Chocolate Easter Egg Surprise!

'Tis the season for all candies in the shapes of eggs-including chocolates! I realize that Easter is less than a week away and it makes me a little sad that I haven't tried to make more of my favorite Easter treats, but don't worry, I've been eating enough of them!! Jelly beans, marshmallows, gummies, suckers, pretty much anything pastel colored that has sugar in it I love this time of year!

Mary Magdalene with a red egg,
Kind of a weird picture,
but an awesome story!

Here's your history lesson for my curious followers: Eggs in the Easter season have symbolized several different things.

• First the egg is a pagan symbol of rebirth and spring, just as a chick hatches from the egg & Jesus was resurrected.
• During the lenten season, many Christians gave up dairy & meat for the full forty days before Easter, so of course they had to preserve their eggs until Easter by boiling them so they could enjoy them on Easter Sunday.
• There are many stories connecting red colored eggs with Mary Magdalene like how she brought a basket of eggs to share with the women at the tomb of Jesus, and the eggs miraculously turned brilliant red when she saw the risen Jesus. Or how she greeted the Emperor of Rome with the words "Christ is Risen" whereupon he replied "Christ has not risen no more than that egg is red" pointing to an egg, which turned immediately blood-red, allowing Mary to preach Christianity. Another story is that Mary had a basket of eggs with her at Jesus' crucifixion and her tear drops which fell on the eggs turned to brightly colored spots. (Whatever story is accurate, it still makes me have a new appreciation for dyed-red Easter Eggs!)
• How about egg-rolling? This is a symbolic re-enactment of the stone rolling away from Jesus' tomb.

So there’s some history as to how eggs are associated with Easter, but how did chocolate & candy become so involved? There doesn't have to be a reason-EVERY holiday needs candy! Duh!

I concocted some Chocolate Easter Eggs with four different kinds of fillings, so it's like a Easter Egg surprise every time! Well, I did try to decorate them according to their filling, but you can still be surprised when you eat them because they taste so good eh?

Chocolate Easter Eggs

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 pkg cream cheese (8 oz), softened

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/2 lbs powdered sugar (a little over 1 bag)

1 cup coconut

1 cup peanut butter

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

My four mixtures, cocoa,
vanilla, peanut butter, & coconut

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine butter and cream cheese until well blended. Add vanilla extract. Add powdered sugar a couple cups at a time until you get a manageable dough. Use your hands to mix together towards the end for the best results.

2. Separate the mixture into 4 bowls to make the different flavors. Add 1 cup peanut butter to the first quarter, add 1 cup coconut to the 2nd quarter, add 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder to 3rd quarter, and leave the last plain.

Mixed in...notice the cocoa,
NOT mixed in :(

3. Once all flavors are mixed, you can start forming your "egg balls". The easiest way I found to do this is take a smallish piece of the mixture and hold it the palm of your hand. Take a regular table spoon in the other hand and press it into the dough with a rolling motion, turning the dough several times to make it uniform. Lightly press/smooth the tops and bottoms of the balls and ta-da! Eggs!

4. Place the formed eggs on waxed paper (I use the cheap plastic cutting boards) and place in the refrigerator for about an hour to firm up.

5. Meanwhile, melt your chocolate chips in a double boiler (or a glass bowl or pan set atop hot water). You can add 1 tbsp shortening if you like smoother chocolate. This also makes the dipping process a little easier.

Forming the eggs w/ a spoon

6. Dip your "egg balls" into the chocolate and set back on wax paper. If you want toppings/sprinkles on your eggs, put them on now before the chocolate sets. Return eggs the fridge to set for about a half hour. Store your Chocolate Easter Egg surprises in an air-tight container in the fridge for 1-2 weeks. Enjoy!

This recipe is neat because you can sub in almost any flavor you like. If you want mint, add a 1/2 tsp or so of peppermint extract, you like caramel (and getting messy) add some caramel topping to the centers of the chocolate eggs, & in hindsight, I do wish I would have added food coloring to the vanilla and coconut eggs for yet another colorful surprise when you bite into the candy.

Eggs!!

As always, this candy was an adventure to make. The original recipe I used called for 1 cup of cocoa powder for the chocolate eggs. I knew this looked like a lot, so I used about 3/4 cup and it was still way to much! It really dries out the mixture, so I thought why not add just a tiny bit more cream cheese? Bad idea!! Just one little spoonful extra of cream cheese turned my dough into sticky icky mud! After I got one hand wiped off, I took some pics for your enjoyment and got chocolate ALL over my camera, I added more powdered sugar. Crisis averted! So needless to say, don't use that much cocoa powder! 

 I was up until about 1am making these Chocolate Easter Egg surprises and when I finally went to bed, dried chocolate in my hair, sugar under my fingernails, back tied in a knot from bending over the counter,  I still dreamt of the next candies I'll attempt (marshmallow peeps!) I really do enjoy exploring all these new sweet treats and appreciating the work and the history that goes into my favorite candies. I always make a huge mess in my little kitchen, end up burning myself somehow or another, & go to bed with a tummy ache because I "sampled" too much of my recipe, but candy really is my passion and I'm loving every step of my little candy adventure--I hope you are too!!