Easter egg muffins

I love Eastertide, not just for all the chocolate, although that is rather nice! But, I just love the time of year. Even when Easter is early it’s usually the start of spring and the days are longer with better weather, beautiful spring flowers everywhere and all the hustle and bustle of the birds as they busy themselves making nests.

As well as the lighter nights and mornings, it’s also the time of year when British produce seems to wake up after winter. We have the choice of lots of new-in-season products, such as spring lamb, rhubarb, kale and many more delicious ingredients, all of them very welcome on the seasonal dinner table.

But, as I have mentioned already, Easter IS a time for chocolate…….with Easter eggs, cakes and other chocolatey treats, it’s a welcome feast after then frugal Lenten period, and an excuse to indulge after the austere months of January and February where many are watching their weight after the Christmas feasting.

So, with Easter feasting in mind, here's an easy to make recipe that the children can get involved with - Chocolate Egg Muffins. This recipe is perfect for the Easter Sunday tea table and they look pretty, as well as tasting luscious! The recipe uses cocoa in the muffin mixture with a rich chocolate buttercream icing that’s all topped off with some mini Easter eggs.

The recipe makes 6 large muffins, but you can double the quantities if you want to bake more. The undecorated muffins can be frozen; defrost when you're ready to decorate.