Lemony Easter Chicks Recipes

LEMONY EASTER CHICKS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 1. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment and put a medium-sized plain nozzle on a piping bag.
• In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until they are very stiff. Add half the sugar and continue to whisk until the mixture is becoming firm and shiny.
• Stir the cornflour into the remaining sugar and add to the meringue, along with the lemon zest and juice, and a smidge of yellow food colouring paste. Whisk again until you have a very thick, firm and glossy pale yellow meringue.
• Carefully spoon the meringue into the piping bag. Push any air out of the top and tightly twist the opening to seal. Pipe about 25 thumb-sized dollops onto your baking sheet - if possible, try to make them wider at the base than the top, resembling a chick's body and head. Leave a gap between each chick to allow for expanding when cooking.
• Cook in the oven for 30 mins until they are crisp, firm and come off the baking parchment easily. Leave to cool on a wire rack.
• To decorate, use the orange icing pen to make a V-shaped beak, and a black icing pen for eyes and feet. The yellow icing pen can be used to decorate fluffy hair on the chick's head and/or wings. Will keep for up to 1 week in an airtight container.

LEMON MACAROON CHICKS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Combine the coconut, lemon curd, egg whites and salt with a spatula in a medium bowl until a uniform consistency.
• Roll generous tablespoons of the mixture into egg shapes, setting them big-side down onto the prepared baking sheets. Repeat with the rest of the mix. Bake until the bottom and a few of the coconut frays turn deep golden brown, about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cut the jelly beans in half lengthwise and set aside.
• Remove the macaroons from the oven and let them cool enough to handle, but are still warm, about 5 minutes.
• Take one of the jelly bean halves and pinch an end to make a pointed beak. Hold the point, shiny-side up, and push the rounded end into the side of a macaroon. Push 2 mini chocolate chips, peak-side in, into the macaroon on either side of the beak for eyes. Repeat with the rest of the macaroons and serve.

LEMONY CHICKEN

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place the flour in a shallow bowl. Season the chicken breasts with salt, then gently press into the flour to coat; shake off the excess flour. Arrange the chicken in the skillet. Cook until golden brown, 7 to 10 minutes on each side. Add the white wine and lemon juice. Continue cooking until the chicken breasts are no longer pink in the center and the cooking liquid is reduced by half, 5 to 7 minutes more. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
• Remove the skillet from heat, and stir butter into the sauce until melted. Pour sauce over the chicken breasts, and garnish with capers and lemon wedges.

EASTER CHICK COOKIES

Steps:

• Shortbread Cookies: Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment. Whisk together flour and salt. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add sugar, and continue to beat until pale and fluffy, occasionally scraping down the sides of bowl, about 2 minutes more. Beat in vanilla. Add flour mixture, and mix on low speed, scraping sides if necessary, until flour is just incorporated and dough sticks together when squeezed with fingers.
• Turn out dough, forming into 2 disks; wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. To create an egg shape, pinch one end of a 2 1/2-inch-tall oval cookie cutter. Roll out 1 disk to a 1/4-inch thickness; stamp out shapes. Reroll scraps. Repeat with remaining disk.
• Bake until firm and golden, 13 to 15 minutes. For flatter cookies, tap sheets on counter halfway through baking and again afterward. Let cool on wire racks.
• Lemon Icing: Stir together sugar and lemon juice. Add food coloring. Transfer to a small squeeze bottle. Outline cookies with icing 1/4 inch from edges, then fill in centers.
• Set up a candy bar and get creative with decorating. For the chicks: Dip an iced cookie in sanding sugar. Let dry; store in an airtight container up to 5 days. Dot candy sequins with icing; overlap to create feathers. Use orange sprinkles for feet, a candy heart for a beak, and upside-down mini chocolate chips for eyes. For the eggs: Lay orange or yellow sprinkles in a zigzag pattern halfway up an iced cookie. Sprinkle bottom with sanding sugar.