Holidays & Occasions Easter Easter Recipes The Sweetest Mini Easter Desserts To Make This Spring By Kaitlyn Yarborough Kaitlyn Yarborough Part of the Southern Living team since 2017, Kaitlyn Yarborough is a Georgia native living in Austin, Texas, who covers a wide variety of topics for both the magazine and website, focusing on culture and lifestyle content, as well as travel in the South. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on March 20, 2021 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Truth be told, we get just as excited about the food that's going to be on the Easter table as we do to watch the kids run around hunting eggs in the yard. That excitement only builds as we bury our plates in baked ham, green bean casserole, scalloped potatoes, and (of course) pineapple casserole—but the real fun begins when it's time to hit the dessert spread. Easter provides the perfect opportunity to throw a little whimsy into your menu, especially by way of miniature spring treats that can be easily grabbed and taken outside for the festivities. Or loaded up aplenty onto a plate! Choose from fun Easter-themed recipes like coconut meringue nests, carrot cake bars, and even Hummingbird whoopie pies. One thing's for sure: Spring has never tasted so sweet with these mini Easter desserts. 01 of 25 Mini Strawberry Chiffon Pies Cedric Angeles; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Mini Strawberry Chiffon Pies You might think these look just too adorable to eat—that is, until you have a bite of the creamy strawberry filling made with fresh strawberries and a packet of gelatin for airy texture. 02 of 25 Coconut Meringue Nests Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Coconut Meringue Nests These individually-portioned whimsical confections are light as a cloud and perfectly sweet. They start with our Basic Meringue recipe that can be adapted to make many different fun-filled recipes. 03 of 25 Carrot Cake Cookies Photography: Caitlin Bensel, Food Styling: Karen Rankin Recipe: Carrot Cake Cookies We reckon you've never had carrot cake like this, but these have all the classic flavor in a tender, thick cookie. They're made with shredded carrots, toasted walnuts, cinnamon, and a sweet vanilla icing drizzle. 04 of 25 Coconut Cheesecake Squares Southern Living Recipe: Coconut Cheesecake Squares Cheesecake and coconut stand tall on their own, but together? They might just be invincible. Odds are, this plate of creamy bar cookies will disappear faster than the Easter bunny. 05 of 25 Lavender Shortbread Cookies Joy Howard Recipe: Lavender Shortbread Cookies It's hard to beat homemade buttery shortbread, but this recipe dresses it up for the spring holiday by using aromatic lavender for a fresh finish. 06 of 25 Raspberry-White Chocolate Meringue Sandwich Cookies Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Raspberry-White Chocolate Meringue Sandwich Cookies Matching our favorite springtime blooms, these meringues are the sweet side of tiny finger sandwiches. The raspberry-infused meringues are perfectly balanced by white chocolate filling. 07 of 25 Bird's Nest Cookies Joy Howard Recipe: Bird's Nest Cookies Get into the Easter spirit with these crunchy, chocolatey no-bake treats topped with—what else!—pastel candy eggs. This recipe makes a fun activity to do as a family. 08 of 25 Carrot Cake Bars Photography: Caitlin Bensel, Food Styling: Karen Rankin Recipe: Carrot Cake Bars A grabbable rendition of the classic Easter layer cake, this recipe includes crushed pineapple and shredded carrots for sweetness and moisture, as well as cream cheese frosting. Bonus points for not having to frost three layers! 09 of 25 Easter Birds' Nest Coconut Cupcakes Cedric Angeles; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Easter Birds' Nest Coconut Cupcakes As charming as they are delicious, these birds' nest-topped cupcakes are infused with the flavor of coconut, from the tender cake to the creamy frosting. 10 of 25 Homemade Strawberry Shortcake Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Lydia Pursell; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Homemade Strawberry Shortcake This recipe will make you forget all about store-bought angel food cake, candied strawberries, and whipped cream from a can. 11 of 25 Dark Chocolate-Pistachio-Orange Kisses Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Dark Chocolate-Pistachio-Orange Kisses Step outside the typical fruity box with these deliciously balanced meringue "kisses" that incorporate bittersweet dark chocolate, buttery pistachios, and bright orange zest. 12 of 25 Cathedral Window Cookies Zoe Denenberg, Styling: Rachel Mulcahy Recipe: Cathedral Window Cookies These colorful, nostalgic bites are a result of combining two kid-friendly ingredients: marshmallows and chocolate. Odds are, you recognize this no-bake recipe from church potlucks or your grandmother's kitchen. 13 of 25 Cheesecake Cupcakes Photographer: Alison Miksch Food Stylist: Erin Merhar Prop Stylist: Prissy Lee Recipe: Cheesecake Cupcakes Simple and classic, these are always a hit with any crowd, especially after a big Easter meal. Customize with whatever toppings you prefer, including fruit, homemade whipped cream, or caramel sauce. 14 of 25 Mini Meringue Kisses Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Mini Meringue Kisses These are too pretty and tasty to resist grabbing one each time you pass by the bowl. You can customize with your desired holiday food coloring. 15 of 25 Hummingbird Snack Cake with Brown Butter Frosting Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke Recipe: Hummingbird Snack Cake with Brown Butter Frosting It doesn't get any more nostalgic than hummingbird cake at a Southern holiday. Serve these squares up on Easter Sunday to save yourself time and effort stacking and frosting a layer cake. 16 of 25 Lemon Drop Meringues Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Lemon Drop Meringues Something about light, airy meringues just make sense with sharp, zesty lemon. Our Test Kitchen describes these bites as "fancy Lemonhead candies." 17 of 25 Cinnamon Roll Bunnies Victor Protasio, Food Stylist Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist Heather Chadduck Recipe: Cinnamon Roll Bunnies Sculpt these sweet brunch treats into Easter bunny lookalikes, and you'll be tempted to snack on them well into the night. 18 of 25 Magic Cookie Bars Jennifer Causey Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall Prop Stylist: Audrey Davis Recipe: Magic Cookie Bars These old-school treats start with a can of condensed milk and are sure to quench any sweet tooth in the bunch. They're gooey and crunchy at the same time. 19 of 25 Katie Jacobs' Hummingbird Cake Whoopie Pies Hector Manuel Sanchez; Styling: Katie Jacobs Recipe: Katie Jacobs' Hummingbird Cake Whoopie Pies Everyone's beloved old-fashioned Southern cake gets a grabbable, on-the-go makeover in these whoopie pies that don't skimp on any of the must-have ingredients like banana, pineapple, pecans, and coconut. 20 of 25 Almond Meringue Puffs with Hazelnut-Chocolate Filling Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Almond Meringue Puffs with Hazelnut-Chocolate Filling Get ready for a bite full of decadence, thanks to a standout ingredient list that includes Nutella and almond extract. 21 of 25 Buttery Pineapple Crumble Bars Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Buttery Pineapple Crumble Bars If we could capture the taste of spring, it might be these cheery bar cookies that are made with fresh pineapple and plenty of butter. 22 of 25 Putt's Butter Pecan Sundae Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Putt's Butter Pecan Sundae Butter pecan is a favorite ice-cream flavor in the South, and this homemade version goes wonderfully with a pecan-caramel sauce. 23 of 25 Raspberry-Rhubarb Bars Cedric Angeles; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Raspberry-Rhubarb Bars Rhubarb and raspberry offer the perfect sweet and tart touches to complement a buttery shortbread-like crust that can be cut and turned into a hand-held treat. 24 of 25 Lavender-Ginger Meringue Twists Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Lavender-Ginger Meringue Twists Lavender and ginger make for a unique flavor combination that works unexpectedly well in this jazzy meringue recipe. 25 of 25 Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Bars Photographer: Jennifer Causey; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Bars Turn a classic treat on its head with this recipe for ice cream bars layered with shortbread cookies, two different flavors of ice cream, and freeze-dried strawberries. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit