Monday, March 29, 2010

Easter Egg Factory

Yesterday was the day.... butter, more butter, confectioner's sugar, peanut butter, coconut, dipping chocolate.... and lots of hours beating, shaping, chilling, rolling, dipping, packing, even taste testing. First up, Whipped Buttercream, a fluffy mixture of 1 lb. butter, 1 lb. margarine, 1 Tbsp. vanilla, and 2 lbs. confectioner's sugar all creamed together and then whipped on high speed for about 3 - 4 minutes. This mixture pipes easily onto a tray and then is allowed to chill until firm prior to dipping in the chocolate. Work quickly when dipping as they will soften pretty quickly and might require additional time in the fridge. Next up, Coconut Cream, a creamy concoction of 8 oz. cream cheese, 1/2 lb. margarine, 2-1/2 c. coconut, 2 Tbsp. coconut extract and 2 lbs. confectioner's sugar. Mix until well blended. Drop onto cookie trays with a large spoon. Chill for 15 - 30 minutes, and then roll into a smooth egg. Chill again prior to dipping.

And finally, Susanna's favorite, peanut butter eggs. Simply a pound of margarine, a pound of peanut butter, and two pounds of confectioner's sugar. Blended and mixed until creamy and smooth. Sometimes it requires additional confectioner's sugar if the egg mixture feels too sticky. Simply blend it in by hand. Requires strong upper arms to thoroughly blend. Then, let the dipping and chilling begin! The peanut butter are the quickest to do since there is no chilling necessary once the eggs have been shaped.

Once chocolate covered, chill again until firm, and package. We like to use baggies with color coded ribbons. Once you know the code, it's easy to find your favorite.
All that remains is overcoming temptation so that we have chocolate covered Easter Eggs to share with family and friends. Do you make Easter Eggs? Do you have a favorite?


Or, do you prefer something a bit healthier? We also make hard boiled eggs that have been dyed a beautiful russet color with onion skins. These are another family tradition for Easter, and will be made in the next day or two.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love you homemade candy!!!!
It isn't Easter without it!

Anonymous said...

yummm...my mother always made our chocolate covered eggs during our childhood. She used more of a divinity fudge recipe of pouring hot sugar syrup over beaten egg whites and adding flavors such a coconut, peanut butter, etc. - jp

Mar said...

These look wonderful! Do they come out as well if you use all butter and no margarine? I'll try experimenting but if you know that the butter causes a problem, it would be nice to avoid that!

Thanks to Meredith at Like Merchants Ships for the link.

PeggyR said...

Everything looks so yummy and I'm sure nonfattening - wink!

Marilyn Miller said...

Your eggs look and sound wonderful. I am just making tea dyed hard boiled eggs this year. Wish I could just sneak in your kitchen and help myself to a couple chocolate eggs.

Donna and Miss Spenser said...

Wow...where do you find the energy to do all the wonderful things you do! I love Peanut Butter...wish I could have one!! (smile) ~Donna (IA)

Shanna said...

Amazing! Found you via Like Merchant Ships. I've never seen any recipes for making homemade Easter candy eggs but will definitely write down your recipes for next year!!!