Easter

Sunday, April 8, 2012


Are you ever too old to colour eggs?

I didn’t colour them this year, but my 17 and 14 year old daughters did, with great pleasure.  We spent this Easter weekend at my mom’s place, and we made the two-hour trip to the farm early yesterday morning. 


Eggs aren’t the only tradition they helped with.  The Baker family Easter reunion wouldn’t be complete without green-tinted cornflake nests that cradle half a dozen chocolate eggs.



And of course, the highlight of Easter Sunday is the church service, celebrating the true meaning of the holiday.  Three generations of our family attended my mother’s church this morning. This is the same church, Calvary United in Rodney, Ontario, in which Andrew and I got married nearly twenty-one years ago.


Wishing all of my readers a weekend full of blessings.  And for those of you who celebrated Easter or Passover, I hope you had a holiday filled with joy and love.


Remember last year, when I gave up baking for Lent?  My sacrifice this year was of a more spiritual nature, but my youngest daughter (with a sweet tooth greater than mine) gamely gave up sweets. As a result, I haven't done much baking for the past few weeks.  So today I'm sharing a great recipe that I made just prior to Lent.  Everyone loved these Chocolate Chip Nutella cookies and, now that my daughter is eating sweets again, I've promised to bake more this week.  It's unbelievable how two tablespoons of Nutella can elevate a cookie.  I think it's my new favourite chocolate chip cookie recipe.

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Nutella
(from The Perfect Finish by Bill Yosses and Melissa Clark)

1 cup plus 2 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp Nutella
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 to 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

Sift flour, baking soda and salt into a small bowl and set aside.

Cream the butter, white sugar and brown sugar in a large bowl.  Add Nutella and beat until smooth.  Beat in the egg and vanilla extract.

With a spoon, stir in the flour mixture until completely mixed in.  Stir in the chocolate pieces.

Form into cookies and bake for 9 – 10 minutes.  Cool the cookie sheets before removing the cookies with a spatula.


43 comments:

Angela said...

Nutella makes everything better! Lovely eggs.

Valerie Gamine said...

I miss colouring Easter eggs, and after seeing how pretty your daughter's turned out (especially the hearts), I may have to pull out the dyes next year!
What a lovely photo of all the gorgeous women in your family. And what a lovely recipe too!! Anything with Nutella is a must-try. :D
Happy Easter evening!

ZONE F DG TEAM said...

HAPPY EASTER!!! I must try these cookies.

Bonnie said...

No you are never too old to dye Easter eggs. I love dying them with my children at school. Doesn't nutella make everything taste better? Oh, I see I repeated someone. How wonderful to have family to celebrate with. I love the picture of all the women in you family. So special. I hope you continue to have Easter blessings. Bonnie

Belinda said...

Never too old - for Easter eggs or cookies. Hope you had a lovely one!

Angela Ackerman said...

Those cookies look divine! I will have to give them a whirl. thanks for the recipe-hope you had a great Easter weekend. ;)

GratefulPrayerThankfulHeart said...

I really enjoy coloring eggs too. Your daughters' eggs are lovely! So is the generational photo! Precious!

Jemi Fraser said...

I've never bought Nutella - but the cookies look great!

Your eggs are gorgeous - it's such fun to make them :)

Anonymous said...

I haven't colored eggs for many years. Your daughters did a lovely job! The cookies sound fantastic!

Joanne said...

It looks like you had a lovely Easter holiday ... We painted Easter eggs too, a timeless tradition!

grace said...

i miss decorating eggs--the smell of that vinegar is like nothing else! yummy cookies, beth. :)

Kitchen Riffs said...

We didn't dye eggs this year, although we usually do. The best part is writing silly little messages on them! And nice recipe - Nutella seems to make anything better, doesn't it? Nice post - thanks.

Anonymous said...

I know that you must have had a memorable Easter with your family.

Cindy said...

What a beautiful photo of many lovely ladies. I'm sure your Mother enjoyed the visit.
The cookies look delicious, I'll make them soon.

C&C Cakery said...

So glad you had a lovely family Easter - the best part of this post was those super cute corn flake nests with chocolate eggs :)

Anonymous said...

Just look at these wonderful photos and this scrumptious cookie recipe. I love this post. I hope you had a great Easter :)

Claudia said...

You are never too old to color Easter eggs. My 23-year old daughter set up shop in the kitchen Saturday eve and noted that the bog said "must do with parental supervision" so I stayed with her - to protect her of course. I gave up politics for Lent and liked the low-blood-pressure so much, I may do it for another 40 days. But the cookies - it's time to eat them!

Anonymous said...

It sounds like the perfect Easter weekend at the farm with your mom. Those chocolate chip cookies look great -- as you said, I wouldn't have imagined that a little Nutella could elevate a cookie....but now I'm curious! I'm trying to think if I dare make them after all of the food I've eaten!

Anonymous said...

How lovely! Love the hearts in the egg.
Happy Easter xx

shaz said...

Belated Easter wishes to you and your family Beth. The egg nests are too cute! And I have serious chocolate chip cookie cravings right now.

Unknown said...

Looks like a wonderful Easter celebration! I've never tried Nutella in a chocolate chip cookie, I will have to try-it sounds delicious;-)

julie said...

I'm pretty sure Nutella could elevate just about anything! Thanks so much for sharing a bit of your family Beth. It looks like you had a truly blessed Easter holiday. :)

Liz That Skinny Chick Can Bake said...

I just love family traditions!!! And your female family photo is just marvelous!

My youngest gave up sweets for Lent, too...such resolve! I tried to bake things he didn't like...pb cookies, anything with white chocolate, etc. I have two jars of Nutella just waiting for the perfect recipe...I think I've found it!

Barbara said...

No, you're never to old to dye Easter eggs, Beth! I do it every year, even when the grandkids aren't coming.
Looks like you had a wonderful time!

Vi said...

I will always love dying Easter eggs. Your family's eggs are beautiful! I hope you had a wonderful Easter.

Carol said...

Looks like a wonderful visit! Beautiful family you have. I don't think you are ever too old to dye eggs :) The cookies look fantastic!

Sue said...

What a wonderful Easter you had! Love your eggs, your cookies, your nests, your sunrise(beautiful), and church with the family...doesn't get much better than that!

Ciao Chow Linda said...

Sounds like a perfect Easter day - and the cookies with Nutella will be in my future.

Sissi said...

Hi Beth, congratulations beautiful eggs! I haven't dyed eggs since I was a child... I remember it meant lots of fun. I hope you have spent wonderful Easter. Thanks for visiting my blog! I'm very happy to discover yours!

Kathy said...

Beth, Such a wonderful post! Looks as though you and your family had a fabulous Easter. Love your eggs, nests and those delicious looking cookies!

It was so nice of you to offer to personalize the two books that I bought for my granddaughter. I would love it, if you don’t mind. Her name is Josie…I will email you all the other info. Thanks so much, Kathy

Miriam said...

Awesome looking cookies! It sounds like your Easter was wonderful! Mine was filled with cuteness with my little ones and my husband. Your daughters are beauitiful :), Miriam@Meatless Meals For Meat Eaters

Rita said...

Beautiful post full of love Beth. Love your family photo. I am curious about cornflake nest.
Rita

Healthy World Cuisine said...

Your teenagers did a beautiful job with the eggs. I think they would miss the tradition if we stopped. Oh and the chocolate chip nutella cookies look sinful. I hope your family day was grand. Take Care, BAM

sally said...

What a good looking family! I'm glad to hear that you had a nice Easter.

Katerina said...

Family gatherings are remembered with great joy and affection. I am sure you had a lovely time gathered all together for the Easter Day!

Yummy said...

Yum. Great looking cookies and fun Easter photos!

Cucina49 said...

That middle egg in the top photo is just gorgeous! It sounds like you had a wonderful holiday, and what a treat for your daughter to get these cookies.

Elaine said...

It sounds like you had a lovely Easter. Your cookies look so good and I am sure your daughter was delighted to eat these after giving them up for Lent.

Anonymous said...

Fantastic pictures, Beth. Thanks for giving us this glimpse into your world. I miss coloring eggs. I used to do it as a kid.

Anonymous said...

Your beautiful coloured eggs and Nutella cookies are stunning - I wish I could have celebrated Easter with you :D

Happy Easter!
Choc Chip Uru

Anonymous said...

Those cookies do look perfectly soft and chewy, just the way a good chocolate chip cookie aught to be. Very curious about the inclusion of Nutella! I wonder if I could do the same with speculoos or peanut butter...

Mary said...

Your daughters' eggs turned out beautifully! It sounds like you had a great weekend with your family.

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful Easter! You're daughter has much more willpower than I. I think a few tablespoons of Nutella can elevate just about everything.

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