20 Easy Easter Baking Ideas
Easter is one of those holidays that changes dates like my 8-year-old daughter changes clothes (and puts every single thing she tries on and discards in the dirty laundry because she’s not the one doing the laundry. She’s in for a dark and ugly reality check when she’s tall enough to reach the washing machine and dryer).
The thing about Easter is that it comes with so much meaning. For one, it’s both the oldest and most important holiday in the Christian Church. Easter Sunday is the day of Jesus’ resurrection, and there is no more important holiday – and that goes for his birth, too. It’s also a day of celebration, family, and, you know it, baking all the goodies (we do have an obsession with baking all the goodies, don’t we?).
Why is Easter Sunday Never the Same Date?
Easter is rarely celebrated on the same date. The week of Easter is equally important. It’s called Holy Week in the Christian Church, and each day has its own special meaning. Easter Sunday changes dates yearly – sometimes even changing months from March to April and back to March.
Easter is celebrated annually between March 21 and April 25. Why so much time? Because the holiday itself falls on a very specific Sunday that changes annually. Easter Sunday is always the Sunday immediately following the first full moon of the spring equinox (northern spring equinox, we should specify).
What is Holy Week?
There are eight days of Easter. But don’t worry. You aren’t required to spend eight days with your extended family baking, cooking, and hiding eggs. That’s saved for Sunday after church.
- Palm Sunday – This is the first day of the Easter week. Palm Sunday is the day when Jesus made his way into the city of Jerusalem. It’s the first day of the most important biblical prophesies.
- Maunday Thursday – This is the day when Jesus had his feet washing, and it is also the day in which Jesus celebrated the Last Supper. The famous painting and the story that follows are some of the most important moments in the Bible as Jesus surrounded himself with the Apostles.
- Good Friday – This is the day that Jesus was crucified on the cross. He died for the sins of mankind, proving his love for the people.
- Holy Saturday – This is the day in which Jesus’ body was put to rest in the tomb.
- Easter Sunday – This is the day that Jesus came back from the dead.
How Does The Easter Bunny Fit into All of This?
The Easter Bunny is perhaps the creepiest and least fun holiday ‘character’ around. Let’s be honest. There is never a child who wants to sit in the lap of the Easter Bunny to take a photo. If you think kids are terrified of Santa, just wait until you try their hand at the Easter Bunny. It makes us wonder, too, where did this bunny come from?
Easter is about Jesus’ resurrection, yet we spend the weeks leading up to it hanging out with a bunny who hides eggs, leaves baskets of goodies, and terrifies everyone (and yet has no horror movies made after it). Where in the actual hell did the Easter Bunny come from, and how do we get rid of him?
Here’s a fun fact that I dug up. The Easter Bunny is the equivalent of a Springtime Santa Claus. He’s created by the Lutherans. His job is to figure out if kids are being good or bad leading up to Easter. He then delivers baskets of eggs, treats, and goodies to the good kids the night before Easter.
Let me reiterate – he’s the creepy less extravagant version of Santa. Yet my husband and I will fill our children’s baskets with Sunday favorites, hide eggs, and pretend we want to spend Sunday entertaining our extended families in our home for yet another holiday (we host all the holidays) while throwing back champagne.
My Favorite Easter Story
Allow me to preface this with the following: This story has not a thing to do with Easter other than for a half a second, but it’s still an Easter story. When COVID happened, we hosted Easter as usual with our extended friends and family.
My husband snapped a photo of me pretending to throw back a glass of champagne while my mom told a story we’d already heard a thousand times (we call them Debbie stories…we love Debbie.
She’s the gift the keeps giving). It was on his phone, which meant it was accessible from the twins’ iPads. On the last day of COVID kindergarten (the kids finished the school year in Zoom classes before returning to the classroom for first grade), my sweet little girl twin finally figured out how to update her background photo.
It was then my friend Jen, whose son was in the same kindergarten class as the twins, text me to ask if I’d noticed Charlotte’s new background photo. I hadn’t. I was working out. I also didn’t care. It was the last day. We were headed to one of our favorite beachfront hotels for a long weekend with our best friends as soon as they were done.
That’s when Jen sent a photo of her son’s Zoom class screen. It was me. In my pink Lilly Pulitzer Easter dress from Easter Sunday. Eyes closed, head thrown back, a glass of champagne tipped all the way up.
I died a little on the inside. The entire class noticed, and their sweet teacher sent the funniest message to me about it being the absolute best. Every year when that photo pops up on my TimeHop, I laugh hysterically. This is never not funny to me.
Easy Easter Baking
Easter baking is some of my favorite. You know I love to bake, but Easter baking is so much fun because you can make the most darling little desserts, dishes, and ‘themed’ items that make hosting so cute. The kids love it, too. It’s like spring is here, He is Risen, and summer is a second away.
We love it, and I thought I’d share some of my favorite Easter baking recipes with you (and a few of my husband’s favorite Easter recipes because he says baking doesn’t always mean dessert. He’s so rarely wrong, but I’ll indulge him here).
Desserts For The Kids and/or Perfect for Hosting a Party
Easter is all about the desserts. It’s a holiday for sweets, and each of these is a sweet treat perfect for you and the kids or everyone coming to your home.
1. Easter Cheesecake
This recipe is amazing, but it’s the fact you can use whatever you’d like to decorate that brings this recipe to life.
2. Italian Easter Cookies
Here’s a fun fact – this recipe is so famous, and people adore it. I didn’t make these for many years because they didn’t seem as though they appealed to me. That was a hard lesson learned, because they are actually quite good.
3. Shortbread Bunny Cookies
These aren’t the most amazing tasting cookie – not a shortbread fan – but they are so cute. You could replace the shortbread recipe with a sugar cookie recipe, though. Just remember to add extra flower before you bake the cookies so they maintain their shape and don’t spread.
4. Easter Swiss Rolls
This is the Easter recipe equivalent of a Christmas fruitcake. It’s odd, but it does have some serious potential if you make it the right way.
5. Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Pro Tip: Put your carrot cake in the fridge before serving. There’s just something about a cold carrot cake that takes the cake. Pun intended.
Breakfast Ideas You Can Make Ahead
Easter Sunday is one of the most well-attended church service days of the year. You’re likely rushing to get everyone out of the house on time, so these breakfast baking ideas are perfect. Make them ahead, throw them in the oven the morning of, and save yourself the time and stress of making breakfast in the moment.
1. Easter Cinnamon Rolls
When your cinnamon rolls look like an Easter bunny, they’re just better. Even better, though, is the fact that you can absolutely use pre-made cinnamon rolls to make this.
2. Strawberry Tarts
Don’t let the name of this dish fool you. The combination of flavors used in this recipe makes this dish downright mouthwatering.
3. Cinnamon Sugar Easter Bunny Twists
Why do we think anything with cinnamon sugar is a breakfast food? I don’t get it, but I also don’t hate it. These are festive, but also easy.
4. Sweet Glazed Easter Bread
Bread is always a good idea, and this recipe is also a good idea.
5. Viennese Whirls
This is a recipe someone made and brought over one Easter. I’d never heard of it until that point, but it was worthwhile. I asked for the recipe.
Dinner Ideas for Your Family or A Crowd on Easter
Do you do Easter dinner? We do, but it’s more of a mid-afternoon Easter “linner” situation. We don’t eat late (it’s a Sunday and the kids have school the following day) because we want everyone to go home. We tend to have everyone over after church. The kids hunt eggs, we eat a meal made by my husband, and then we usher everyone out the door so we can feel somewhat prepared and ready for the following week (I am not a fan of sharing my Sundays).
1. Italian Easter Bread
This is a great flavor, but it’s also festive.
2. Hot Cross Buns
I bet half of you thought hot cross buns was a cute nursery rhyme and not a real menu item. Well, you’re in for a treat. Read the directions before you start, though.
3. Puff Pastry Bundles
My husband loves these because they make such a classic side dish of classic side dishes, but they’re prettier. You can personalize this dish with your favorite ‘interior’ items, too.
4. Beef Tenderloin Crostinis
Not everyone loves to cook a full meal on Easter. You can make this one as an appetizer to begin the day with, or you can throw it together as the full meal.
5. Garlic Butter & Herb Pork Tenderloin
Pork is a very Easter-like recipe, and this one is no exception to the rule. The flavors in this dish make it taste wonderful. The bonus is that your home will also smell wonderful while you’re baking it.
No Bake Easy Ideas for Kids
Easter, aside from being all about Jesus, is about the kids. It’s about their fun and entertainment. It’s a day to dress the family up in darling matching outfits, take a few photos, and let them dye eggs and have a great time. That’s why these desserts work. The kids can throw them together the day before, and none of them require the kids actually touching the oven.
1. Rice Krispie Bird Nests
Of all the Easter desserts we make, my kids love this one the most. It’s the easiest recipe to make, and the decorating is fun for the kids. What I like to do is purchase pre-shredded coconut and mix it with green food coloring. It turns the coconut green, and it looks like grass in the ‘nests’. Just be sure to give your kids gloves or they’ll turn green, too.
2. Mini Easter Cheesecakes
These are so much fun because they are bite sized. Everything is better in a bite size, no? The kids can make as many as they want, and they won’t even make a mess with this. The fun party is they can be customized. Use whatever you like to make these decadent.
3. Easter Cookie Dough Truffles
How many times will I tell you I love truffles before you’re tired of hearing it? What about cookie dough? These are cute because you can make them, and the kids can do the dirty work. In this case, the dirty work is dipping the truffles into melted chocolate. My professional (I am not a professional, but I like to call myself one) tip is pre-colored chocolate melts. They’re not as tasty as melting real chocolate, but dying melted white chocolate never works as well as buying pre-colored chocolate melts.
4. Egg and Brownie Parfait
I prefer a homemade brownie, but we will let it slide on this one. This is for the kids, and they don’t need to bake anything. Buy premade brownies, and cut them into small bites. We like small bites because it makes the entire dish easier to consume with a spoon. For this recipe, I recommend using clear plastic cups. You can throw them away, and your guests can see the fun creations your kids made.
5. Flower Pretzel Bites
Sweet and savory for the win. Kids love these because they are cute and fun to make. Adults love them because the sweet and savory flavor is a winner. They’re quick and easy, and you won’t need more than a few minutes to prep and/or clean when the kids are done.
You can also read
- 20 Awesome New Year’s Baking Ideas
- 20 Awesome Christmas Baking Ideas for Gifts
- 20 Awesome Valentine’s Day Baking Ideas
- 20 Awesome Birthday Baking Ideas
- 20 Delicious Gluten-Free Baking Ideas
