Chocolate & Marzipan Easter Eggs

Easter Eggs are special eggs that are often given to celebrate the joy of the Risen Christ (Easter) & springtime.

The outer shell of the hard-boiled egg represents the sealed ‘Tomb of Christ’ & the cracking of the egg symbolizes ‘His Resurrection from the dead’. After 40 days of fasting & praying, it marks the end of Lent. Easter also means a new beginning…

The oldest tradition is to use dyed or painted hard-boiled chicken eggs, but a modern custom is to substitute chocolate or plastic eggs filled with confectionery.

Many arrange a treasure hunt where eggs are hidden & children have to find them on Easter morning. Children are then told that these were left by the Easter Bunny. Eggs are also put in a basket filled with real or artificial straw to resemble a bird’s nest.

Lakhs of eggs are commercially prepared & sold each year. Due to mechanization it is very easy today to just purchase a professionally crafted egg across the counter from a bakery or a mall but it gives greater joy to prepare it in the comfort of your home where every member in the family especially children participate in the activity. It also gives a great feeling of harmony & the joy in one’s heart to have crafted your own Easter Egg is unimaginable! It makes one feel good when you share them at Easter.

Even though preparing Easter Eggs is very time consuming especially in India as it is summer here, I still had fun making them & we will be enjoying them on Easter Sunday!

I hope you enjoy this post & will also make them… I’m sure all your loved ones will be happy & enjoy it too! 😀

Ingredients for Marzipan:

• 200 gms. Cashewnuts/Almonds
• 200 gms. Icing Sugar/Confectioner’s Sugar
• 2 Egg Whites (lightly beaten)
• Flavoring of your choice

Procedure :
If using almonds, soak them in hot water for about 25 mins. Then remove the skins & let the almonds dry for about ½ an hour.

Powder cashewnuts/almonds in a mixie/grinder till it is a very fine powder.

In a sufficiently large bowl, mix the powdered almonds/cashewnuts with sugar & flavoring.

Then add the egg whites; mix gently & knead into a smooth dough. Do not over knead or the dough will start releasing oil.

Shape into eggs with your hands or use egg moulds to shape them.

Shape them into a shell if you wish to fill them with treats & goodies.

After filling them close them carefully & neatly so that the eggs are smooth.

In case you like cooked marzipan then please click here.

For Marbled Easter Eggs :
Divide dough & add edible color to it. Knead lightly & well. Add a drop or two of color. Always keep colors pale as they look appealing.

Take few pieces of colored marzipan & combine together; making sure you do not blend the colors completely. Shape or mould into eggs.

Ingredients for Covering/Moulding the Eggs:

• 500 gms. Chocolate (Dark/Milk /White)
• Few drops of flavors of your choice (I used Wine flavor)
• Colored Chocolate wrapping foil

Procedure for Tempering :
Break the chocolate into pieces in a steel/glass bowl.

Melt & stir the chocolate in a double boiler till glossy.

Take it off the heat & add flavor of your choice.

Stir well & let it cool slightly before moulding/dipping.

Procedure for covering Easter Eggs with Chocolate:
After all the marzipan easter eggs are shaped/moulded  then dip them in the tempered chocolate of your choice.

Place them on a baking sheet or a cooling rack for the chocolate to set or excess to be drained off.

If the room temperature is very high & the climate is very hot which is not conducive to chocolate then place in the fridge to harden. You may even do this in an air conditioned room.

Wrap them in colored wrapping foil/paper or pack them in cellophane wrap or boxes in case you want to gift them to your friends & loved ones. Enjoy at Easter.

Wishing all my dear visitors “A Very Happy Easter.”