Excellent Easter Eggs

Excellent Easter Eggs

Easter wouldn't be Easter without the taste of homemade Easter eggs. These are candies that even the Easter bunny can't top. Lisa Gray of Pottsville, Pennsylvania, melts her chocolate in a microwave oven when making these candies to simplify the process.

Level: Moderately easy

Time involved: One to two hours

Ingredients:

Butter Cream Egg recipe:

• 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
• One 8-ounce package cream cheese
• 2 pounds powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Peanut Butter Egg recipe:

• 12 ounces peanut butter
• 4 ounces cream cheese
• 1-pound box powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Coconut Cream Egg recipe:

• 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) butter
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 2 pounds powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup flake coconut

To coat the eggs:

• 1 pound melting chocolate
• 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil

Equipment:

• Mixer or food processor
• Cookie sheets
• Waxed paper
• Microwave-safe bowl
• Colander with holes (not slits) in the bottom
• Wooden skewers

1. Using an electric mixer or food processor, mix the butter or peanut butter and cream cheese until blended. Add the remaining ingredients for the type of egg you're making, and blend approximately three minutes or until thoroughly mixed.

2. Refrigerate the mixture overnight. Using your hands, shape pieces of the mixture into small eggs. Place the eggs on a cookie sheet covered with waxed paper. Refrigerate for several hours until hardened.

3. After the eggs have hardened, place the chocolate pieces in a microwave safe bowl. Add 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil to the chocolate. Cook on medium heat for one minute. Remove the bowl from the microwave and stir. Return the bowl to the microwave oven and cook another minute or until the chocolate is thoroughly melted.

4. Turn the colander upside down on a piece of waxed paper. Remove the eggs from the refrigerator and place one on a wooden skewer. Dip the egg into the chocolate mixture until it is thoroughly coated. Stick the end of the skewer into one of the holes of the colander until it hardens (about two minutes). Once it hardens, remove the egg from the stick and return it to the cookie sheet. You can reuse the skewers for the rest of the eggs. Repeat this step until all the eggs are coated. If your chocolate begins to re-harden, you could cook it in the microwave oven again for a few seconds until it is melted. Place the coated eggs in the refrigerator for a couple hours until hardened. Store the eggs in the refrigerator in a plastic container between layers of waxed paper until you're ready to eat them.