11 Easy
Easter dessert recipes to bake at home or ship to your door

Carrot Graham Layer Cake

Nothing says Easter like Carrot Cake. Our recipe layers smooth liquid cheesecake and white chocolate milk crumb between moist cinnamon-spiced carrot cake rounds, which we top off with graham frosting. Traditionalists might scoff, but it’s what we like to call a “game-changer.”

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Macerated Strawberry Shortcakes

Stop what you’re doing. Seriously. This epic cake was featured on Netflix’s Chef’s Table, but the recipe has *never*been published—until now. This doughy shortcake with gooey macerated strawberries and tangy whipped cream is made to be the perfect centerpiece—it just can’t help itself :) This is Tosi’s original Strawberry Shortcake recipe. And now it’s yours. We know, we love you too.

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Pineapple Upside-Down Layer Cake

This is *not* your Grandma’s Pineapple Upside-Down Cake. Our version is a tropical-inspired cake dream with layers of fluffy coconut cake, tart poached pineapple, maraschino cherry soak, boxed cake mix-inspired frosting, and a yellow cake crumb topping. Grandma’s going to be so proud.

Tosi Tip

Give those tropical slices an Easter feel with a nice helping of pastel sprinkles on top. But if you want to get “Easter-tiki-fancy,” plant a couple of cocktail umbrellas on there too.

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Hilly's Strawberry Rhubarb Pretzel Slab Pie

Sonny and Cher. Bert and Ernie. Strawberry and Pretzel. Name a more iconic duo... I'll wait. A pie can look like anything, and this one looks like a springtime dream. Crisp, salty, flaky layers of pretzel pie dough sandwich a tangy, ooey gooey strawberry rhubarb jam. This pie is slabbed up in one of our favorite kitchen tools, the quarter sheet pan, for optimal crust-to-filling ratio and perfect browning (no soggy bottoms here). Serve with ice cream if you’re cool.

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Tosi’s Tangy Lemon Bars

This Lemon Bar recipe is like sunshine in a bar. If sunshine was tangy, tart, fudgy, and dusted with confectioner’s sugar. The boxed lemon cake mix, cream cheese, and lemon zest make this all-American cookie bar the perfect treat to pair with your bask-in-the-sunshine-related spring activities—egg hunts included.

Tosi Tip

Still cloudy and grey where you are? Munch on a lemon bar and throw on some shades. Sunglasses always look cool. And when you’re cool, the sun always shines.

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Cut Out Cookies

With inspo from Tosi’s Nonna Trudy and just four ingredients, these sugar cookies are quite possibly the *best* thing ever, but we might be a bit biased ;) And they’re ready for your holiday artistry. Use Easter-shaped cookie cutters or cut the dough into circles. Top with your favorite Easter candy. Let your imagination run (or hop) wild.

INGREDIENTS

-1⁄2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

-1⁄2 cup packed light brown sugar

-2 1⁄4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

-1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt

Cookie Glaze (recipe below)

Sprinkles

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle

attachment and cream on high until homogenous, about 3 minutes. Add the flour and salt, mixing until just combined, about 30 seconds.

2. Remove the dough from the bowl and form it into a 1⁄2-inch-thick rectangle. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate until cold, about 30 minutes.

3. Heat the oven to 350°F.

4. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, unwrap it, and dust with a sprinkling

of flour. Roll it out to a 1⁄4-inch thickness with a rolling pin on a floured surface. Using

cookie cutters, cut out shapes and carefully transfer to a lined or nonstick baking sheet. (Work quickly; the colder the dough, the easier it is to cut, transfer, and bake.)

5. Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes, until slightly golden around the edges. Cool

completely on the baking sheet before glazing and decorating. 

6. With a knife, palette knife, or piping bag fitted with a small round tip, outline or frost the top surface of each cookie. Decorate with sprinkles before the frosting hardens.

COOKIE GLAZE INGREDIENTS

-2 cups confectioners’ sugar

-1⁄4 cup whole milk, cranberry juice,

champagne, or other festive

flavored liquid

-food coloring (optional)

1. Put the confectioners’ sugar in a medium bowl. Whisking constantly,

slowly stream in the liquid of your choice until smooth.

2. Color the icing if desired. Frost away

Tosi Tip

Use the Cookie Glaze to anchor your toppings to the cookie. What’s better than Easter toppings? One’s that don’t roll off.

Cococabana Cereal Squares

When it’s snowing in spring, Tosi’s got an answer for that. First, crank up the Beach Boys. Next, throw on your flip-flops and a Hawaiian shirt. Then, make these colorful, coconut-studded, marshmallow-y cereal bars. It’s like Easter at the beach. Just add bunny ears and SPF 50. Recipe Below.

INGREDIENTS

-5 tablespoons unsalted

butter (save the paper it’s

wrapped in!)

-1 (10.5-ounce) bag

marshmallows

-1½ cups sweetened shredded

coconut

-8 cups Froot Loops cereal

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Coat the baking pan with baking spray.

2. In a very large microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter and marshmallows together for 2 minutes. Remove from the microwave and stir, then microwave for 1 more minute. Stir until smooth.

3. Add the coconut to the marshmallow mixture and stir with a spatula until every bit is coated.

4. Add the Froot Loops to the marshmallow mixture and mix until every bit is coated.

5. Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly with a greased spatula or with the butter paper (Tosi’s grandma taught her this!). Let cool until firm, 15 to 20 minutes, then cut into 3 lengthwise rows and 5 crosswise rows to make 15 treats. Store in an airtight container on your counter for up to 5 days.

Fruity-Pebble Meringues with Passion Fruit Curd

These meringue bites are a fun, cheerful take on Australian/New Zealand pavlovas.

It’s like a tasty little rainbow in your hand. And by rainbow we mean, a crisp, chewy, flourless bite-size treat with Passion Fruit Curd (aka, liquid gold) all nestled in the middle. Or is that just our version of a rainbow?

MERINGUE INGREDIENTS

-4 large egg whites (cold and fresh)

-1⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt

-1 1⁄2 cups confectioners’ sugar

-2 cups Fruity Pebbles

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat the oven to 200°F.

2. Whip the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on high until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle in the salt and whisk

for about 1 minute until the salt disappears and the whites stiffen slightly. Add the confectioners’ sugar and beat until glossy, stiff peaks form in about 3 minutes. Whisk in the cereal until just combined, about 30 seconds.

3. Pipe 1½-inch rounds using a pastry bag fitted with a plain round tip or drop tablespoons of the mixture 2 inches apart onto greased or lined baking sheets.

4. Bake for 3 hours, until the meringues are completely dry. They should feel hollow and be slightly cracked. Let cool completely on the pans.

5. With a small spoon or the tip of a knife, hollow out the bottom of each meringue and pipe or spoon in passion fruit curd until it begins to creep out of the bottom. Serve, or store right side up in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

PASSION FRUIT CURD INGREDIENTS

-1 large egg

-3 tablespoons sugar

-1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt

-1⁄4 cup passion fruit puree (found

online and in Latin supermarkets)

-6 tablespoons (3⁄4 stick) unsalted

butter, melted

1. Whisk together the egg, sugar, and salt in a microwave-safe bowl. Add

the passion fruit puree and butter and whisk until completely smooth.

2. Microwave on high for 30-second intervals, stirring after each one, for 3 to 4 minutes until the mixture is thick and custard-like. Refrigerate for 1 hour, or until set, or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 1 week.

Tosi Tip

Use a microwave to make the curd—no need to get fancy. No microwave? Cook the mixture in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat, gently bringing it to a boil.

Pot o’Gold Shakes

It’s the Shamrock Shake’s whimsical cousin. This vanilla ice cream-based shake has a wealth of Lucky Charms cereal mixed in and extra marshmallows for the top. You won’t need any rainbows to find this Pot ‘O Gold—unless you want it after a Fruity-Pebble Meringue. In fact, that’s a good move.

INGREDIENTS

-4 large scoops of vanilla

ice cream

-½ cup milk

-½ cup Lucky Charms cereal

plus a few marshmallows

COMBINE AND BLEND!

1. Combine the ice cream, milk, and cereal in a blender and blend for 45 seconds, or until you reach your preferred thickness.

2. Pour into glasses, top with a few marshmallows, and have a blast.