Egg-cited about Easter

Published 12:00 am Thursday, April 7, 2011

Easter is nearing! It’s time to get out the baking pans and stir up a little fun with children and grandchildren.

Whether it’s baking from scratch, using prepared mixes or just jazzing up a store bought treat, spending a little time in the kitchen with children or grandchildren will make lasting Easter celebration memories.

Dru and Diana Aucoin of Jeanerette love to spend quality time in the kitchen with their young grandchildren Ali Aucoin, 11, Abbie Aucoin, 7, and Lexi Freeman, 9. Aucoin said any time her grandchildren are visiting she involves them in the meal preparation or either they will get together to bake and decorate their favorite treats.

“I doesn’t have to be a holiday to enjoy time in the kitchen. We love to bake and decorate together,” she said.

Aucoin said she shared some of the same memorable moments with her grandmother, the late Odelia Bonin, and wants to keep the same tradition ongoing with her own grandchildren.

“Any time of the year can become a special time to enjoy those special moments. Last week we baked and decorated Christmas cookies. My grandchildren came across the Christmas cookie cutters we used during the holidays and decided they wanted to bake and decorate cookies, so that’s what we did after school while waiting for their parents to pick them up,” said Aucoin.

Aucoin said she first started creating memorable moments in the kitchen with her first granddaughter Linzy Stages, who is now 23 years old.

“We have a lot of good memories made in the kitchen that we will be able to treasure. We still enjoy spending time in the kitchen together,” Aucoin said.

Through the years, Aucoin said she has found that making simple treats with plenty of decorations available for garnishing, is just as much fun to make as fancy desserts.

For Easter, Aucoin said, it has become a family tradition for her grandchildren to bake a simple two-layer cake, cut it in the shape of a rabbit and decorate it with coconut and jelly beans. The rabbit cake is completed with ears made of white cardboard.

“It is really simple, but they enjoy decorating it. When we’re baking, they each have their own ideas about decorating so they each take a bowl with an assortment of colorful decorations and get creative. It’s just about having fun with them,” said Aucoin. “It is an inexpensive way to enjoy some quality time.”

Ali and Abbie, daughters of Peggy and Andy Aucoin, both agree decorating and then eating the treats are the best part of baking fun.

“The best part is stirring and licking the bowl,” said Lexi, daughter of Ryan and Stacy Freeman.

Another simple treat is to turn marshmallow rice crispy bars into Easter eggs, Aucoin said. Mix your own or buy store bought and simply mold into an egg. Top with assorted sprinkles or colored sugar.

For a fresh take on Easter treats, egg-shaped cookie pops are always a festive way to say “Happy Easter.”

Wilton Products offers a few simple tips to create a bouquet of flower pop cookies set in a decorative flower pot.

Begin with a simple butter cookie dough flavored with vanilla and almond extracts. Roll and cut into egg shapes with a cookie cutter. Once baked and cooled, tint white candy melts or use colored flavored Easter colors, pastel, bold or both. Dye the eggs by pouring the melted candy over the cookies..

Let the decorating fun begin. Pipe with melted candy to make spirals and stripes, then attach confetti sprinkles.

Other decorating options include brushing with pearl dust for a luminous effect, sprinkling with colored sugar or personalizing them by using the icing and a piping bag to write messages or names.

After decorating, use a dab of melted candy to attach the “pops” stick to the back of the cookie.

A decorated flower pot filled with Styrofoam or a convenient pot insert is a perfect container to hold the festive cookies. Add some green curling ribbon for grass and the centerpiece is complete. Wrap with a clear bag and tie with ribbon and the creation becomes a perfect Easter gift for a friend or family member.