Name: Mini Carrot Cake Easter Gift Boxes
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 pkg Carrot Cake Mix (*we used XO BAKING Gluten-free Gourmet version, 567 g pkg*); Easter Chocolate (*we used chocolate foil eggs & chocolate on a stick by Purdys {gifted}*); 1 ½ cups icing sugar (*sift*); 2-3 tbsp milk (*any - +/- amount to match the glaze consistency you prefer*); 1 tsp vanilla extract; 2-3 tbsp cream cheese (*room temperature; we used PHILADELPHIA light cream cheese*)

While I acknowledge the celebration of Easter is much more significant than chocolate bunnies and egg hunts, there is something very beautiful and special about coming together with loved ones during this sacred time to lean into faith (whatever form that takes for each of us), reflect on the sacrifices made so we can gather and an opportunity to be grateful for the gift of life – feels especially significant as we continue to ride out challenging times. Food is our family’s love language, and at Eastertime, my fondest memories of this holiday surround it. While how we typically celebrate may be different once again this year, expressions of thought, compassion and love through food aren’t cancelled. My bunnies and I have been enjoying making some sweet Easter treats the last few weeks and packaging them up for loved ones, neighbours and those facing exceptionally challenging times on top of everything else so we can savour Easter weekend minus the baking/cooking-scapades we normally do. Here are some fun & delicious Edible Easter Gift Ideas Your Family Will Love we think you’ll enjoy making & gifting by way of undercover bunny surprise porch drops or take away treats from your small gatherings.

Baked with Love Recipes for Easter

Mini Carrot Cake Loaves Treat Boxes

They say the way you show love to others is how you want to be loved in return, and this combo of Mini Carrot Cake Loaves + Fine Easter Chocolate reflects my most favourite things on any Easter Sweet Table – baked with love from my adoring heart to your homemade care-a-lot treat box in hand we shared with loved ones & others in the community facing tough times. Use any pre-made carrot cake mix (it’s the thought that counts) or your family’s favourite recipe. If you don’t own a mini loaf pan, a muffin pan will do just fine. We left out nuts & raisins to keep our loaves allergy & fussy foodie-friendly, but you could certainly add those in. Any treat box will do and most dollar/home goods stores stock them around the holidays. You can bake these ahead of time, store in a cool place, then drizzle with the cream cheese icing right before gifting.

Carrot Cake & chocolate – my two faves on any Easter Sweet Table. Box em’ up as mini versions for eggs-tra special gifting!

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Mini Carrot Cake Easter Gift Boxes

Make your favourite carrot cake recipe into mini versions for a delicious edible Easter gift!

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Canadian

Keyword: carrot cake, chocolate eggs, edible gifts, homemade dessert, loaf pan, mini loaves, sweets

Author: House of Kerrs

Equipment

Mini Loaf Pan
Small Treat Boxes

Ingredients

1 pkg Carrot Cake Mix *we used XO BAKING Gluten-free Gourmet version, 567 g pkg*
Easter Chocolate *we used chocolate foil eggs & chocolate on a stick by Purdys {gifted}*

Cream Cheese Glaze

1 ½ cups icing sugar *sift*
2-3 tbsp milk *any - +/- amount to match the glaze consistency you prefer*
1 tsp vanilla extract
2-3 tbsp cream cheese *room temperature; we used PHILADELPHIA light cream cheese*

Instructions

Preheat oven to carrot cake mix directions. Mix your ingredients in a large bowl & pour into mini loaf pan (*if you don't have one, you could also make muffins*). Bake according to package directions. We used XO BAKING Gluten Free Carrot Cake Mix which took approx. 16 minutes to bake & rendered 8 mini loaves & 6 mini muffins. Let cool at least 10 mins.
*Optional: you could add candied fruit, nuts or raisins to the carrot cake mix. We left these out to keep our treats nut-free and suited to all tastes*
While the carrot cakes bake, prep your Cream Cheese Glaze. Add the icing sugar, extract, milk & cream cheese to a mixing bowl & blend with a hand mixer until you reach the desired consistency. You may need to add/reduce the milk/icing sugar to achieve your preference. Pour glaze into a gravy boat or similar for a simple drizzle technique. A spoon will work just fine also. Once carrot cakes have cooled, drizzle glaze over top & let set.
Assemble your treat boxes if they aren't already pre-made. Add a mini loaf baking cup to the box & tuck your carrot cake inside. Add your favourite chocolates & close. *Optional: tie a bow or ribbon around the handle/box. If not gifting immediately, store in a cool place (like a cold cellar). I recommend they be consumed within a few days tops.

Notes

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2. No-Bake Mini Egg Brownies

I shared these easy-peasy, No-Bake Mini Egg Easter Brownie dessert a few years ago & it was a big hit. I love to cook, but I’m definitely #NotABaker, so this super easy, 2-step Easter treat will help you fake it with little fuss (because entertaining simplified is my jam ;). It’s a fun one to do with the kiddos, with minimal mess! SA-WEET! Box em’ up for a tasty door drop or serve on your favourite platter for your Easter Sweet Table. These won’t last long & I’m lucky if I can hide the mini eggs long enough from curious bunny creatures stirring around here to make these!

Top treat pick among our bunny crew – No Bake Easter Mini Egg Brownies!

3. Bake Donuts with Purple White Chocolate Glaze

Nana gifted us a donut pan last year & we finally got around to trying it this month. We made these Baked Donuts with Purple White Chocolate Glaze to celebrate Women’s Day & make such a beautiful addition to any sweet table or edible Easter gift box. We used THIS RECIPE and modified it slightly for the right texture (*you’ll need more almond milk then suggested*) and instead of artificial food colouring, we love this line of plant-based food colouring powders. If you want to be extra-shmancy, level up your donut tops with a light lemon-y glaze (1 cup icing sugar, 2 tsp lemon juice, 1/2 tsp vanilla extact, 2 tbsp milk. Whisk well by hand or with hand mixer – add/reduce milk as needed to achieve desired glaze consistency).

4. Italian Easter Pies (Canascione di Pasqua)

If you’re looking to try a traditional Easter edible from another culture or have Italian friends/loved ones you’d like to gift a homemade treat to that they’ll appreciate deeply, you should try my Papa’s Canascione di Pasqua (Italian Easter Pies) recipe. While different regions of Italy will have modified versions of this classic Easter appetizer based on regional ingredients, this recipe is an authentic baked good from the Ciociaria area of Italy my Nonna made faithfully every Easter growing up, and my Dad adapted to carry on the tradition many years thereafter. This is a very special recipe to our family, so if you try it, we’d love for you to share your creations with us [and credit Granpa Loves to Cook – yep Dad had a food blog too…Mom was the ghost writer ;)]! There’s not an Easter I can remember when Dad wasn’t hiding from the chaos in la Cucina nibbling on his mom’s Canascione while the rest of us bunnies hopped around on our egg hunt.

How to Make Italian Easter Pies (Canascione)

You can make the large versions shown in the photo below, or mini versions by cutting the dough into smaller sections. It’s not our usual ‘quick recipe’, but as I’ve shared before, the best recipes take time, are rooted in culture & tradition and made with love by the generations of cooks before us. This is a classic example of one of our most sacred. TIP: any Italian dough-based recipe calls for good quality eggs! Free-range are tops, according to Papa, so pay a visit to your local farm or search “free range” in the grocery aisle for this one.

5. Homemade Italian Cannoli – 3 Ways: Traditional Pistachio, Modern Chocolate Chip & Easter Twist with Crushed Chocolate Mini Eggs

While this isn’t a traditional Easter dessert in Italian culture per se, Cannoli are one of my favourite any time of year! Don’t tell the Sicilian originators that, though, as they believe Cannoli should be eaten from Autumn-Spring when the sheep’s milk in the main ingredient – Ricotta – is most fresh. For traditional cannoli, the fried pastry dough tubes should be folded over in a bow-like fashion and the filling should be ricotta-based not a custard. While candied orange & cherry were once the norm to add to the filling, modern versions of cannoli add chocolate chips and chopped pistacchi (pistachios). I made these cannoli 3-ways – 1)with chocolate chips; 2) with pistachios and pistachio crema; and 3) with crushed mini chocolate eggs (the kids’ favourite & a fun Italian recipe with a twist!).

Homemade Italian Cannoli Recipe Simplified with pre-made pastry shells | Crushed mini chocolate eggs for Easter | Edible Gift Ideas

Italian cannoli with a crushed mini chocolate eggs twist! – © House of Kerrs

I’ve never actually made homemade cannoli (cannolo for singular meaning “little tube”) before, so this recipe is adapted from Visit Sicily. Guys, it’s SUPER simple! And if a non-baker like me can do this, so can you. But I did cheat – we used store bought shells and they were delish!

TIPS for Making Cannoli:

(1) 454 g container of ricotta cheese rendered enough filling for a dozen shells. If you want to make more, increase your ricotta accordingly. Also, some Italians say to add the step of straining the ricotta before mixing the filling with a cheesecloth. I, simply, added the ricotta to a bowl with paper towel under & over it, which pulled out some water nicely.
You’ll want the shells to stay nice and crunchy, so filling the tubes right before serving or gifting is highly recommended. Otherwise, the shells will absorb any moisture and get soggy. You can prep your filling ahead of time & refrigerate until close to serving time.

Homemade Italian Cannoli with mini chocolate chips| Edible Easter Gift Ideas

Italian Cannoli with mini chocolate chips! © House of Kerrs

To crush the pistachios & mini eggs with minimal mess [this comes from trial & error friends & lots of experience with ingredients flying all over my kitchen ;)], add the nuts/mini eggs to a ziploc bag, roll it & then use your meat cleaver to crush. Minimal mess & your bits will be nicely contained!
Some recipes suggest adding the chocolate chips to the cannoli cream before filling the pastry tubes, but we didn’t simply to keep the piping bag from clogging.
We served 1/3 of the filling for the Pistachio cannoli & added some Pistachio Cream Spread – available at most Italian specialty food stores, we love our local shop Nonna’s Pantry.
For the filling technique, I happened to have a disposal baker’s piping bag & a wide tip. I’ve never tried this myself, but if you don’t have a piping bag, I’ve been told you can snip the corner of a ziploc & squeeze out your fill in a similar fashion.

Homemade Italian Cannoli simplified with store-bought pastry shells | Traditional version with crushed no shell pistachios

A more traditional Italian cannoli with crushed pistachios – buy the no shell kind to simplify! © House of Kerrs

While Italians will tell you the best places to “eat Italian” anything is directly from the region that created it (in the case of Cannoli, Sicily), here’s a list to bookmark for when international travel restrictions lift & we can visit Italia Bella again of “Where to Eat the Best Cannoli in Italy”. [Source: Taste Atlas]

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