Aren’t these cute?
I had this image in my mind for a while: to create breads shaped like little chicks peeping above the rim of some small cups. I actually tried a couple of times before I got it to work.
One of the problems I was previously having was that the breads I used simply didn’t rise enough in the oven to let them peep high enough above the rim.
However, when I made my pineapple buns, I knew this bread would have enough rise to generate what I wanted. I baked these guys inside the espresso cups and they came out just the right height. I took the leftover dough I had from the pineapple buns (after the first round of proofing), and set a ball in each one (the balls filled half of each cup). During the second round of proofing, these rose up close to the rim of the cups. Once they baked, they rose even higher, enough for me to draw eyes and stick a beak into each one.
I purposely put the sugar butter crust of the pineapple buns onto them too, to give a look of chicks hatching from an egg, with the top resembling some broken egg shells or perhaps some fur.
For the eyes, I used an edible decorating pen. For the beak, I used orange candy coated chips from Wilton. I use a sharp knife to punch a hole and then stuck the orange candy in.
I was really thrilled with how these turned out. But then I named them. And once I name something, I couldn’t possibly eat them. So I gave them to FH as a gift. Not sure what he did with them, nor do I want to. I’ll remain blissfully ignorant on this one.
To view the pineapple bun recipe, click here.
To make the chicks:
1. Line espresso cups with parchment paper.
2. Place round balls of dough (after the first round of proofing) into each cup. The balls should reach about 1/2 to 2/3 of the cup. Let dough sit for an additional 30-40 minutes, until dough has doubled in size.
3. Place some of the butter-sugar topping on top of each bread ball. Bake for about 8-10 minutes at 350F, until bread turns a light yellow/golden color.
4. Once breads have cooled, make eyes with edible decorating pen. Press knife into middle and stick an orange coated candy in the middle for the beak.
While we are on the subject of cute, I was going through some old pictures I took of my turtles when they were little babies. Not the best quality, but I thought I’d share a few.
I love this one in particular, even though it looks blurry because the tank is in between my camera and the turtle. I fed the turtle some lettuce and it chose to stick its head up at the exact moment that the leaf was above him, so that he ended up with a little leaf hat.
I also adore these pictures where the two turtles are peeping out of the log at the same time. These turtles were cute back then. Now they are big and get dirty so easily. They also aren’t very people friendly.
A few years ago, I discovered tortoises. They are so much easier to clean and they are actually pretty friendly. They let you pet them, feed them. They are a lot smarter too.
Reading this in 2023- the turtle photos were very appreciated 🙂 Thank you for cheering me up!
We’re glad you enjoyed the post 🙂
Those are so cleaver. I am not sure my cups would survive the oven…they are really old and I am too “chicken” to give it a go in them.
Thanks for sharing yours…they are adorABLE!
Kimmie
mama to 8
one homemade and 7 adopted
Ah, that’s too bad. I was worried about my cups too, but they ended up lasting through it.
Really cute! Love the tortoises. Have you tried http://www.Reptigreens.com for him/her?
No I have not. I usually do a blend of fresh leafy greens and some vitamin supplements.
Your chicks are very funny and cute. What a great idea. We loved them at once. We are sure we couldn’t eat them too. We have turtles in our pond. In the beginning they were small and cute and now (4 years later) they are 40 cm. and naughty. Strolling around on their own turtle island and looking for a way to get out of the pond and discover the world.
Heh, the turtles definitely are more fun when they are small and no so much once they grow big.
Amazingly creative idea! You need to repost these chicks next Easter. Congrats on being so creative!
I definitely need to remember to make these again for next Easter.
I gotta try these, cuz they are mindblowingly adorable!
These are so cute, I love them. And the turtle is pretty darn cute too.
Glad you like them!
Love the pics of the chicks… And the turtles too 🙂 Is one of your turtles peeking out of the log a red-eared slider? It looks like my tutrtle did when he was younger. Now he is more than 10 years old.
No, it’s actually a western painted turtle. It’s similar to the red ear slider though. They can both live in the same tank.
These are the most darling chicks I’ve ever seen. You are so creative to come up with this idea. I was dying out laughing when I read the part that you named them and therefore couldn’t eat them. That sounds like something I would do. 🙂
Heehee, thanks. I don’t have good ideas often, so I’m pretty proud of them when I come up with something.
OMG…the chickies are adorable! I have an issue with eating things that are too cute; I can’t bring myself to do it. I just have to stare and squee at them. LOL!
Husband wants a tortoise for our backyard. 😛
Me too. I can’t do it. I feel so freaking guilty and I can’t enjoy it. Tortoises definitely need a lot of room for grazing and stuff. =)
These are so cute!!! Both your chick bread and your turtles 🙂 lovely little idea
Thanks!