Gluten Free Easter Treat Ideas

Know someone who’s avoiding gluten?

Wondering how to treat them this Easter?

Easter is a time for traditions, celebrations and getting together with family and friends and it’s a wonderful time to feast!

Just because you’re avoiding gluten, for whatever reason, there’s absolutely no need to go without treats. When you’re on a restricted diet they’re even MORE important.

For those looking for a hassle-free Easter celebration, discover our exquisite range of gluten-free gourmet hampers perfect for every occasion. Browse our selection here.

TIPS:

• When shopping, just remember to check the products are gluten-free. Labelling laws require manufacturers to state whether the product contains gluten-containing ingredients. See Coeliac UK (coeliacuk.org), the charity for those on gf diets, for advice on this. 
• When baking at home it’s very important to avoid cross contamination. Even tiny amounts of gluten can be harmful to coeliacs.

Again, Coeliac UK can advise on this.

• Coeliac UK publishes a list of gluten free Easter products each year, so be sure to check them out!

We’ve selected a few delightful gluten free Easter recipes for you that can be enjoyed by everyone!

1. Gluten free Creme Egg Brownies (glutenfreecuppatea.co.uk)

Fudgy, chewy, chocolatey brownies combined with creme eggs, the perfect Easter treat.  

You’ll need a 9-inch square baking tin.

Ingredients:

• 90g gluten free plain flour
• 50g cocoa powder
• 200g butter (or hard margarine)
• 200g dark chocolate (you can use up to 50g of milk chocolate but no more)
• 3 eggs
• 280g caster sugar
• 5 Creme Eggs halved and some extra mini Creme Eggs if you like!

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160C Fan / 180C. Prepare the tin with baking paper. Have excess paper around the edges so that you can easily lift the brownies out later.
2. Melt together completely the butter and dark chocolate in a microwave - do this gently, ensuring you pause the microwave and mix regularly to avoid burning. Leave out to cool down to nearer room temp for 15-20 minutes at least.
3. Sieve your cocoa powder and gluten free flour together in a bowl. Mix briefly until combined, and put to one side. This stops is getting lumpy and is so worth doing!
4. In another mixing bowl, crack 3 eggs and pour in the caster sugar. Beat together until pale in colour and almost a little frothy, it should have doubled in size.
5. Once the chocolate and butter mixture is cooled a little, pour it into your egg/sugar mixture. Fold it in, it will initially marble and then turn super chocolatey.
6. Next fold in the gluten free plain flour and cocoa powder mix. Ensure it's fully folded in – perhaps use a spatula.
7. Pour/spoon your brownie mixture into a prepared tin, smooth it over so it's even and level.
8. Bake for about 25-30 mins. Cooking for this amount of time at this temp should create incredible fudgy brownies. If they need a little longer give them an extra 5 minutes. A skewer poked in won't necessarily come out 100% clean but it shouldn't be really covered with completely wet batter either.
9. Remove from the oven and carefully push in Creme Eggs into your brownies.
10. Allow to completely cool before removing from the tin and cutting into squares. Enjoy!

2. Gluten free Simnel Cake (Coeliac UK)

It might not be quite as famous as Christmas cake but Simnel cake is a traditional and popular Easter treat!

A deliciously light fruit cake that looks good.

Serves 8.

You need a 6 inch/15cm round tin.

Ingredients:

• ½ tbsp treacle
• 75g (3oz) soft brown sugar
• 75g (3oz) margarine
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp glycerine
• 100g (4oz) gluten free plain flour
• 25g (1oz) ground almonds
• ½ tsp xanthan gum
• ½ tsp mixed spice
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
• 430g (15oz) mixed dried fruit
• 500g (18oz) marzipan
• Apricot jam

Method:

1. Grease and line the tin and preheat the oven to 140°C/275°F/Gas Mark 1.
2. Cream together the treacle sugar and margarine.
3. Beat in the eggs and glycerin.
4. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, ground almonds, xanthan gum and spices.
5. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.
6. Add the fruit and stir well.
7. Spoon half of the mixture into the tine and level with the back of a spoon.
8. Roll out half of the marzipan into a circle about 1 centimetre smaller than the cake tin.
9. Put the marzipan circle into the cake tin and put the rest of the mixture on top. Level with a spoon.
10. Bake for approximately 90 minutes, until firm.
11. Allow to cool completely.
12. Roll out the rest of the marzipan into a circle the same size as the cake.
13. Spread some apricot jam on the top of the cake and place the marzipan on top.
14. With a knife, score the top of the marzipan them place under a grill until the top is golden brown.
15. Once cooled, decorate with gluten free chocolate eggs.

3. Gluten free Hot Cross Buns: (Coeliac.uk)

Easter’s not Easter without a hot cross bun!

Serves 10

Ingredients:

• 500g gluten free bread flour
• 50g butter
• 1 tsp salt
• 75g caster sugar
• 2 tsp dried yeast
• 1 egg, beaten
• 330mls full fat milk warmed 
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 125g mixed dried fruit
• 1 orange, zest
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 75g gluten free plain flour
• 5 tbsp water
• 3 tbsp apricot jam

Method:

1. Mix the flour, butter, salt, sugar and yeast with the egg and warmed milk with a wooden spoon. Bring the dough together with your hands. Do not knead.
2. Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with oiled cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
3. Add the remaining ingredients and mix into the dough cover and leave to rise for 1 hour more.
4. To shape lightly oil your hands and divide the dough into 100g pieces before rolling into balls.
5. Preheat the oven to 200ºc.
6. For the crosses mix the flour with about 5 tbsp water adding 1 at a time to make a paste. Spoon into a piping bag with a small nozzle and pipe a line along each row of buns, then repeat in the other direction to make crosses.
7. Bake for 20 mins or until golden brown.

4. Lemon Roast Potatoes: (Sainsbury’s) 

Buying ready to bake roast potatoes for someone on a GF diet can be tricky as sometimes they’re coated in flour.

This is a nice twist to your usual home-made ones and go very well with  Easter roast lamb, with fish or with a vegetable dish.

Serves 6.

Ingredients:

• 1kg potatoes (peeled weight), cut into 3-4cm pieces
• 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
• 1 lemon, zested

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6. Put the potatoes in a large pan of cold water with a lid on and bring to the boil over a medium-high heat. Add the oil to a large non-stick baking tray and put in the oven.
2. Once the potatoes come to the boil, turn the heat down and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain in a colander and leave to steam for 3 minutes. 
3. Place the potatoes back in the pan and add the lemon zest. Put the lid back on and shake the pan to evenly distribute the lemon zest and slightly rough up the potatoes. 
4. Remove the hot baking tray from the oven and place the potatoes on it. Season and toss in the oil. Roast for 20 minutes, then turn over and roast for another 20 minutes.

5. Easter Nests:

One for the kids but popular with everyone!

An old favourite and SO easy to make.

Makes 20

Ingredients:

• 200g milk chocolate
• 15g unsalted butter
• 200g gluten free rice puffs
• A bag of Mini Eggs
• Cake cases

Method:

1. Break up the chocolate and add it to a heatproof bowl. Add the butter and then place the bowl over a pan of hot water. Keep stirring the chocolate until it melts, then remove it from the heat.

2. Add the puffed rice to a large mixing bowl and then pour over the melted chocolate. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to mix everything together so that all the cereal is completely and evenly coated.

3. Lay out 20 cake cases and add around 2 dessert spoons of the mix per case, to fill them. Press a little well into the middle using your fingers (or the back of a spoon) and then fill with 3 Mini Eggs per cake.

4. Place in the fridge for around an hour to set before eating. Will keep for around 5 days in the fridge.

Gluten-free Easter Rocky Road ( glutenfreecupparea.co.uk):

Who doesn’t like chunky Rocky Road?!  A lovely addition to the Easter feast.

You’ll need an 8 inch square baking tin (but no baking involved!).

Ingredients:

• 375 g chocolate (milk or dark, up to you)
• 150 g hard margarine or butter
• 100 g golden syrup
• 240 g gluten free digestive biscuits
• 60 g mini marshmallows
• 180 g mini Creme Eggs (about two small bags)
• 200 g mini eggs
• 75 g white chocolate

Method:

1. Place some parchment/baking paper into a baking tin.
2. Melt together the chocolate, butter and golden syrup in a glass bowl over some boiling water.
3. Take 150g of the melted mixture and put to one side for later
4. Crush the biscuits. Don't break them up too finely as you want some nice biscuit chunks in your rocky road. Pour the biscuits into the main chocolate mixture.
5. Then mix in the marshmallows.
6. Crush the mini eggs in a similar way to how you crushed the biscuits. And chop the mini Creme Eggs into eighths. Add the majority into the mixture. Leave some of both to one side to pop on the top.
7. Press the rocky road mixture down into your tin. Push it down with the back of a spoon.
8. Melt the white chocolate (microwave will do here).
9. Pour  150g of melted chocolate mixture over the rocky road. Spread it as evenly as you can
10. Drizzle the white chocolate over the top and feather it with a skewer.
11. Finish off your rocky road by putting a view extra crushed mini eggs, mini Creme Eggs on the top.
12. Place in the fridge to set.
13. Remove from the fridge and cut into pieces ready to eat.

7. Gluten free Easter Hamper

 A hamper full of delicious goodies for Easter is an amazing gift for someone you want to treat!

Great if you’re short of time too or not inclined to cook.

We have a wonderful range of gluten free hampers here at BHC  filled with top notch sweet and savoury treats from British artisan producers, all beautifully packed and presented.

We’ve even got a gluten free cream tea hamper – ideal to enjoy over the Easter weekend!

Check out our range here.

We hope you’ve enjoyed our gluten free Easter treat ideas.

There’s no need to compromise on taste when you have a restricted diet - you deserve those treats too!

Do you have any gluten free recipes you’d like to share?

We’d love to hear from you!

Happy Easter!