Bunnies: Using a cupcake, add frosted Lady finger cookies for the ears. Use red hots for the eyes and a jelly bean nose and licorice whiskers. For the nest use colored coconut or green frosting on the cupcake and add jelly beans for the eggs..

1/2 cup (125 ml.) Golden Crisco Shortening ……..1 package (4 oz/125g) cream cheese, softened…….. 1 tbsp. (15 ml.) milk ……..1 cup (250 ml.) granulated sugar …….1/2 tsp. (2 ml.) vanilla …..1 cup (250 ml.) all-purpose flour ……1/2 cup (125ml.) chopped pecans 1. Heat oven to 375°F (190°C). 2. Cream Golden Crisco Shortening, cream cheese and milk in medium bowl at medium speed of electric mixer until well blended. Beat in sugar and vanilla. Mix in flour. Stir in nuts. Drop level measuring tablespoonfuls (15 ml.) of dough 2 inches (5 cm) apart onto an ungreased baking sheet. 3. Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 10 minutes. Remove to cooling rack. …….Hint: To soften cream cheese quickly, wrap in waxed paper and microwave on low power for a few seconds…. Makes 3 dozen 2 inch (5 cm) cookies ……Preparation Time: 15 minutes …..Baking Time: 10 minutes Lemon or orange variation: Add 1/2 teaspoon (2 ml.) grated lemon or orange peel to dough.

Easter Baskets and Bunnies Cupcakes

This Easter, don't put all your eggs in one basket. Top a dozen cupcakes with jelly-bean eggs and make edible decorations for the dinner table. First, frost the cupcakes with white icing. Bend a pipe cleaner into an arch and push the ends into the sides of each cupcake. Then, arrange three jelly bean eggs on top of the icing. You can rest them on a bed of green coconut grass, made by adding food coloring to shredded coconut. Tie a ribbon bow on the pipe cleaner handle at a jaunty angle. Put one cupcake basket by each place setting or give them as gifts.

Prep Time: 45 min. Start to Finish: 2 Hrs. 5 min. Ingredients: 2 cups sugar,….. 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour,….. 3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa or HERSHEY'S Dutch Processed Cocoa,…... 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder,….. 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda,…..1 teaspoon salt,….. 2 eggs,….. 1 cup milk,….. 1/2 cup vegetable oil,….. 2 teaspoons vanilla extract,….. …1 cup boiling water,…….CREAMY VANILLA FROSTING….. 3-3/4 cups (10-oz. pkg.) MOUNDS Sweetened Coconut Flakes, (tinted)………. *Suggested garnishes: marshmallows, HERSHEY'S MINI KISSES Chocolate, licorice, jelly beans. Instructions: 1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. 2. In large bowl, stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of electric mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Fill muffin cups 2/3 full with batter. 3. Bake 22 to 25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely. Prepare CREAMY VANILLA FROSTING (recipe below); frost cupcakes. Immediately press desired color tinted coconut onto each cupcake. Garnish as desired to resemble Easter basket or bunny. About 33 cupcakes.

In medium bowl, beat 1/3 cup softened butter or margarine. Add 1 cup powdered sugar and 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract; beat well. Add 2-1/2 cups powdered sugar alternately with 1/4 cup milk, beating to spreading consistency. Makes about 2 cups frosting. * NOTE: To tint coconut, combine several drops desired color food color with 3/4 teaspoon water; add to 1-1/2 cups coconut. Stir until evenly tinted.

1/3c. butterscotch morsels……1c.chow mein noodles……candy robin's eggs…. Melt butterscotch morsels in a medium microwave safe bowl. Add chow mein noodles to melted morsels and mix. Let children shape into circle on waxpaper. Use a large spoon to make indention in center. Let nests harden and then add eggs. Just for fun we made the nests before naptime and put a note on the nests that the children dictated, asking the birds to fill our nests. We set the nests outdoors (I brought them in while children napped and returned them outdoors before waking children). When the chidlren woke they hurried out to see their filled nests!

Make a regular batch of rice crispy treats. Press the rice crispy into a buttered cupcake tin. Press the rice crispy down to look like a bird nest. Have the child place a scoop of green frosting into the nest. Add jelly beans or malted eggs for the eggs. This cooking project can go with a unit on nests or Easter. A pipe cleaner can be added for a handle if it is to be an Easter nest.

Here's a basket after the Easter Bunny's own heart. THE CONTAINER: Start with a deep straw basket. For the bunny's face, draw and cut out paper eyes and, using double-sided tape, attach them to the basket. Next, tape on a pink pompon nose, two cotton-ball cheeks and a pipe cleaner mouth. For the ears, cut two white felt ear shapes and two slightly smaller ones from pink, wire-edged ribbon. Glue the ribbon onto the felt and tape the ears to the basket handle. THE TREATS: On top of a bed of paper crimp filling (about $2 at craft stores), we included chocolate rabbits, a bunny storybook, a stuffed rabbit, plus dyed eggs and candies. Other good ideas: bunny stickers, figurines or notepaper. THE TAG: What else, doc? It's a construction paper carrot.

Either spray paint or use color construction paper to cover tissue box. Cut ears and feet for bunny from construction paper and glue to box. Use cotton, cloth or sponge to dab paint on the feet and ears to make it look like fur. Draw the face on the box. Use Easter grass and candies and let your imagination decorate the rabbit with flowers, ribbons, buttons and bows.

Use felt cutouts for the eyes, beak, tongue of the chick and glue in place on a roll of toilet paper. Use feathers for the wings. Use cotton, cloth or sponge to dab paint on the feet to create the web effect. Add and other trimmings and accessories.

Lay a paper bag flat with the folded flap on the underside. Draw two rabbit ears on the top half of the bag just above the fold line. Cut the ears out on the sides to the top leaving the bottom of the ear attached to the bag. Then cut the sides of the bag even with the bottom of the ears to create a place for the Easter grass and goodies. Paint or draw the bunny face and add a pink pom-pom for the nose, pipe cleaner whiskers and a cotton ball tail. Cut inner ear from construction paper and glue to bag or color the inner ear. Glue the front and back ears together at the top.

6 to 12-year-olds can do this project with great success. It is a little time consuming but with a patience it looks great and is a fantastic gift for the holidays. This project can also be used as a Valentine Day project or Easter craft depending on the type of candy you use. Parental supervision is recommended. What You Need: 1 coat hanger,…. Approximately 30 pieces of assorted, wrapped hard candies, suckers, etc.,….. Approximately 30 pieces of colorful curling ribbon, cut into 8" pieces,….. Wire cutters,….. Pliers to bend the hanger,…… Masking tape,….. A dull pair of scissors to curl the ribbon How To Make: Unbend the hanger and cut it in half Bend the 1/2 hanger into a circle leaving about 4" at the top to make a hook. Twist the end to make it look like a circle with a hook on it. Cut your curling ribbon into 8" pieces. Fold your ribbon in half. In the middle of that ribbon tie one piece of candy. Tie it on the end of the candy where the paper twists. Now tie the candy with 2 knots tightly on to the hanger. Tie the candy right next to the wire to help cover it up. Use the scissors to curl the ribbon on each end. Repeat the process for all your candy pieces. It might take a few more or less than 30 depending on the size of each candy. Suckers should be tied close to the head. You may add a ribbon on the top to cover the hook if you want. Some people also tie on a pair of scissors so people can eat the candy when they visit

What You Need: Scissors,… Crystal Rose Reynold's wrap,…… Crystal Green Reynold's wrap,…… Crystal Yellow Reynold's wrap,….. 1 carrot,…… 1 8" piece of curling ribbon,…. Gourmet jelly beans How To Make: Tear off 12" piece of yellow wrap and smooth onto working area. Tear off 12" piece of rose wrap, and smooth over the yellow piece. Place carrot, tip in the middle, on wrap. Fold wrap over carrot, and fold again, to create small square. Fold corner nearest to tip of carrot to the inside, and the wrap will resemble a flag. Roll carrot up, and gently pull carrot out of the wrap. Fill carrot with jelly beans, to about 1/2" from the top. Twist the top to ensure beans do not fall out. Tear off 10" of green wrap, and place your carrot in the middle, with approximately 1" of carrot top covered. Fold green wrap over once, and gently twist over carrot. Secure with ribbon, and curl ends.

Here's an unusual Easter egg that's a hit with everyone. Young and old alike have a great time throwing confetti-filled eggs at each other and watching their expressions when the egg smashes and the confetti comes out. Use the biodegradable confetti for outside. What You Need: Raw eggs,…. Food colors or dyes,…. Paper confetti,….. Tape How To Make Poke a hole in the bottom of a raw egg and remove the yolk and egg white. The hole can be as large as your middle finger is round. Dye the egg however you wish. Once dry, put paper confetti inside the egg. Fill the egg as full as possible. Once finished, place a small piece of scotch tape over the opening of the egg.

Turn a strawberry basket into a colorful Easter basket. It is perfect for sprouting Easter grass in, or housing a cotton ball chick, and making a small centerpiece. What You Need 1 strawberry basket,… Pipe cleaners for handle(optional)… Colored paper or ribbon strips,…. Scissors To fill basket: grass (see Easter grass below), shredded paper, etc. How To Make Weave strips of paper or ribbon in and out of the holes in the basket. Make the handle out of pipe cleaners, if desired. Fill with some Easter 'grass' or shredded paper, then add some small goodies. You could even grow some real Easter grass in your basket.

What You Need Clean eggshell with top broken off,…. Potting soil,… Grass seed, wheat, or rye seed,….. Construction paper,….. Scissors,….. Permanent magic marker, Glue, stapler or tape to fasten the ring. How To Make Start with a clean eggshell that has only the top of the shell missing. (See the illustration) Cut a 1" strip of construction paper and make a small ring to hold the egg and keep it from rolling around. You can decorate the strip with crayons if you wish. Draw a face on the egg (for young kids, a grownup might do this part). Be sure to put it on the upper part of the shell, so that it will show when the egg is on the paper ring. Fill the shell with potting soil, and then sprinkle seed on the top. Add a very thin layer of soil over the seeds. Water and keep in a sunny location. When the grass sprouts, your egg will grow hair!

Enjoy the wonders of spring by growing your own Easter Grass. You can grow it in your Easter basket! What You Need Cellophane or piece of plastic,……Grass seed, rye seed or wheat seed,……. Vermiculite,….. Basket to grow it in,….. Clean spray bottle Water,….a Sunny window. How To Make Cut your cellophane or plastic large enough to line the basket plus stick out over the top edge by about 1". If you use colored cellophane, it adds a nice decoration to the edges of the basket. Make sure you use one piece to prevent leaking. (The cellophane is only needed if you are using something like a basket that can leak.) Fill with vermiculite. Vermiculite is much lighter than soil, and is available at gardening departments. It also stays moist easily. Cover the top with the seed, sprinkle a 1/4" layer of vermiculite over the seed, and water it with the spray bottle. Mist the seed every day. In about 10 days you will have a good covering of grass, so start your grass 10-12 days before Easter.