DIY Easter Crafts and Fun at Lehman’s

Editor’s Note: Today Glenda Lehman Ervin, Director of Marketing, shares with us fun, easy Easter crafts that she did with her children. They’re a great way to spend time with your family and create new traditions that your little ones will treasure for years to come.

The Egg Craft

(Also affectionately known as “Egg People”)

What you need:

• Eggs (one egg per an “egg person”)
• A little bit of soil
• Rye seed
• A few drops of water
• Markers or paint

Carefully chop the top off of eggs, and keep the eggs for cooking or breakfast.

Plant soil in the bottom of each egg, dropped with rye seed (which grows very quickly).  Within a few days, your “egg people” should be sporting green hair.  Use only a drop or two of water each day or the seeds won’t germinate. Decorate the faces and you have an adorable center piece.

A Nest Full of Treats

What you need:

• Crisped rice cereal, marshmallows and butter to make cereal treats
• Marshmallow birds, jelly beans, and/or any other treats you want to fill your nests
• A greased muffin pan

Using the traditional recipe for these cereal treats, form them into a shape of a nest.  Here’s the only tricky part – you have to form them before they harden, which means they are hot!  I used a greased muffin tin to get the shape I wanted without burning my hands. When they are cooled you can fill them with jelly beans, marshmallow birds, or whatever suits your fancy!

Hot Cross Buns

Every Easter season, my mom would make hot cross buns (sweet rolls studded with raisins or currants and marked with a cross on top). My mom was an excellent cook and I cherished this tradition growing up. Here is a recipe my mom liked for Hot Cross Buns (from Taste of Home).

For Dough:
2 pkg (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
2 c. warm whole milk (110° to 115°)
2 large eggs
1/3 c. butter, softened
1/4 c. sugar
1-1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
6 to 7 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. dried currants
1/2 c. raisins
1 large egg yolk
2 T. water

For Icing:
1-1/2 c. confectioners’ sugar
4 to 6 tsp. whole milk

Add yeast in warm milk; let it dissolve.

In another bowl, blend eggs, butter, sugar, salt, spices, yeast mixture and 3 cups flour; beat on medium speed until smooth.

Next add in currants, raisins and enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.

Knead the dough on a floured surface until it’s smooth and elastic (approx. 6-8 minutes).

Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place until doubled. This will take approx. 1 hour.

Push down dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide and shape into 30 balls. Place 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets. Cover with kitchen towels and let them rise in a warm place until doubled, approx. 30-45 minutes. Preheat oven to 375°.

Cut a cross on top of each bun using a knife.

Whisk egg yolk and water in a bowl, then brush over tops. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool slightly. (You don’t want them to be completely cooled because hot cross buns are best served warm.)

Now onto the icing. Mix confectioners’ sugar and enough milk to reach desired consistency. Then pipe a cross on top of each bun and enjoy!

To view the recipe at Taste of Home, click here.

This article was first posted in March 2018.