Free printable Easter egg hunt clues and a walnut kifle cookie recipe.

 

Easter is in 12 days and I have been busy baking and preparing for the Easter egg basket hunt. Time feels like it's going quicker these days. Can you believe that Christmas was 12 weeks ago, feels like it's only been a couple of weeks.

The Easter decorations came up right after Valentine's Day but I did not throw the casa out of the window with the decorations this year. Instead, I created simpler vignettes to add more of an Easter flavor. With the less is more being the theme for me these past few years because I don't want to have to spend days putting up decorations only to have to spend another couple of days taking it all down. I save that energy for Christmas and birthdays.

Greenacre's Easter egg hunt is a tad different as the kids hunt down their Easter baskets with clues hidden in plastic Easter eggs. Each clue is put inside a numbered egg that is left in the location of the clue in the riddle of the previous number. For example, clue #7 would be located at the washer and the answer to the riddle would be the dryer. Clue #8 would be located at the dryer with clue #9's location

To save the Easter egg hunt clues, right-click on the image and save it to your computer. Print the clues on an 8x10 sheet of paper

I made a few different Easter egg hunt clue themes this year. One for kids, teens, and adults. I tried to pick things a lot of people would commonly have in their homes. 

The first Easter egg hunt is for kids with a puppy theme.

The answer sheet

The next couple of Easter egg hunt clues are for older children and teens.

Answer sheet

Answer sheet

Last we have the adult Easter egg hunt clues.

Answer sheet

 

These cookies are my absolute favorite and I wanted to share them with y'all.

It took me a couple of years to create this recipe as the original baker did not want to share their recipe so this is a tweaked combination of alot of different recipes found online.

Here is a visual step-by-step on how to make them;

 Some people like to shape them into crescents but as you can see, I am not one of those people.

When they are cooled, sprinkle vanilla icing sugar or plain icing sugar but vanilla icing sugar adds more flavour. I keep half in the freezer and thaw them as needed because the recipes makes a lot of cookies.

Hope they become your favorite as well. 

How to make the best cinnamon buns

With Easter on our doorstep, I thought I would share this recipe for the best cinnamon buns a friend gave me that I have so lovingly tweaked. These are perfect for Easter morning, brunch, or any time you're craving something soft and cinnamony. 

Now between you and I, the secret to making the best cinnamon buns is adding the vanilla pudding mix package. This not only gives the dough much more flavour but it makes it softer. I am only sharing this with y'all because I know you can keep a secret. 

The Best Cinnamon Buns

Dough

¼ cup warm water

•        2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast or one package

• ¾ cup whole milk

• ⅓ cup softened butter

•        2 eggs at room temperature

• ⅓ cup granulated sugar 

• ½ teaspoon salt

•        ½ teaspoon allspice

•        3 tablespoons ground cinnamon

•        4 tablespoons of vanilla extract

• 4 ¼ cups all-purpose flour divided

•     1 package of vanilla jello pudding

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• Filling

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• ½ cup butter softened

• ½ cup of white sugar

•        ⅓ cup of brown sugar

•        3 tablespoons of vanilla

•        3 tablespoons ground cinnamon

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• Instructions

  1. Combine the water, yeast, 1 teaspoon of sugar, and 1 teaspoon of salt in a small bowl. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes or until it becomes foamy.

  2. Next, you mix the wet and dry ingredients together but in separate bowls.

  3. Place all the wet ingredients such as the milk, butter, remaining sugar, vanilla extract, and salt in either a pan or microwave. Warm the mixture up to approximately 46-49℃. Not hot, just warm enough to melt the softened butter. (the eggs are not added in this step)

  4. In another bowl, mix all the dry ingredients; the flour, jello vanilla pudding package, allspice, and ground cinnamon.

  5. Add the room-temperature eggs to the milk, butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract mixture and mix well.

  6. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and knead the dough until it is soft and smooth. Once the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl, knead it into a ball.

     

  7. Gently sprinkle flour on the bottom of a bowl and place the kneaded dough ball in the middle. Cover with a cloth and place in a warm place to rise. The dough should double in size which could take approximately 1-2 hours.

  8. Once your dough has risen, gently sprinkle flour on the surface you're going to be rolling the dough out on. It should be about the size of a 17’’ x 14’’ rectangle to give you lots of room for rolling.

     

  9. In a small bowl mix the softened butter, cinnamon, sugar, vanilla, and brown sugar.

     

  10. Roll the dough into a rectangle about 15’’ x 12’’ or so. Then spread the filling evenly across the dough but not too close to the edges.

      

  11. Roll the dough lengthwise and cut slices that are 1.5 wide. 

      

  12. Line a pan with parchment paper and place the slices into the pan to rise for another hour. When putting the slices in the pan it is best to stagger them because they double in size.

      

  13. Preheat the oven to 370F,  brush rolls with milk, and bake for 25 minutes.

      
      I don't add icing on the top because it is sweet enough but my kids disagree and use vanilla cake icing sometimes.

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  Enjoy!

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Returning from being MIA

Hola, it's been a while since I have blogged about any of my adventures. Not to sound like a cliche pero everything and nothing has changed. One of life's perfect ironies I guess. 

One thing that seems to change is the colour I repaint the garden decorations and this year was a color that reminds me of the ocean.

Why don't you grab a coffee and come on through. 

First up is my recycled wood beach sign pointing to the pool aka beach.

This garden of orange daylilies will turn into 

this and stay until late Fall.

Both are such easy plants to have in the garden because they are low maintenance.

A win-win for everyone involved I say.

During the first lockdown I created this little trail by using the fallen trees cut into logs.

Which has become my favourite spot to wander about in and watch the sunrise peeking through the leaves.

The front garden bed has been converted into a vegetable garden.

It had the best location, and soil and was easiest to fence in.

An outer line of flowers was kept so it would blend into the garden.

This was the first pumpkin of the season.

The second pumpkin and every couple of days a new one would pop up.

On a side note, don't plant sunflowers alone on the edge of the fence as I found out the hard way. It not only blocked the sun but brought lots of birds.

Very pretty though!

I am always amazed by nature's beauty.

Hope y'all are too.