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Crack into Easter egg treats that aren't hard-boiled

Apr. 13—Some traditions demand observation. At Easter, that means colorful eggs. It means a rainbow of decorations. It means gathering the kids around the table to make a glorious mess. But no one said those eggs have to be real. ^ Plastic eggs have been taking the place of the hard-boiled variety for egg hunts for years. They're cheap, they're bright, they're easy to fill with candy or coins, and they're reusable. They also don't smell like sulphur, and if you overlook one during the hunt, you won't get a rotten surprise later. But plastic eggs don't give that chance to make something a day or two before the bunny comes. You can still have that family fun without cracking into a carton of real eggs. The solution is baking up an alternative. Cookies are a great substitute. You can mix your own dough from scratch, stir up a mix or buy dough in the refrigerator section. You can even find pre-made cookies ready to frost and decorate. Resist the urge to strive for Pinterest-ready perfection. This isn't about impressing Instagram — it's about letting your kids wield a decorator bag of frosting with the same glee they might otherwise be spilling dye all over your kitchen. If you want camera-ready cookies, go to a bakery. But there are other options, too. If you want something with the three-dimensional oval shape of an egg, make something moldable. Rice cereal treats are quick and easy to mix up. They are also simple to mold into an egg. (Want to start with a box of ready-to-eat treats? I won't tell.) You can dip them in white chocolate or candy melts for a shell, and then decorate with drizzles of contrasting colors or a shower of sprinkles. Cake pops are also an easy medium to make your own eggs. Make your favorite flavor of cake — a boxed mix is fine — and while still hot from the oven, throw it into a stand mixer in chunks, beating until it becomes a kind of sweet clay. If your cake is cold, you will need a soft binder of frosting or cream cheese. Shape your eggs onto lollipop sticks and dip to coat. You can make a tie-dye effect by marbling colored candy melts with white chocolate. If that perfectly oval shape isn't that important, you can spend more time on the decorating fun and skip baking the cake altogether. Just grab a package of donut holes. Just skewer and dip. Plain, glazed or frosted work fine, but avoid powdered sugar, cinnamon or any crumbly variety, which make it hard for the coating to stick. Find the holiday treat that speaks to you and your family. Maybe you want to make Easter cupcakes or peanut butter eggs. Maybe your kids will help decorate a lamb cake or learn the recipe for Nonna's pizza chiena. Whatever shape your Easter takes, there are dozens of ways to scramble up creative and messy fun even without dying eggs. Easter egg sugar cookies 1 stick softened butter 1 cup powdered sugar 1 egg 1/2 teaspoon almond extract 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 cups flour Frosting: buttercream, royal icing or canned frosting Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, almond extract and vanilla. Add flour and salt slowly, mixing until well combined. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate at least an hour. Roll out dough and cut egg shapes. Bake on a cookie sheet in a preheated 350-degree oven for about 10 minutes, or until just beginning to turn golden on the edges. Cool completely. Spread a solid layer of frosting over the surface and use colored icing or sprinkles to decorate. Allow frosting to set for at least an hour before eating. Lemony marshmallow crispy eggs 1/4 cup butter 6 cups mini marshmallows 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 1 tablespoon lemon zest 7 cups crisp rice cereal (or fruit-flavored rice cereal) Melted white chocolate or candy coating and decorations In a large saucepan, melt butter with marshmallows. Add lemon extract, vanilla and zest. Remove from heat and stir in rice cereal. Grease hands. Working with a 1/4 cup at a time, quickly mold into egg shapes. Place on parchment paper to set up for at least an hour. Dip in melted chocolate or candy coating. Decorate with drizzles of coating or decorations like sprinkles or sanding sugars. Allow to set for at least an hour or overnight. Lori Falce is the Tribune-Review community engagement editor and an opinion columnist. For more than 30 years, she has covered Pennsylvania politics, Penn State, crime and communities. She joined the Trib in 2018. She can be reached at lfalce@