Mustangs, Easter is right around the corner! What better way is there than to celebrate this special day with delicious treats? Here are some Easter-themed recipes that will cure your cravings and impress everyone at your Easter party. 

Easter Dirt Cake by LILLUNA

Ingredients: 

• 1 (13.29-ounce) package Oreos
• 1 (8-ounce) bar Cream Cheese softened
• ½ cup unsalted butter softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 (16-ounce) container Cool Whip or 16 oz. whipping cream
• 2 (3.4-ounce) boxes of Instant White Chocolate or Vanilla Pudding Mix
• 3 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Easter candy PEEP bunnies, edible grass, candy Easter eggs

Instructions: 

1. Crush ⅔ package of Oreos and place it in the bottom of a 9×13 pan. Set aside.
2. Mix cream cheese and margarine (or butter) until smooth. Mix in powdered sugar and fold in whipped topping. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, mix pudding, milk, and vanilla. Fold this mixture in with the cream cheese mixture.
4. Pour over the crumb mixture.
5. Sprinkle with the reserved crushed Oreos. Let sit for a few hours and keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
6. Right before serving, top with bunny Peeps, edible grass, and Candy Easter Eggs.

Easter Egg Blondies by AVERIECOOKS 

Ingredients: 

• ½ cup unsalted butter, 1 stick, melted
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1 cup M&M’s Milk Chocolate Eggs

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside.
2. To a large, microwave-safe bowl add the butter and heat to melt, about 1 minute on high power.
3. Wait momentarily before adding the egg so you don’t scramble it. Add the egg, brown sugar, vanilla, and whisk until smooth.
4. Add the flour and salt, and stir until just combined, don’t overmix.
5. Add 3/4 cup M&M’s Eggs and stir to combine as best you can. They are a bit resistant to stir in, but do your best to incorporate.
6. Turn the batter out into a prepared pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula.
7. Evenly add the remaining 1/4 cup M&M’s Eggs over the top, pressing them down lightly so they adhere to the batter.
8. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the top is set in the center and done. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter. Blondies firm up as they cool.
9. Cool for about 30 minutes before slicing and serving.

Cadbury Mini Egg Cookies with Brown Butter by BAKINGWITHBLONDIE

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup unsalted butter – divided (1/2 cup, or 1 stick, will be used for the browned butter), cold and cubed
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, cold
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla
• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup Cadbury mini eggs, Any small candy with a hard chocolate shell will do (M&M’s, Lindt Eggs, etc).
• 1/2 cup crushed Cadbury Mini Eggs

Instructions:

1. In advance, make the brown butter. Here’s how: Take 1/2 cup of butter (1 stick) and place it into a small saucepan. Over medium heat, melt the butter for about 2 minutes. It will begin to bubble, then it will start to foam. When the foam appears, stay close and gently stir the butter until it starts to turn a dark amber color and smell slightly nutty. Immediately remove it from the heat and add the browned butter to a dish to cool back into a solid (I just pop mine into the freezer for 15 minutes or so). Make sure to scrape up any dark bits from the bottom – that’s where all the flavor comes from!
2. Prep two large aluminum cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
3. Preheat the oven to 410 degrees (yep, that’s right!)
4. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, whip up the butter for 1 minute until it’s light and fluffy, then add in the sugars to cream together with the butter for 3 minutes on high speed.
5. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then add in the vanilla and eggs. Mix again until combined.
6. Add in the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt and slowly mix together on the very lowest mixer speed until just combined (don’t overmix!)
7. Reserve 1/8 cup of mini chocolate chips, chocolate chips, and a handful of mini eggs on the side, then mix in the rest on the lowest speed. Split the dough into 8 balls (baseball-sized) and place 4 on each cookie sheet. Hand-press on the chocolate chips and Cadbury eggs.
8. Bake for 7-9 minutes. They should be slightly golden on the outside, slightly mounded in the middle, and thick/tall, and gooey in the center. Let them cool on the pan for 1 minute, then carefully transfer the cookies to a cooling rack to finish cooling. Enjoy! 

One student, Sarah Richey (12), says “I have tried these cookies! I can safely say that these are a delicious treat! I will definitely be making these soon!” 

Beety Pickled Eggs by FOODNETWORK

Ingredients: 

• 2 1/4 cups distilled vinegar
• 1 pound jarred or canned pickled baby beets,
• drained, pickling liquid reserved
• 1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
• Kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 12 hard-boiled eggs, peeled

Instructions: 

1. Bring the vinegar, 3/4 cup of the pickling liquid, the onions, 4 teaspoons salt, the mustard seeds, coriander seeds, and sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the salt and sugar. Reduce the heat, cover, and let the brine simmer for 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, pierce each egg all the way through about 6 times with a cake tester or toothpick. Put 3 eggs and 1/4 of the beets in each of 2 glass quart jars with lids. Ladle in enough brine to cover. Add 3 more eggs to each jar, divide the remaining beets between them, and ladle in more brine to cover, leaving about 1/4 inch of space at the top. Close the jars, let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 24 hours before serving.
3. Serve the eggs and beets halved or quartered, with some of the onions and pickling liquid spooned on top (the eggs will keep, covered by liquid, and refrigerated up to 5 days).