Thursday, April 5, 2007

Chocolate-Covered Cocoanut/Peanut Butter Easter Eggs




Chocolate-Covered Cocoanut/Peanut Butter Easter Eggs
Dorcas Annette Walker

My daughter is the one in our family now who makes all kinds of holiday candy. A couple of years ago I gave her my candy molds for making chocolate Easter bunnies and decorative eggs. What fun we had experimenting in the kitchen as my kids grew up during Easter time making candy. Taste testing was the crowning result after a day spent creating home-made masterpieces.

Making and buying Easter candy is an old custom that many believe started with the traditional breakfast of eating Hot Cross Buns on Good Friday. During the early 1800’s chocolate was the rage in Europe. Chocolate companies sought to use the image of an egg to celebrate Easter and sell their products. Soon solid and hollow chocolate eggs grew in popularity and became the primary Easter candy throughout the world and here in America by the 20th century. European children went from house to house begging for Easter eggs like our Halloween trick-or-treaters. Long hard winters for the pioneers often meant little food and a fresh egg for Easter was quite a prize. The White House Easter Egg Roll is one of the oldest and most unique traditions in presidential history. On occasion the Easter Egg Roll has been cancelled due to inclement weather or in times of war. The longest hiatus of the Easter Egg Roll was for World War II followed by a White House renovation. Today Easter candy is now second in the top-selling candy holidays. Americans spend an average of 1.9 billion dollars on Easter candy each year.

Even though my daughter, Dawn, has my Easter candy molds I still can make Chocolate-Covered Cocoanut/Peanut Butter Easter Eggs each year. These large candy eggs are hand-made without using a mold, covered in rich chocolate, and decorated. All you need is a couple medium-sized bowls, wax paper, and some colored icing to get started. My home-made Chocolate-Covered Cocoanut/Peanut Butter Easter Eggs takes around a half an hour each to prepare (not counting the time to chill the eggs) and makes one pound or two half pound eggs.

Cocoanut Egg

1 lb powered sugar
½ c condensed milk
1 stick of melted margarine
1 c cocoanut
½ c chopped nuts (optional)

Mix ingredients thoroughly by hand in a medium-sized bowl and shape into one or two large eggs. Place on wax paper and chill for one hour. Then dip chilled egg in melted chocolate. Let sit until egg is room temperature and slice with a sharp knife to serve. May decorate Chocolate-Covered Cocoanut Egg with colored icing!

Peanut Butter Egg

1 lb powered sugar
1 c crunchy or creamy peanut butter
1 stick of melted margarine
1 tsp vanilla

Mix ingredients thoroughly by hand in a medium-sized bowl and shape into one or two large eggs. Place on wax paper and chill for one hour. Then dip chilled egg in melted chocolate. Let sit until egg is room temperature and slice with a sharp knife to serve. May decorate Chocolate-Covered Peanut Butter Egg with colored icing!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a freelance writer, author, columnist, and photographer from Jamestown, TN. If you have any cooking tips or favorite recipes you are welcome to contact me by email at: dorcaswalker@yahoo.com. For more information about the Walker family and Dorcas’ books check out her website at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com or htpp://dorcasannettewalker.blogspot.com for other Creative Mountain recipes.

7 comments:

Caroline said...

Dorcas, where do you get all those delicious sounding recipes? I've been checking in occasionally after JW from Pa told me about your blog. Would you be interested in exchg-ing blog links? I write sweet romance, mysteries, and children's. Working on getting pubbed traditionally, but will go another direction if nec. Ck out my blog: http://sunnebnkwrtr.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Hi there
I once tasted something simular to your recipe but there was orange flavoured and strawberry flavoured ones just wondering if you know if you could leave out the coconut and just put in some flavoured extract?

Dorcas Annette Walker said...

Wow! What a neat idea using different flavors and for some you could still use cocoanut too.
dorcas

Dale Lynn Iwancio said...

Hey,
Thank you very much for the peanut butter eggs receipe. I used to make these when I was a kid (I was born and raised in Baltimore, MD and have resided in Elgin, SC for the past 10 years). A friend of my mother's sister (both were from Kentucky)always made them. This is how I learned how to make them. I had never written it down. I have always remembered the ingredients, but just could not remember the amounts. I am very excited that I have found this receipe again.
Happy Easter & Thanks Again,
Dale Lynn Iwancio

Dorcas Annette Walker said...

Dale,
Thanks for checking out my cooking blog! I'm so glad that my Peanut Butter Egg recipe is something that brings back happy memories.
Happy Easter and have fun making Peanut Butter Eggs again!
dorcas

85Brenda said...

My Grandmother gave me peanut butter eggs every Easter when I was growing up. I have been searching for a recipe so I can make them for my kids and carry on the tradition. To make it extra special, I looked online and found a company, Box and Wrap that has the cutest Easter candy boxes and candy bags. I chose the bunny shaped candy box.

Dorcas Annette Walker said...

Wow! Putting these chocolate covered candy eggs in Easter candy boxes or bags would make the homemade treats look quite professional as well. What a nifty idea, Brenda. Thanks for sharing!
dorcas