Chocolate Easter Eggs: Two Ways

When I think of my grandmothers, I can’t help but think of food. I think of my Mother’s mother (Nana) as the one who makes amazing soups, egg rolls and stir fries (how cool is that?), meringue cookies, mint jelly, and yorkshire pudding. I am so fortunate to have her in my life and be able to share her with her great grandchildren.

I remember my Dad’s mother (Grammy) as the one who made beautiful, cakey sugar cookies, fresh baked bread with butter and homemade raspberry jam, creamed corn, peanut brittle, and chocolate Easter Eggs. When she died, I was able to look through her recipes and see her handwriting — what an amazing gift that is. I instantly saw the connection between our roles as mothers, regardless of how different our lives were. In the end, I think that our goals are/were the same: to love our families fiercely and to create a wonderful backdrop for our children’s memories.

And these Easter Eggs are permanently etched in my memory. This is the wonder of real food — it forms the bonds of friends and family. It is the most important reason that I cook — I sincerely believe there is no better way to enhance our relationships and create rich, lifelong memories.

Happy Easter to all.

Chocolate Easter Eggs with Sunbutter (Makes about 32)

(I should note that I have taken some liberties with the recipes to decrease the amount of sugar — feel free to change those things up if you like. I have also obviously changed the first recipe because my daughter is severely nut allergic. Peanut butter is the typical ingredient.)

16 oz. container Crunchy Sunflower Seed Butter (about 2 cups, or any other nut butter of your choice)
1 cup of unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened
1-2 cups of confectioners sugar (I used 1 cup which left them not overly sweet, but sweeten to taste)
Pinch of salt
1 t vanilla
2 cups brown rice krispies (or regular if you can’t find brown)
12 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped

1. Cream sunbutter (or other nut butter) with softened butter using an electric mixer. Add in salt, confectioners sugar, and vanilla and beat until well mixed and fluffy.  (Add more confectioners sugar if you like).

2. Using a wooden spoon, stir in rice krispies by hand until incorporated.

3. Put mixture in the fridge for about an hour to firm up.

4. When firm, line a large sheet pan with parchment paper. Using about one heaping tablespoon of sunbutter mixture for each egg, roll them in your hands into an egg-like shape. Place on parchment lined sheet.

5. Put sunbutter eggs in freezer for at least 30 minutes, until they are very firm.

6. Melt chocolate in a double boiler or gently in the microwave until completely melted and smooth.

7. Using two forks, take one sunbutter egg and roll in melted chocolate until completely covered. (You may want to have two sheets of parchment and leave some of the sunbutter eggs in the freezer while you do this, so they don’t warm up too much.) Allow chocolate covered egg to remain on one fork while you use the other fork to tap the excess chocolate off the egg (tapping the handle of the fork that is holding the egg — if you don’t get enough of the excess chocolate off, you won’t have enough to dip them all). Place chocolate covered egg on baking sheet lined with parchment. Repeat with all eggs.

8. Refrigerate all eggs until hardened. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Chocolate Easter Eggs with Coconut (Makes about 15)

1/2 cup of coconut oil
1/4 cup of coconut milk
Pinch of salt
3/4 cup of confectioners sugar (or more to taste)
2 cups of unsweetened coconut, toasted
6 oz. semisweet chocolate

1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt coconut oil with coconut milk and pinch of salt.

2. Stir in confectioners sugar until incorporated.

3. Stir in toasted coconut.

4. Put in refrigerator for about an hour until firm.

5. When firm, line a large sheet pan with parchment paper. Using about one heaping tablespoon of coconut mixture for each egg, roll them in your hands into an egg-like shape. Place on parchment lined sheet.

6. Put coconut eggs in freezer for at least 30 minutes, until they are very firm.

7. Melt chocolate in a double boiler or gently in the microwave until completely melted and smooth.

8. Using two forks, take one coconut egg and roll in melted chocolate until completely covered.(You may want to have two sheets of parchment and leave some of the coconut eggs in the freezer while you do this, so they don’t warm up too much.) Allow chocolate covered egg to remain on one fork while you use the other fork to tap the excess chocolate off the egg (tapping the handle of the fork that is holding the egg — if you don’t get enough of the excess chocolate off, you won’t have enough to dip them all). Place chocolate covered egg on baking sheet lined with parchment. Repeat with all eggs.

(*You may want to sprinkle a few extra shreds of toasted coconut on these eggs right after you dip them so you can tell the difference between the two kinds if you are making both.)

7. Refrigerate all eggs until hardened. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.