Hats Off to Easter!

It's been over 30 years since I last made these edible hats. The recipe and creativity belongs to my mother. I am so proud to share them, but it took a while for me to bring myself to do it. I know if I see them appear on a recipe blog or social media, it will affect me a little. They were so integral to our childhood (that of my 3 sisters and I). Whenever there was a special occasion, they would come out. Back in the 80's edible decorations were very minimal. We used to have little sugar coated jelly sweets in lots of different colours, and our Mam used to wrap liquorice strands around the top of the hat to create a ribbon with a bow. I have so many special memories!

I would love to see your creations if you give this idea a go. But please, I would like to ask you to credit/tag me, since this recipe is so personal. If you do make your own, you can tag me on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok - search "Lifebymslewis".

This is such a lovely way to bake with kids, just make sure you melt the chocolate yourself!

Let's Go!

Ingredients:

You can make as many as you wish, of course, but I usually make around twelve. 6 brown chocolate and 6 white. You only need 1 biscuit and 1 marshmallow per bonnet and about a handful of vegan chocolate per portion. I would say a whole large bar of vegan choc is fine. What isn't used for coating them will be used when decorating the hats.

Start by adding water to a sauce pan and placing a bowl on top. Heat the pan (medium-low) and add in the chocolate to melt it. I Start with the brown chocolate first and then the white chocolate.

Once melted, turn the pan down to the lowest setting to ensure the chocolate stays melted while you coat the hats.

Cover your worktop in parchment/greaseproof paper to help with clean up later. Chocolate can be difficult to clean up when it hardens, especially if you have wooden surfaces.

There are several ways of coating the hats, you can coat the biscuit then place the marshmallow on top, or you can pop the marshmallow onto the biscuit and drizzle choc on top. You do what you prefer.

If your chocolate is thicker in some places, you can use a fork, or spatula to even it out.

Don't worry if it is uneven. Another good trick is to use your hairdryer on it's lowest settings to smooth out the hats. But really, it doesn't matter if they're not perfect!

Allow the hats to dry completely before decorating. And don't forget to save a little of the chocolate so you can use it to decorate the hats.

Decorating the Bonnets

Decorating is all down to your own imagination and creativity. Don't hold back. I like to use a range of vegan confectionary and cake decorations, which I usually buy online or in my local shops.

Here are some of my own designs! I buy a lot of my decorations from Etsy stores as I find there are some quirky and unusual items available. Plus it's nice to support local businesses!

You can plan out your designs, or just throw yourself into it and get creative as you go. Use a little melted chocolate and coordinate your colours as you wish.

Unicorn Inspired

This one is definitley my favourite! I hope you enjoy creating your own, I would love to see your designs!

HAPPY EASTER!

I hope you enjoy making your own edible hats, and don't forget to tag me if you share to your social media so I can show off your creations in my stories!

See you again soon!

Kim