Hop to It for Sweet Easter Treats
From BrightIdeas.com

Colorful Easter Egg Cookies
Basket of Eggs Cupcakes
Pretty Little Eggs
Easter Bunny Bundt Cake

(Family Features) - The promises of warm breezes, greener horizons and nature's thaw are all good reasons to celebrate spring. And Easter is a special day that brings a smile to everyone's face. To make this holiday springtime fresh, treat friends and family to sweet and special treats.

Host a gathering to create these fun and memorable edible ideas together. Or get the kids together for kitchen fun ahead of time and serve these delicious and whimsical treats at your party.

Here are some creative party planning tips:

• Easter Egg Garland: Blow out fresh eggs, wash and dry. Dye eggs and string fishing line through. Use garland to hang or decorate table.
• Easter Grass: Fill baskets with wheat grass, sold at the greenhouse in a flat. Decorate with Easter décor such as Dove smooth milk chocolate eggs, chicks and bunnies.
• Flowering Baskets: Place spring bulbs - hyacinths, daffodils, crocuses - in baskets and cover with moss.

Click, create and celebrate by visiting www.BrightIdeas.com. Entertaining ideas, party invitations, decorating ideas and fun activities for family and friends are all there for springtime and all of your celebrations throughout the year.

The FREE Bright Ideas Newsletter has recipes, activities and more! Sign up today at BrightIdeas.com.

Colorful Easter Egg Cookies
Makes 24 big and small cookies
Fill your family's Easter baskets with these sweet treats that look as good as they taste!
Prep time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 12 to 15 minutes
Decoration time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: Moderate

1 bag STARBURST®: Brand Original Jellybeans
1 1/3 cups flour
2 rolls (18 ounces each) refrigerated sugar cookie dough
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup each assorted colors decorating sugar
1 jar (10 ounces) lemon curd
2 cans (16 ounces) vanilla frosting
2 cookie sheet pans
3-inch Easter egg cookie cutters, or downloadable template (brightideas.com)

Knead flour into cookie dough until smooth. Roll to scant 1/4-inch thickness and cut egg shapes with cutters or template. Press a hole in the center of half the cookies.

Transfer cookies to parchment lined cookie sheet and bake in preheated 350°F oven for approximately 12 to 15 minutes. Remove and cool completely.

Brush a thin layer of corn syrup on top of cookies with center cut out. Sprinkle with desired decorating sugar color. Spread the uncut cookie with a thin layer of the lemon curd. Set the sugar coated cookie on top.

Decorate cookies by spooning a cup of vanilla frosting into re-sealable plastic bag with snipped corner. Pipe frosting lines on cookies and arrange an assortment of STARBURST®: Brand Original Jellybeans.

Basket of Eggs Cupcakes - For the recipe go to BrightIdeas.com/easter.	Pretty Little Eggs - For the recipe go to BrightIdeas.com/easter.

Easter Bunny Bundt Cake
16 servings
Enjoy a fun, colorful Easter with this creative bunny cake!
Prep time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 55 to 65 minutes
Decoration time: 25 minutes
Difficulty: Moderate

Cake:
1 bag MILKY WAY®: Midnight Minis
1 bag DOVE®: Brand Milk or Dark Chocolate Eggs
1 bag STARBURST®: Brand Original Jellybeans
1 box (18.25 ounces) devil's food cake mix
1 box (3 ounces) chocolate instant pudding
1 can (16 ounces) milk chocolate frosting
1 can (16 ounces) vanilla frosting
Green food coloring
Bunny Cookies:
1 bag M&M'S®: Brand MINIS®: Milk
Chocolate Candies
2/3 cup flour
1 roll (18 ounces) refrigerated sugar cookie dough
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/8 cup decorating sugar each pink, orange and yellow
1 tube white decorating frosting
Bunny cookie cutters, or downloadable template (brightideas.com/easter)

Cake:

Prepare cake mix according to package instructions. Stir in chocolate pudding powder.

Fold 2 cups of chopped MILKY WAY®: Midnight Minis into batter before pouring into a grease and flour Bundt pan.

Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for approximately 45 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove and cool completely.

Invert cake, remove from pan and cover completely with chocolate frosting.

Tint vanilla frosting green and spoon into a resealable plastic bag with a snipped small corner. Pipe "grass" on top and a few patches at the base of the cake.

Bunny Cookies:

Meanwhile: knead flour into cookie dough and roll to scant 1/4-inch thickness. Press out 12 large and 12 small bunnies with cutters or downloadable template. Transfer to a parchment lined cookie sheet.

Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for approximately 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden. Remove and cool completely.

Lightly brush corn syrup on cookies and sprinkle with desired color of decorating sugar. With a dot of frosting, attach M&M'S®: Brand MINIS®: Milk Chocolate Candies as eyes.

Using photo as your guide, arrange cookies and candy around cake.

SOURCE: BrightIdeas.com