Your kids will love helping you make these lovely animal-themed treats, which Annabel Karmel developed for the Eggs Factor competition, a nationwide cooking competition for 7-11 year olds. They're ideal for a tea party if friends are coming over to play – or you could make them for a children's birthday party. For more mouth-watering eggy recipes visit www.britegg.co.uk.
Bagel Snake
Annabel says: 'This is a fun way of serving bagels and you can make the snake as long as you like depending on how many bagels you use.'
Ingredients:
Tuna salad topping: 1 x 200g can of tuna in oil (drained), 2 tbsp ketchup, 2 tbsp creme fraiche or greek yoghurt
2 scallions (spring onions), finely sliced
Egg salad topping:
2 to 3 large hard boiled (8 minutes) British Lion eggs, 3 tbsp mayonnaise, 1 tbsp snipped fresh chives, 3 tbsp salad cress, salt and freshly ground black pepper
Decoration:
cherry tomatoes (halved), chives, 1 stuffed olive, sliced, strip of sweet pepper
Method:
Slice the bagels in half and then cut each half down the centre to form a semi circle. Cut out the head of the snake from one of the pieces of bagel and the tail from another. Mix the ingredients for the tuna salad topping and mix the ingredients for the egg salad topping. Spread half the bagels with tuna and half with egg. Decorate the tuna topping with halved cherry tomatoes and the egg topping with strips of chives arranged in a criss cross pattern. Arrange the bagels to form the body of a snake. Then attach the head to the snake's body and arrange two slices of stripped olive to form the eyes. Cut out a strip of forked tongue from the strip of sweet pepper.
Animal Cookies
Annabel says: 'Even children as young as three can have fun rolling out dough and cutting out novelty shapes using cookie cutters.'
Suitable for freezing (un-iced). Makes 20 cookies (approx).
Ingredients:
100g butter
175g soft brown sugar
1 large British Lion egg
4 tbsp golden syrup
350g plain flour, plus extra for rolling
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180c/350f/Gas Mark 4. Mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda, ginger and salt in a bowl. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs and then stir in the sugar. Beat together with the egg and golden syrup and mix into the flour mixture to make a smooth dough, kneading lightly with your hands. Form into a ball, wrap in cling film and put in the fridge for about 30 minutes to firm up.
Roll out on a floured work surface to a thickness of about 3mm. Start in the centre of the dough and roll evenly outwards. Cut into shapes using animal cookie cutters from the outside edges of the dough into the centre, cutting as close together as possible. Re-roll all the trimmings until all the dough is used up.
Place on baking sheets lined with baking paper and bake for about 8 minutes. Allow to cool then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Decorate using a tube of white icing sugar.
Bee Cakes
Suitable for freezing (undecorated). Makes 6.
Annabel says: 'These honey cakes are absolutely delicious and if you're feeling creative you can make edible bees to decorate them.'
Cake ingredients:
55g/2oz butter, room temperature
55g/2oz soft light brown sugar
85g/3oz clear honey
1 large Lion Quality egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp apple puree
85g/3oz self raising flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp salt
Decoration:
150g yellow marzipan
Tube of black writing icing
12 flaked almonds (optional)
125g fondant icing
Pink and lilac food colouring
sprinkles
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4. Line a muffin tin with 6 paper liners. Beat together the butter, sugar and honey until light and fluffy. Beat together the egg, vanilla and apple puree, then beat this into the butter mixture (it may look a little curdled). Sift over the flour, cinnamon, ginger and salt and fold in. Divide the batter between paper cases and bake for 20-22 minutes, until risen, golden and firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
You can decorate the cakes with bees and flowers. To make the bees, shape the heads and bodies from the marzipan and gently squash together so they stick. Draw on the bee faces and stripes using black writing icing and push flaked almonds into the sides for wings. Colour some of the fondant icing pink and some lilac. Cut out flower shapes using mini cookie cutters and press some sprinkles into the flowers. Arrange a large flower on top of each cupcake and place the bees on top.
written by Liz Jarvis