Easter Egg Basket Buns and Andrea's Almond Cookies

I don't know what I love more, being able to be with friends on Easter or getting to eat some things I don't get every week! Today I was blessed to see my friends Syleste Rodrigez and Andrea Robinson down at Fox 10! Here are the recipes from the show! Easter bread baskets, naturally colored Easter eggs, and of course, Andrea Robinson's favorite new cookies!

Easter bread is an institution in many countries around the world and I for one am not going to let this holiday go by without an egg bread post. Today I'm sharing an idea inspired by my darling Jan D'Atri! She sent over an adorable picture of a bread like this and I couldn't stop my bread-making self from making them!

Tess' Easter Egg Bread Baskets

Adapted from an Originally published recipe as Easter Egg Bread in Taste of Home April/May 2003, p41
Prep: 35 min. + rising Bake: 30 min. + cooling

Yield: 16 Servings
Ingredients
6 to 6-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
6 tablespoons butter, cubed
6 eggs (for dough)
6 hard-cooked eggs (and egg dye if desired)
Canola oil
2 tablespoons water
Colored decorative sugar

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, sugar, yeast, cardamom and salt. In a saucepan, heat milk and butter to 120°-130°. Add to dry ingredients; beat just until moistened. Add 5 eggs; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.
• Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes.
• Dye hard-cooked eggs; lightly rub with oil. Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide dough into 6 pieces. Shape each portion into a 12-in. rope. Twist into a snail on  a sheet pan, about 3 inched apart. 
  
   For naturally colored Golden Easter Eggs:
  Combine 1/2 cup vinegar with 1-2T crushed Annatto seeds (Annatto is commonly used in Latin American and Caribbean cuisines as both a coloring and flavoring agent.) and 4 cups water. Add 6 eggs and simmer on low heat 20-25 minutes. Remove eggs from the annatto water and place on a dry towel. Allow to cool.
  
  
  
  
•  Tuck dyed eggs into center of bun. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 20 minutes.
• Beat water and remaining egg; gently brush over dough. Sprinkle with decorative colored sugar. Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan to a wire rack to cool. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 6 large nests.

Andrea Robinson is on a gluten-free, grain-free diet. These cookies were just what the doctor ordered! She loved them "especially the chewiness" and I think you'll love them as well!

Andrea's Almond-Raspberry Speckled Egg cookies

3 cups almond flour almond flour

¼ cup crushed freeze-dried Raspberries

½ cup agave nectar

½ cup organic granular erythritol(natural sweetener)

½ cup organic coconut oil

½ tsp baking powder

2 T powdered egg whites (Ova-easy brand)*

¼ tsp salt

1T natural vanilla bean paste

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients well. Roll into 2 dozen 1 inch balls and lightly flatten and pinch into an egg shape, 1 inch apart on baking sheet. Bake 7-10 minutes until golden brown. Yield 2 dozen cookies.* if you do not have egg white powder, you can use 2 egg whites and reduce the agave nectar to 1/4 cup. The cookies won't be as sweet, but it will work.

There you go my darlings! Some great ideas for Easter! Enjoy.

Always My Very Best,
Your Friend Chef Tess