7 of the Most Show-Stopping Desserts to Bake for Easter

If you celebrate, Easter is just a little over a week away. Does this holiday tend to sneak up on you more than any other, or is it just me? Every year it seems like Christmas just ended, I blink, and then it’s Easter time and we’re already decorating our indoor rabbit cage with many eggs and ribbons. It probably doesn’t help that it falls on a different date each year, that certainly makes it harder to keep track of. Regardless: Next Sunday is Easter Sunday which means now is the time to start planning your menu.

The desserts don’t get as much attention on Easter as some of the other holidays, but that doesn’t mean that you have to leave them as an afterthought. Here are some of my favorite recipes for Easter desserts:

Lemon Bars {via the pioneer woman}
There is something about Easter that screams lemon. I believe a lot of people associate Easter with carrot cake because of the whole Easter Bunny-bunny rabbit-rabbits eat carrots connection, but for me I can’t let the holiday pass without something lemon-y. It can be a lemon sugar cookie, a cake, or even some scones however, my personal favorite is a classic lemon bar. When they are done right there simply isn’t much that is more satisfying than that tart little square. They can be intimidating to make but with this recipe from the always-reliable Ree Drummond, you’ll find them pretty easy to put together.

Image Credit: ree drummond

Blueberry Crumb Cake {via ina garten}
Similarly to the lemon connection, I also really associate Easter with both crumb cakes and blueberries. I genuinely have no idea why this is, but one or two of those things always end up in the house around this time of year. Luckily they both go together beautifully and this perfect crumb cake is the proof. It has the ideal ratio of cake to crumb and the sour cream in the batter makes it so moist and delicious. The blueberries add a nice tartness, and the presentation is really pretty too for something that take virtually no effort. You could sift powdered sugar on the top to finish it, but I usually skip it and just let it speak for itself.

Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread {via joy the baker}
If you are hosting an Easter brunch and looking for something impressive but don’t feel like going the cake route, this is your recipe. Pull Apart breads had their day in the food trend arena a few years ago, but I think they’re good enough to keep around even after the fever has died done. The cinnamon sugar variety is a classic, and for good reason; it’s pretty much irresistable. I truly mean that — if you make this bread it is physically impossible to stop yourself from pulling slice after slice. The method for baking this can seem daunting, especially if yeast isn’t your thing, but the Easter holiday is a good enough reason to face your bread making fears — especially when the outcome is so irresistible.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies {via brown eyed baker}
Oatmeal raisin cookies are overlooked for other varieties way more often than they should be. Sure they don’t have the crowd pleasing addition of chocolate or any sort of fancy sprinkles, but they have layers of flavor that, when done correctly, results in a cookie that would take done any other in a head to head match handily. Unfortunately I’ve found that a good recipe for oatmeal raisin cookies is hard to come by. They are either too small, not sweet enough, or don’t have that good oat flavor. This recipe manages to hit all those notes plus more though, and it’s become my go-to oatmeal raisin cookie recipe when the craving hits.

Coconut Cake {via ina garten}
Coconut isn’t a flavor that is traditionally associated with Easter, but this cake makes a great centerpiece on the dessert table. It gets all it’s coconut flavor from shredded coconut that you are putting inside the cake, inside the frosting, and pressing into the sides of the cake as decoration. The shredded coconut on the outside ends up looking like either a fluffy rabbit or a birds nest (if you add some chocolate eggs to the center), which puts in right on trend for Easter. I know that nests are usually brown and not white, but we can totally suspend disbelief for Easter. I personally am not a coconut fan but people in my life are, so I usually make this cake on their behalf. However I will say that even I, eat and enjoy this cake, so that should give you confidence to make it even if everyone around you doesn’t enjoy coconut.

Image Credit: bart everson

Cannoli Pound Cake {via smitten kitchen}
Taking a dessert or baked good that is normally enjoyed one way and remodeling it into something else is a surefire way to change up your menu. Many of us love a good cannoli, but they are not something that many of us make at home. There’s too many steps, you need to deep fry the pastry shell, and they are difficult to get right even for experienced home bakers; cannolis are one of the desserts that is worth buying at a bakery inside of making. But here you are taking the flavors of a cannoli and putting them into a pound cake and thus taking all of the difficultly out of making a cannoli. No fussing with oil or pastry bags, and you are still getting those delicious cannoli flavors.

Cookie Butter Brown Sugar Streusel Bars {via averie cooks}
The most kid friendly option on this list because they are made of multiple points of yumminess aka sweetness. Cookie butter, brown sugar, and a streusel topping — it’s hard to get more crowd pleasing than that, making these perfect for your Easter get together. I love to have a bar option at most holidays because they are easy to eat and no matter what time of the day your party is, you can usually get away with serving them. These bars are especially delicious, quite moist and chewy, and could not be easier to put together. It’s a win all around.

What do you like to make for Easter?

Featured image is from neil conway on flickr.