Egg Hunt Blondies | Easter Dessert Recipe

A cute Easter dessert recipe featuring the best, chewy blondies topped with buttercream icing and M&M candies. Plus, an easy trick to make the frosting look like grass for an Easter egg hunt topping!

Come February, I am over the dreary cold, and more than ready to welcome spring with arms wide open. What can I say? I’m a hugger. Especially when it comes to things that make the heart all light and happy, like new sprouts of green, budding, colorful blooms, followed by a joyful feeling of growth and renewal. And, before we know it, the earth is covered in a bounty of color, and here comes Easter. What’s not to love about that? If that doesn’t make you want to hug somebody, I don’t know what will.

Bring on the spring, bring on the joy, and oh please, bring me Easter — I’m ready for all of it. I have a tendency to show my enthusiasm for season changes and the upcoming holidays through food, and more specifically, desserts. So while I’m over here chomping at the bit for Easter to arrive already, I guess I could always just trade that bit in for…well, dessert. It’s a good trade, and one that should tide me over just fine.

THE CUTEST EASTER DESSERT…LIKE, EVER.

When I think of Easter, I can just see my little girls running across the yard, to-and-fro, dressed in their pretty pastels with baskets in hand, squealing in delight with the discovery of every hidden egg. That is the memory that inspired the cutest Easter dessert…like, ever. The egg hunt blondie has Easter written all over it, but before we get into what makes this Easter dessert so very festive and perfectly adorable, let’s talk basics first.

WHAT ARE BLONDIES?

Blondies are very similar to their cousin the brownie in almost every way, except for the fact that they have no cocoa, and the flavor of a blondie itself very much resembles the base of a chocolate chip cookie…only, ya know, without the chocolate chips.

HOW TO MAKE THE BEST CHEWY BLONDIES

Like the chocolate chip base, blondies are made of a mix of dry ingredients like flour, baking powder, and salt, along with butter, a combination of both white and brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Blondies are actually much easier to throw together than a batch of chocolate chip cookies. Rather than having to scoop out cookie dough balls one-by-one, blondies are part of the bar cookie family, meaning the batter is emptied into a baking vessel all at once and baked. Once the blondies are baked, they are cut into squares for serving.

However, how they’re baked isn’t the only difference between the two. And, while they are similar in flavor, they are quite different when it comes to texture. Blondies are chewy and dense, while chocolate chip cookies are typically light and fluffy…at least, that’s how I like ’em. The main difference is in the amount of flour within the recipe. Less flour (when used in correct proportion to the other ingredients) makes for a perfectly chewy blondie. A little extra brown sugar doesn’t hurt either.

HOW TO DRESS UP AN EASTER BLONDIE

After your blondies are baked, it’s time for their transformation into the cutest Easter dessert of all time. You ready for this? Here we go.

PIPE ON BUTTERCREAM ICING TO LOOK LIKE GRASS

Buttercream icing is easy to make and only requires a few simple ingredients. However, if you don’t care to make homemade buttercream frosting, you could always use white, store-bought frosting instead. In addition to the frosting, you’ll also need food coloring, a pastry bag and tip.

I always use gel food coloring. A little bit goes a long way, and you can get some pretty intense color from just a tiny bit of food coloring. You can buy it at Amazong.com or at local specialty craft stores like Hobby Lobby and Michaels. And while I love the vibrant colors you get from the gel food coloring, please note, you don’t have to use it, and regular ol’ food coloring drops will work as well.

To make our blondies look as though they are covered in grass, we will be using Wilton grass tip #234 fitted inside of a pastry bag.

And, if you don’t want to mess with the pastry bag and tip at all, you could always just slather on a heaping pile of green icing and call it a day…well, after the M&M’s go on top that is. Definitely can’t forget the M&M’s.

ADD THE PASTEL M&M’S

Come Easter time, you can find pastel candies at just about every store. Pastel M&M candies are the perfect Easter egg look-alike for our Grass Hunt blondies. Plus, they add chocolate to an otherwise chocolate-less dessert. Whew. I almost served y’all up a dessert with zero chocolate. That was a close call, wasn’t it?

P.S. THEY’RE FREEZER-FRIENDLY!

Then, it’s time serve these beauties up…or freeze them. Yes! You can make these in advance and freeze them for up to 2 months in advance. Just be sure you freeze them in a snugly fitted airtight container, and no stacking allowed. Whenever you’re ready for your celebration, just pull them out and allow them to thaw at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

So there you have it: A cute Easter dessert that not only screams spring but looks and tastes like pure joy.

6 MORE EASTER DESSERTS YOU’LL LOVE

• Festive M&M Cookies can be dressed up for any occasion, but I think they look particularly lovely in pastel. This is a kid-friendly Easter treat, perfect for potluck and class parties.
• Homemade Brownies with Strawberry Cream Cheese Icing and Fresh Berries are a true show-stopper. The fresh berries topping are as welcoming as a Spring breeze and perfect for dressing up the Easter dessert table.
• Another fresh berry dessert idea, these Strawberry Cake Cookies are handheld treats loaded with real strawberries and lots of springtime flavor.
• Banana Pudding Trifle is cool, light, and just right for when the weather starts to warm up, making it especially perfect for an Easter dessert!
• What is it about coconut and Easter that goes hand-in-hand? These Easy Coconut Macaroons are gluten-free, beautiful, and easy to make!
• Strawberry Thumbprint Cookies are buttery and bright all at the same time. These little gems go fast, so be sure to get your fill before you set them out on the Easter dessert table!

4.43 from 7 votes

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Egg Hunt Blondies

Prep Time

25 mins

Cook Time

25 mins

Cooling Time

30 mins

Total Time

50 mins

 

A cute Easter dessert recipe featuring the best, chewy blondies topped with buttercream icing and M&M candies. 

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: 16

Calories: 346 kcal

Author: Kelly Anthony

Ingredients

For the Blondies:

• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 large eggs + 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the Homemade Buttercream Frosting:

• 1 cup + 2 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
• 2 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• Pinch fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Food coloring if using

Topping:

• 1/3 cup Pastel M&M's

Instructions

For the Blondies:

1. Preheat the oven to 350° and have ready a greased, square (8x8”) baking dish. Line the bottom and the sides of the baking dish with a fitted sheet of parchment paper for easy removal.

2. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sea salt, and baking powder. Set aside.

3. Add melted butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, egg, yolk, and vanilla to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. If you do not have a stand mixer, use a large mixing bowl and a handheld mixer.

4. Mix on medium-high speed until combined. Reduce the mixer speed to low, and gradually add in the dry ingredients. 

5. Add the batter to the prepared dish, and smooth over the top. Bake for 25-28 minutes. Remove from the oven, transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely about 30 minutes.

For the Buttercream Icing:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the butter and powdered sugar. If you do not have a stand mixer, use a large mixing bowl and a handheld mixer. 

2. Begin mixing on low speed, until most of the powdered sugar is mixed in, then increase the speed to medium-high. Mix until well-combined.Add the salt, extract, and food coloring (if using). Mix once more.

Cut and Add the Topping:

1. Pipe or spread on the icing. Cut the blondies into 16 squares, and place M&M's (on their side) across the tops of the blondies. Serve and enjoy.

Nutrition Facts

Egg Hunt Blondies

Amount Per Serving

Calories 346 Calories from Fat 162

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 18g 28%

Saturated Fat 11g 55%

Cholesterol 56mg 19%

Sodium 156mg 7%

Potassium 48mg 1%

Total Carbohydrates 44g 15%

Sugars 35g

Protein 1g 2%

Vitamin A 11.1%

Calcium 2.7%

Iron 3.6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

5 MORE FROSTED DESSERTS TO TRY

• Royally Iced Sugar Cookies are beautiful and perfect for gifting as they can be stacked and easily transported. This recipe makes easy work of making royal icing, along with detailed tips for icing your cookies.
• Painted Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing are fun and easy to decorate. Pull out the paint brushes and get creative with these sweet (and beautiful) treats!
• Christmas Sugar Cookies with Sugar Cookie Icing are as beautiful as they are tasty!  Simple, homemade sugar cookies with an easy buttercream frosting for cookies. Plus, how to ice tree and wreath cookies to look like grass.
• Homemade Marshmallow Treats are simple and easy to make with a topping of royal icing and sprinkles. Use any holiday cookie cutter you like and sprinkle away!
• Halloween Sugar Cookies will show the secret to making your cookies look as though they are suspended in air! Yes, hanging sugar cookies is a real thing, and they’re easier to make than you think! This can be applied to bats and ghosts for Halloween, as well as ornament, shaped sugar cookies with Christmas.