On Sunday 16th April this year, lots of us will be waking up and tucking into delicious chocolate Easter eggs. I’ve always been a fan of Easter – it means that spring has finally arrived. It’s great  to see the parks become colourful and brighten up the house with daffodils. And of course, I love any excuse for chocolate!

Where did the Easter bunny come from?

Rabbits have always been associated with springtime. It’s believed that the Goddess of Spring, Eostre, had a hare as her companion because the hare symbolises fertility and rebirth. So, the Easter bunny began as the hare, an iconic symbol of spring time. Years later, confectionary companies used the symbol of the bunny to represent their chocolate goodies.

I adore hares and loved drawing my own bold and quizzical chap for my Butterflies and Beasties collection…

Get baking…

On Easter Sunday, one thing that I enjoy doing with the kids is getting the pots and pans out for some chocolate-related baking.We always end up with leftovers from the Easter eggs and it’s a great way to spend an afternoon. Keeping in line with the chocolate theme, I’ll be wearing my Tunnock’s Teacake Apron…

The following recipe for ‘Easter Nests’ is easy and fun to follow for all ages and the end result always looks great! 

Recipe makes 12. You’ll need:

200g milk or dark chocolate – you choose (we are a dark choc house!)

85g plain cereal – cornflakes or rice pops work best

2 x 100g bags of mini chocolate eggs

12 cupcake cases

1. Melt the chocolate in a small bowl over a pan of simmering water. 

2. Pour the melted chocolate over the cereal and stir well until cereal is fully covered.

3. Spoon the chocolate cereal into the 12 cupcake cases.

4. Add 3 mini chocolate eggs on top of each ‘nest’.

5. Chill the nests in the fridge for 2 hours until set. 

As easy as that! I hope you all have a lovely Easter weekend. If you give the Easter Nest recipe a try,  send us in photos of your attempt @gilliankyle