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Deviled Egg Chicks
By Snejana Andreeva
on Apr 12, 2022, Updated Feb 24, 2024
This 🥚 egg-citing appetizer idea brings the fun to your Easter gathering using a classic Deviled Eggs recipe. These little chicks 🐥 are as adorable as they are delicious. I’ve used a bed of arugula to create a little “nest” for our chicks and to help stabilize the eggs so they don’t move around on the plate. Think outside the box when it comes to decorating: I used candy eyes here, but I like to remove them before eating the eggs.
- Why You’ll Love Deviled Egg Chicks
- How to Prepare
- Nonna’s Tip
- Variations and Substitutions for Deviled Egg Chicks
- Similar Recipes
- Best Served With
- Common Questions
- Deviled Egg Chicks Recipe
Why You’ll Love Deviled Egg Chicks
This cute little appetizer idea will make every Easter guest, from youngest to oldest, smile. They’ll make YOU smile because they’re a cinch to whip up! I’ve kept the filling pretty classic here with a mayo/dijon combination but you can have fun with different 🌿 herbs and spices depending on your tastes and what you have on hand. No matter what, the egg yolk filling for these deviled egg chicks is super smooth and velvety. Plus, these have a nice little kick to them thanks to a bit of 🌶 hot sauce. They’re the perfect little bite!
How to Prepare
🥚 Boil the Eggs: Boil the eggs in a pot of boiling water, about 10 minutes. While they cook, prepare a large bowl of ice water. Submerge the cooked eggs into the ice water. Cool and peel.
🧂 Make the Filling: Next, cut each egg in half and gently scoop out the yolks. Push the yolks through a fine mesh strainer and mix in dijon, salt, pepper, paprika, and sriracha.
⭐ Pipe the Filling: Add the filling to a piping bag fitted with a 1m star tip and then pipe into each egg half. You will now have your deviled egg chicks ready!
🥕 Decorate: Finally, place a small piece of carrot in the center of each egg, to act as the chick “beak. Then place two candy eyes onto each egg and arrange the deviled egg chicks nicely onto a plate. Enjoy!
Nonna’s Tip
You can use a Ziplock bag instead of a piping bag and cut a little bit off one corner. You can pipe the filling out of the exposed corner, or place a star tip inside the bag, then load with the filling, and pipe.
Variations and Substitutions for Deviled Egg Chicks
- I love changing up the herb and spice combos for Deviled Eggs depending on what I have in my fridge and pantry. Garlic powder and cayenne pepper are delicious, as well as any fresh herb, such as parsley, basil or dill. 🌿
- Serve deviled eggs as an appetizer, lunch or brunch dish any time of year and skip the chick decorations. Instead, top with a sprinkle of fresh chives, crispy bacon 🥓 , everything bagel spice or a dollop of Calabrian Chili Paste .
- Vegan mayo, sour cream or plain yogurt (dairy-free or regular) will work in place of the mayonnaise.
Similar Recipes
Easy Peel Hard Boiled Eggs
12 mins
Air Fryer Hard Boiled Eggs
13 mins
How to Poach Eggs
6 mins
French Omelette
10 mins
Best Served With
- A fresh salad 🥗
- Easter Bunny Bread 🐰
- Easter Sweet Bread
Common Questions
Absolutely. Deviled eggs can be up to a day ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator, loosely covered in plastic wrap.
Of course! I love using what I have kicking around in the fridge and pantry. Garlic powder or cayenne pepper would be delicious or any fresh herb, such as parsley, basil or dill. If you’re not decorating these as a chick, sprinkle on some fresh chives, crisp bacon or everything bagel spice. The options are truly endless!
Anything small, round, and black will work for the eyes, such as slices of black olives or even large peppercorns. I bought the candy eyes at the Bulk Barn but use them only for presentation.
You can use a Ziplock bag instead of a piping bag and cut a little bit off one corner. You can pipe the filling out of the exposed corner, or place a star tip inside the bag, then load with the filling, and pipe.
Place the raw eggs into a pot of water and let the water come to a rolling boil. Turn off the heat and cover the eggs for 10 minutes for a hard yolk (6 or 7 mintues will give you a softer yolk). Place the eggs into a bowl with cold water and ice for about a minute or so or until they are cool enough to handle. Take all the eggs out of the ice bath and gently crack it onto a hard surface to remove the peel and voila!
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Video
Equipment
- ▢ Piping Bag + Star Tips
- ▢ Fine Mesh Sieve
- ▢ Medium Pot
- ▢ Mixing Bowls
- ▢ Measuring Cups + Spoons
- ▢ Small Cutting Board
- ▢ Nakiri Knife
- ▢ Candy Eyes
Ingredients
- ▢ 8 eggs
- ▢ ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- ▢ 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- ▢ 1 pinch of salt
- ▢ 1 pinch black pepper
- ▢ 1 pinch paprika
- ▢ 1 teaspoon sriracha
- ▢ ¼ carrot , sliced thinly into circles and quartered
- ▢ 32 candy eyes , peppercorns or olives will work
- ▢ 1 cup arugula , for presentation
Instructions
- ▢ Boil the eggs in a large pot of boiling water, about 10 minutes. While they cook, prepare a large bowl of ice water.
- ▢ Submerge the cooked eggs into the ice water. This will help the shells come off easily. Once cool, remove the shells.
- ▢ Cut each egg in half and gently scoop out the yolks. Add the yolks to a fine mesh strainer and press them through using a spoon. This is totally optional but it will create a smoother texture. Add the strained egg yolks to a bowl. Add the mustard, salt, pepper, paprika, and sriracha (if using). Stir well and add the egg yolk filling to a piping bag fitted with a 1m star tip or to a ziplock bag (see notes below).
- ▢ Pipe the egg yolk mixture into each egg half. Place a small piece of carrot in the center of each egg, to act as the chick “beak.”
- ▢ Now place two candy eyes onto each egg and arrange the deviled egg chicks nicely onto a plate. I added baby arugula to the bottom of my plate for presentation but feel free to use any greens. Enjoy!
My Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Deviled Egg Chicks
Equipment
- Piping Bag + Star Tips
- Fine Mesh Sieve
- Medium Pot
- Mixing Bowls
- Measuring Cups + Spoons
- Small Cutting Board
- Nakiri Knife
- Candy Eyes
Ingredients
- 8 eggs
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
- 1 pinch paprika
- 1 teaspoon sriracha
- ¼ carrot sliced thinly into circles and quartered
- 32 candy eyes peppercorns or olives will work
- 1 cup arugula for presentation
Instructions
- Boil the eggs in a large pot of boiling water, about 10 minutes. While they cook, prepare a large bowl of ice water.
- Submerge the cooked eggs into the ice water. This will help the shells come off easily. Once cool, remove the shells.
- Cut each egg in half and gently scoop out the yolks. Add the yolks to a fine mesh strainer and press them through using a spoon. This is totally optional but it will create a smoother texture. Add the strained egg yolks to a bowl. Add the mustard, salt, pepper, paprika, and sriracha (if using). Stir well and add the egg yolk filling to a piping bag fitted with a 1m star tip or to a ziplock bag (see notes below).
- Pipe the egg yolk mixture into each egg half. Place a small piece of carrot in the center of each egg, to act as the chick “beak.”
- Now place two candy eyes onto each egg and arrange the deviled egg chicks nicely onto a plate. I added baby arugula to the bottom of my plate for presentation but feel free to use any greens. Enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
Deviled Egg Chicks https://themodernnonna.com/deviled-egg-chicks/ April 12, 2022
Home › Recipes › Cookies & Snacks
Lemon Cheesecake Thumbprint Cookies
By Snejana Andreeva
on Dec 15, 2022, Updated Nov 08, 2023
My lemon cheesecake thumbprint cookies melt in your mouth . This recipe is one of those recipes that you’ll need to triple, because it’s THAT good. 🍋Whether you’re a lemon lover or simply looking for a unique and delicious cookie, these Lemon Cheesecake Thumbprint Cookies are a must-try. They’re perfect for any occasion, from a casual afternoon tea to a fancy dessert spread.
- Why You’ll Love Lemon Cheesecake Thumbprint Cookies
- How to Prepare
- Nonna’s Tip 🍋
- Lemon Cheesecake Thumbprint Cookies Variations and Substitutions
- Other Holiday Recipes
- More Holiday Cookies
- Common Questions
- Lemon Cheesecake Thumbprint Cookies Recipe
Why You’ll Love Lemon Cheesecake Thumbprint Cookies
These lemon cheesecake thumbprint cookies are ideal for anyone who cannot tolerate 🥚 eggs as they are completely egg-free . The dough takes 5 minutes to whip up, so these cookies are easy enough for anyone who is not even a baker. They’re only 5 ingredients , which you probably already have on hand. I can honestly say that this is one of those cookie recipes that you cannot get enough of.
How to Prepare
🥣 Use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or a hand-held mixer and bowl to cream butter and cream cheese for about 2 minutes until smooth.
🍋 Add sugar and lemon extract and mix until smooth . Then add flour, and mix until a sticky dough forms. Scrape down the sides to fully incorporate any remaining flour.
🧊 Cover the cookie dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.
🥄 Remove dough from the refrigerator, use a small ice-cream scooper to portion the cookies, rolling each in a touch of flour to prevent sticking.
🍓 Place rolled cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper . Flatten each with your thumb, creating an indent, and add a teaspoon of preferred jam/preserve to the center.
🔥 Preheat the oven to 350°F and bake the lemon cheesecake thumbprint cookies for 13-15 minutes or until the edges are light and golden brown .
❄️ Allow the cookies to cool completely and optionally dust with icing sugar. They can be stored at room temperature for up to a week.
Nonna’s Tip 🍋
You MUST refrigerate the cookie dough for at least one hour and you have to use a touch of flour to roll each one as they will stick.
Lemon Cheesecake Thumbprint Cookies Variations and Substitutions
- Try adding a decorative topping like chopped nuts or a sprinkle of coarse sugar for holiday decoration.
- I have not tried this recipe with gluten-free flour , but feel free to experiment with a gluten-free 1-1 replacement and let me know how it goes!
- Instead of lemon extract , you could try almond, vanilla, orange or another you have on hand.
- Feel free to experiment with different jams or preserves , for example, you could use strawberry, raspberry, apricot or even marmalade.
- You could try dairy-free or vegan alternatives to the butter and cream cheese if you or your guests have allergies.
Other Holiday Recipes
Antipasti Christmas Wreath
10 mins
Holiday Butter Board
20 mins
Holiday Candy Cane Prosecco
5 mins
Holiday Cheese Board
20 mins
More Holiday Cookies
Looking for an even fancier-looking cookie? Try my puff pastry cookies .
Easy Gingerbread Cookies
3 hrs 23 mins
Italian Amaretti Cookies
25 mins
3 Ingredient Sugar Cookies
20 mins
Shortbread Butter Cookies
27 mins
Common Questions
Feel free to use any jam or preserve you enjoy. I love fig or apricot but you are more than welcome to use any you have on hand.
The lemon extract is optional so don’t worry if you don’t have any on hand. You can also use pure vanilla extract, or almond extract, or leave them plain. Or, if you don’t have pure lemon extract, but still want the flavor, you can also use the zest of a lemon in the recipe.
You MUST refrigerate the cookie dough for at least one hour and you have to use a touch of flour to roll each one as they will stick.
Feel free to freeze the cookie dough tightly wrapped for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge and shape as usual.
The cream cheese and butter must be softened in order for the cookies to bake correctly.
You can use salted or unsalted butter. I have made them with both and both results are delicious.
While 1 cup of flour weighs 160g in my kitchen, it might weigh anywhere from 120 to 180g in your kitchen and there’s a few reasons for that. The weight of ingredients may vary due to the brand of ingredients, the brand and style (wet vs dry) of measuring cups and spoons, and the technique for measuring into cups: scooping and leveling versus spooning the ingredients into the cup measure. For best results, go by the weight listed in the recipe.
A New Recipe Card!!
- Check off each step in instructions!
- Add ingredients to your shopping list!
Video
Equipment
- ▢ Measuring Cups + Spoons
- ▢ Mixing Bowls
- ▢ Baking Sheet
- ▢ Parchment Paper
Ingredients
- ▢ ½ cup cream cheese , softened
- ▢ ½ cup white sugar
- ▢ 1 stick softened salted butter
- ▢ 1.5 teaspoons lemon extract , optional if you don’t have any on hand
- ▢ 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour , + 2 extra tablespoons for rolling the balls
- ▢ 18 teaspoons jam , I used fig preserve
Instructions
- ▢ In a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, cream the butter and cream cheese together for about 2 minutes or until smooth. You can also use a hand-held mixer and a bowl as well.
- ▢ Once creamy, add the sugar and lemon extract and mix until smooth. Add in the flour and mix until a sticky dough forms. If there’s any flour on the sides, you can scrape it down and mix again until fully incorporated.
- ▢ Cover the cookie dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour. After an hour, take out the dough, remove the plastic and use a small ice-cream scooper to scoop out the cookies. I scoop each cookie, roll it in a touch of flour as it will stick to your hands if you don’t.
- ▢ Repeat this step for all 18 cookies. Place each rolled cookie onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Press each one down with your thumb to make an indent. Add a teaspoon of any jam/preserve you like to the middle.
- ▢ Preheat the oven to 350F and bake until the edges are light and golden brown. This should take 13-15 minutes depending on the oven.
- ▢ Let them cool completely and optionally dust with icing sugar. These are perfectly stored at room-temp for up to a week.
My Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
