The shops have been stocking Easter eggs for months, but now it’s time for the Sydney Observer to get excited about Easter too. And what better way then to share some of our favourite Easter recipes? From healthy to decadent, these recipes are sure to get your mouth watering.
Rosie Russell

Copycat Reese’s eggs

Easter doesn’t need to be a struggle for those trying to stay away from the not-so-healthy eggs and bunnies everywhere. With only 55 calories per egg, these can almost be labelled good for you. And there’s no need to be wary – these taste exactly like actual Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, but with half the calories. If you’re anything like us you will pounce on the chance to eat healthy and set your taste buds tingling at the same time.

Ingredients
¼ cup organic peanut butter, or any nut butter
Dash of salt
¼ cup icing sugar, or sugar-free icing sugar
2 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp virgin coconut oil, melted
2 tbsp pure maple syrup

Method

Mix the first three ingredients together in a bowl until it becomes a crumbly dough.
Add an extra 2 tbsp of icing sugar if it’s too gooey, and add more peanut butter if it’s too dry.
Taste the dough and add more salt if desired.
Form dough into flat little ovals or egg shapes.
Freeze the dough for an hour or so, until it’s hard.
Meanwhile, mix the cocoa and coconut oil in a shallow dish.
Add the pure maple syrup.
Mix until it looks like chocolate sauce, then take one ‘egg’ out of the freezer at a time and cover in chocolate.
Immediately return covered egg to the freezer and let harden. It’s best to store these in the freezer as well.
(Makes 6 – 9 eggs)

Easter rocky road

This mouth-watering snack goes perfectly with your afternoon tea, and will keep your friends and family coming back for more and more. It combines the best of both worlds – chewy rocky road with delicious Easter eggs. This recipe was featured in the Super Food Ideas magazine.

Ingredients

400g dark chocolate, chopped
300g chocolate mini Easter eggs
100g packet mini marshmallows
2/3 cup (100g) pistachio kernels, toasted
1 ¼ cups (150g) dried cranberries
10 sponge finger biscuits, chopped

Method

Grease a 6cm-deep, 20cm (base) square cake ban and line bases and sides of pan with baking paper, allowing 2cm overhang on all sides.
Place chocolate in a heatproof, microwave-safe bowl.
Microwave on high for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds with a metal spoon or until smooth.
Set aside to cool for 20 minutes.
Place marshmallows, pistachios, cranberries, biscuits and half the eggs in a bowl.
Add chocolate and stir gently to combine.
Spoon mixture into prepared pan and press with the back of a spoon to level.
Lightly press remaining eggs into top.
Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight, if time permits, or until set.
Remove rocky road from pan and cut into 25 pieces. Serve.

    Chocolate macadamia Anzac biscuits

While Anzac Day might be a few days after Easter, we couldn’t resist sharing with you the best twist on the traditional Anzac biscuit we have ever come across. Besides, why can’t you start whipping up delicious batches of Anzac biscuits well before Easter.

This recipe, sourced from famous Australian blog Not Quite Nigella (notquitenigella.com), is a spin on the traditional Anzac biscuit and will become a recipe you’ll use over and over again.

Ingredients

1 cup oats
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup (125g) macadamia nuts, chopped
¾ cup plain or all-purpose flour
½ cup desiccated coconut
130g butter
2 tbsp golden syrup or honey
1 tbsp hot water mixed with ½ tsp bi-carbonate of soda
250g dark chocolate

Method

Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celsius and line two large trays with parchment.
Mix the oats, brown sugar, flour, nuts and coconut well in a medium sized bowl.
Melt butter completely in a small saucepan or microwave and add the golden syrup, bicarb and water mix.
Whisk to combine and then add this liquid mixture to the dry mixture, and stir until everything is moistened.
Shape into walnut sized balls with hands and place far apart on the baking sheet, as they will spread a lot.
Bake for 15 minutes.
Allow to cool on the tray for five to ten minutes and then place on a cooling rack to firm up. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
Melt the chocolate in a double boiler (a heatproof bowl fitted over a saucepan of simmering water, ensuring that the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water) and keep stirring.
Spread the chocolate over the bottom with an angled spatula and leave bottoms up to set.
(Makes 24 biscuits)