Unleash Color Creativity for Easter with Easy Tips, Recipes, and Tricks from the Pros

Celebrate a Colorful Spring with McCormick® and Decorating Expert Karen Tack.

Americans are passionate about color. From fashion to home decor to food, of course, it seems we simply can't get enough color in our lives. Easter and spring occasions are the perfect opportunities to dial up personal color creativity. That's why McCormick and the co-author of Hello, Cupcake!, Karen Tack, have teamed up to share a colorful bouquet of fun, easy and delicious ideas.

"People often think they need to be an expert decorator to get good results with food color," says Tack. "I've decorated thousands of Easter eggs, cupcakes, and cookies, and can tell you all you need is McCormick Food Color to add pizzazz and fun to family occasions."

Eye-catching Easter Eggs, Colorful Cupcakes and So Much More...

This spring, the one-stop spot for fun tips, helpful tools and colorful recipes is www.mccormick.com/Easter:

• Learn Easter egg dyeing tricks. View the McCormick beginner and advanced egg dyeing videos for how-to's on creating beautiful and unique eggs, and learn everything from simple techniques to marbleizing and tie-dyeing.
• Use the McCormick Color Creator. With the click of the mouse, color everything from cakes to frosting to eggs in any shade of the rainbow. Simply choose your desired color on the digital color wheel and select the food you plan to color. The Color Creator will tell you exactly how to mix and match drops of McCormick Assorted Neon! Food Colors and Egg Dye or McCormick Assorted Food Colors and Egg Dye, to get the perfect color every time.
• Decorate like a pro. Watch Tack's exclusive cupcake decorating video for tips to make edible creations incredible. She shares easy techniques, such as tinting shredded coconut, sprinkles or sugars by tossing them with a few drops of food color in a resealable plastic bag.
• Brighten up baked goods with flavor. Though people first eat with their eyes, beautiful baked goodies can't disappoint the taste buds. The subtle yet complex flavor of McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract is the perfect complement to cookies, cakes and cupcakes. Even if using a store bought mix, add a teaspoon of pure vanilla to the batter.

Easter and spring party season is the perfect time to get creative, with many easy, delicious and colorful recipes from McCormick. Recipes like playful Chick Cupcakes, a pastel-themed Peter Rabbit Cake, and Colorful Cookie Glaze will steal the show at any gathering.

Peter Rabbit Cake

Building this creative cake is easier than you'd think. Hop to the challenge this year and wow guests at a spring party or Easter celebration.

Prep Time: 45 Minutes
Cook Time: 30 Minutes

1 package (18 1/4 ounces) cake mix, any variety
2 teaspoons McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract
2 containers (12 ounces each) whipped vanilla frosting
McCormick® Assorted NEON! Food Colors and Egg Dye
McCormick® Assorted Food Colors and Egg Dye
4 cups flaked coconut
1 round cookie (3-inch)
2 red fruit chew candies (such as Jolly Ranchers)
2 white flat mints
2 small round chocolate-covered mints (such as Junior Mints)
Black licorice strings
Red licorice strings

1. Prepare cake mix as directed on package, adding vanilla to batter. Bake as directed on package in 2 (9-inch) round cake pans. Cool cake layers on wire rack.

2. Tint 1 1/4 cups of the frosting blue, using 3 drops blue NEON Food Color. Tint 1/3 cup of the frosting bright pink, using 4 drops red Food Color. Spoon into resealable plastic bag. Tint 1/4 cup of the frosting yellow, using 7 drops yellow Food Color. Spoon into a separate, resealable plastic bag. Tint remaining frosting light pink, using 3 to 4 drops red Food Color.

3. Place 3 cups of the coconut in a third resealable plastic bag. Add 6 to 7 drops pink NEON Food Color to coconut in bag. Shake until coconut is evenly tinted. Tint remaining 1 cup coconut with 4 drops blue NEON Food Color.

4. Leave 1 cake layer whole. Cut remaining cake layer into 3 pieces as shown in Diagram (available at mccormick.com). Arrange on platter to resemble a rabbit's head and bow tie. Cover head and ears with light pink frosting. Press pink coconut around side of head and outer edges of face. Sprinkle pink coconut on top of ears. Cover bow tie with blue frosting. Drag small spatula across the frosting on top of the bow tie to make lines. Spread blue frosting on 1 side of the cookie. Press blue coconut into frosting. Press cookie into center of bow tie. Press blue coconut on 2 sides of the bow tie.

5. Snip a small corner from each bag of tinted frosting. Pipe bright yellow dots all over bow tie. Pipe two 2 1/2-inch circles of bright pink frosting on the face for the cheeks.

6. Press red fruit chew candies together. Microwave on HIGH 3 seconds or until softened. Shape into a 1 1/2-inch triangle. Press into the center of the face for the nose. Press the 2 white flat mints just above the nose for the eyes. Attach the chocolate-covered mints to the flat mints with a drop of frosting for the pupils. Use the black licorice strings for the mouth, whiskers and eye lashes. Use the red licorice string to outline the edges of the ears.

Makes 16 servings.

Tips to tint grass: Tint 1 1/2 cups coconut green with 3 drops green Food Color and 7 drops yellow Food Color. Arrange grass around cake. Place jelly beans on grass, if desired.

Chick Cupcakes

Hatch a batch of these cupcakes this Easter with your little kitchen helpers.

Prep Time: 30 minutes

1 container (16 ounces) vanilla frosting
McCormick® Assorted Food Colors and Egg Dye
2 cups flaked coconut
12 unfrosted cupcakes
12 plain donut holes
12 pieces candy corn or 6 orange jelly beans, halved lengthwise
Miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Tint frosting yellow, using 18 drops yellow food color. Place coconut in resealable plastic bag. Add 12 drops yellow food color to coconut in bag; shake until coconut is evenly tinted.

2. Spread top of each cupcake with tinted frosting. Press opposite sides of each cupcake into tinted coconut. Spread donut holes with remaining frosting. Press a donut hole into top of each cupcake to form the chick's head.

3. Press coconut on top of the head for feathers. Insert a candy corn or jelly bean half into the face for the beak. Use the chocolate chips for the eyes.

Makes 12 (1 cupcake) servings.

Tips:
For ease in frosting donut holes, first insert small wooden skewer into donut. Use skewer as a handle when frosting donut. Invert frosted donut onto cupcake then remove skewer.

Colorful Cookie Glaze

You'll love this easy-to-make glaze that dries to a hard, glossy finish, with bright, beautiful colors.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

1 cup confectioners' sugar
3 1/2 teaspoons milk
1/4 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract or 1/4 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Almond Extract
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
McCormick® Assorted Food Colors and Egg Dye or McCormick® Assorted NEON! Food Colors and Egg Dye

1. Mix confectioners' sugar, milk and extract in small bowl until smooth. Stir in corn syrup until glaze is smooth and glossy. (If glaze is too thick, stir in small amount of additional corn syrup.) Stir in 3 to 4 drops food color until evenly distributed and glaze is smooth. Add additional drops of food color until glaze is of desired color.

2. To glaze cookies, place cooling rack on foil-lined baking sheet. Holding a cookie by its edge, dip the top of cookie into glaze. (Or spoon the glaze onto cookies using a teaspoon. Cookies can also be glazed using a new small paintbrush.) Place glazed cookies on cooling rack to dry. (The foil-covered baking sheet will catch any drips.)

3. Use contrasting glaze colors to decorate glazed cookies, if desired. Spoon small amount of contrasting glaze into small resealable plastic bag. Snip off tiny piece of the corner of the plastic bag. Create design by squeezing contrasting glaze onto cookies. Allow glazed cookies to dry thoroughly before stacking.

Makes about 1/2 cup.

Tips:
Use glaze soon after preparing. Do not refrigerate glaze, as it will begin to harden.

If you would like more than one color of glaze, divide untinted glaze among separate small bowls. Tint each one a different color by stirring in 1 to 2 drops food color until evenly distributed and glaze is smooth. Add additional drops food color until glaze is of desired color.

If cookie is decorated with contrasting glaze before glazed cookie is allowed to dry, glaze colors will blend slightly, creating a softer, more muted design.

Allow glaze to dry before storing cookies in airtight containers.

For more recipes, tips and product information visit www.mccormick.com/Easter.