond me. Here's the packaging:

In terms of commercially produced kids' food, these aren't too outrageously dreadful, but I still felt compelled to make a batch of my own.

I decided to experiment with molasses which, depending on who you speak to, is either a mineral-rich superfood alternative to powdered sugar, or a carb-laden sweetener with no perks whatsoever. I have always loved liquorice and molasses has a flavour balance reminiscent of that aniseedy lolly, and you need less of it than its counterparts to give a gentle sweetness.

Without further ado, here's the recipe:

70g unsalted butter (room temp)
150g organic spelt flour
2 teaspoons molasses
1 tsp caster sugar
3 cubes organic dark choc to melt for the backs (optional)

Mix butter, molasses, sugar and flour until combined and a dough has formed. Turn out onto the bench and knead, then roll until 1cm thick. Cut desired shapes and bake at 180' (fan forced) until cooked through and lightly browned.

Use a pastry brush to paint melted chocolate onto the backs of the animals, if using.

Dinosaur eggs (amped up bliss balls)

Ingredients

100g pitted prunes
100g dried dates
100g brazil nuts
100g LSA
3 tablespoons black sesame paste (tahini will susbtitute)
1 tablespoon raw cocoa powder
1 tablespoon virgin coconut oil (or a mild olive oil)
Organic dessicated coconut (about 1/3 cup)

Combine all the ingredients except the dessicated coconut in a food processor until mostly smooth, though leave some nice chunky bits. Obviously bear the age of the eaters in mind... I made these suitable for my 10 month old daughter, so none of the lumps were large enough to represent a choking hazard. Don't have a food processor? Use a portar and pestle, or finely chop the fruit, and place the nuts in a plastic bag and roll a rolling pin over them until they're smashed down,

Scoop the mixture onto a plate and, with damp hands, roll into bite size balls. Cover in dessicated coconut and place straight into a tuppperware. Once they have all been rolled, place in the fridge for at least an hour to firm up.