With Easter fast approaching, we know how hard it is to avoid the total sugar overload! So, to help you out, we have put together some of our favourite healthy homemade Easter treats.
Fruit Bunnies
Fruit Bunnies are so popular in our homes, we know the kids (and adults 😉) will love them! Plus, this is a nice easy recipe that kids can help with!
We are big advocates of balanced diets and even though we said these were healthy treats, we’ve got an awesome not-so-healthy fruit dip recipe to go with your Fruit Bunnies! It is SO good, you’ll want to eat it with a spoon!
What you’ll need:
- Easter-themed cookie cutters (we picked up a set from Kmart!)
- Quarter of watermelon
- Quarter of rockmelon
- Half a pineapple
Method:
- Slice each piece of fruit into 2cm thick pieces (or as thick as your cookie cutters)
- Use the cookie cutters to cut the various fruits
- Serve!
Tips:
- Pop the Fruit Bunnies on to skewers with strawberries and blueberries in between – make sure your kids are old enough to use skewers safely.
Fruit Dip
What you’ll need:
- 1 Packet of marshmallows
- 1 Tin of passionfruit
- 1/2 Cup of vanilla yoghurt
- 1/2 Cup whipping cream
Method:
- Melt marshmallows and passionfruit in a saucepan over low heat, allow to cool slightly
- Whip cream until soft peaks form
- Gently fold marshmallow & passionfruit mix and vanilla yoghurt into whipped cream
- Pop the dip into the fridge for at least 1 hour before serving
Carrot Cake Muffins
These Carrot Cake Muffins are one of our favourite treats! These muffins are great on their own but if you’re a sucker for the tangy lemon-cream cheese icing that Carrot Cake is famous for, we have included a *slightly* healthier version of the icing that is a delicious addition to these muffins!
What you’ll need:
- 400g carrots, cooked (steamed or boiled) until soft
- 250g crushed pineapple – drain really well
- 4 large eggs
- 80g macadamia oil
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 150g honey
Dry Ingredients
- 380g plain gluten free flour
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp bicarb soda
- 3/4 tsp sea salt
- 150g chopped walnuts
Method:
- Preheat oven to 165C
- Grease and flour 24 muffin cups
- Mash the carrots and allow to cool slightly
- Mix carrots, pineapple, eggs, oil, vanilla bean paste and honey together
- Add all the dry ingredients and mix until all ingredients are combined
- Cook for 30-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Allow the muffins to cool completely before icing
Tips:
If your muffins are looking a little dark on the outside and not yet cooked on the inside, wrap them with a piece of alfoil. The honey in this recipe can cause the outside to brown quickly.
Cream Cheese Icing
What you’ll need:
- 225g cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup plain greek yoghurt
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
Method:
- Mix all ingredients with a hand-held mixer until smooth and creamy
- When the muffins are completely cool, top with the cream cheese icing
Tips:
The muffins can be stored in the fridge for up to a week (if they last that long!).
HOT CROSS BUNS (Gluten & Dairy Free)
This recipe is an old favourite here at SynxBody and is Easter really Easter without Hot Cross Buns?
What you’ll need:
BUNS:
- 2 cups wholemeal spelt flour (or to make this Gluten Free - try mixing equal amounts of buckwheat, rice and tapioca flour)
- ½ tbsp bakers dried yeast
- 1 tsp coconut sugar (or other sweetener)
- ½ cup almond milk
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- 1 tsp vanilla powder
- 1 tbsp chia seeds + ¼ cup warm water (or 1 organic egg for the non-vegan option)
- 4 medjool dates
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- ½ cup mixed dried fruit (sultana’s, cranberries, currants)
CROSSES:
- ¼ cup GF flour
- 1-2 tbsp water (or until it is like a paste)
GLAZE:
- ½ tbsp coconut sugar (or other sweetener)
- ½ tbsp water
METHOD:
- Warm the almond milk to lukewarm (not boiling), add the yeast, and coconut sugar, stir, cover and place in a warm place for 15 minutes (or until it is bubbly)
- Sieve into a large mixing bowl the spices (cinnamon, mixed spice, vanilla), salt and flour.
- Blend the dates (pitted), water, chia seeds and olive oil together then pour into the bubbly milk-yeast mixture, stir then pour into the mixing bowl with the flours.
- Add the dried fruit to the bowl and combine to form a dough. Cover and place in a warm spot for approximately 45 minutes or until the dough has roughly doubled in size.
- Turn oven onto 180 degrees fan forced
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and punch out the air, knead dough and then cut into 8 equal sized pieces.
- Kneed/roll into balls and place in a baking tin (at this stage they probably won’t be touching), cover and place in a warm spot for a further 15 minutes or until they have risen slightly.
- Mix the flour and water together in a bowl and pour into a piping bag (or a snap and seal bag with the corner cut off), set aside.
- Using the back of a knife, trace a + down the buns then pipe the mixing down the lines.
- Place in the oven to bake for approximately 25 minutes, they should be golden. Meanwhile, mix the coconut sugar and water in a bowl.
- Remove buns from the oven and paste the glaze over the buns instantly.
- Serve warm cut open with a smear of nut-butter, jam, or on their own.
