Happy Easter everyone!  Have you had a good first week of the holiday?  We’ve been tackling the spring cleaning here, but that hasn’t stopped us making a bit of a mess in the kitchen.

Last week Waitrose got in touch to ask if we would be interested in a bit of creative Easter Inspiration.  I said yes please, and awaited for my box of goodies to arrive.  I can tell you it was a good post day when a package of sweets and chocolates arrived and I was so excited to lay things out for Nye to have a go at creating his own egg.

Ingredients
250g of good quality dark or milk chocolate – remember to save a little extra for decorating

What you’ll need

• 2 chocolate egg moulds
• Flat pastry brush or small paintbrush
• Heat proof bowl
• Spoon
• Pan

Step 1 – Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl over simmering water in a pan.

Step 2 – Paint a thin layer of chocolate inside the egg moulds, making sure it meets the edges of the mould. Depending on the size of the moulds you may need more chocolate, have plenty on standby!

Step 3 – Chill for 5 minutes or until the chocolate is firm.

Step 4 – Spread another even layer of chocolate over the first layer and let cool for another 5 minutes or until firm.

Step 5 – Gently ease the mould away from the chocolate. Join the chocolate halves together with a little melted chocolate, using a flat pastry brush or small paint brush – That’s it! Well done, you have made your very own Easter egg!

Decorating tips:

• Melt a little extra chocolate and use this to stick on chocolate buttons and small light sweets that won’t fall off like marshmallows or sugar-coated jellies
• Using icing piping to draw on simple Easter shapes such as chicks, rabbits and lambs to give your egg a fun farm theme
• Personalise your egg by writing the recipient’s name in icing piping and use decorative sweets that represent their personality
• Why not turn you egg into a person or an animal? For example use sweets and chocolates for eyes and fur. For an Easter afternoon activity, make an egg that resembles a family member
• Dip your finished egg in melted chocolate and roll in hundreds and thousands or popping candy for a textured knobbly effect
• Why not try white chocolate to make your Easter egg
• Before sealing the two halves, hide an Easter treat inside? Maybe some small sweets, a surprise Easter toy or just a note to say Happy Easter!
• For a more indulgent egg why not add to the melted chocolate when you’re still preparing the egg, try butterscotch chunks or honeycomb pieces for a real treat!

Egg Inspiration:
Nye created a kind of Rocky Road chocolate egg with marshmellows and chocolate buttons mixed into the shell of the egg along with some lovely crunchy honeycomb bits.  The Chocolate was very thick so it took longer to dry but it was very delicious and came out of the mold easily.

I created a more simple egg, sprinkling popping candy and butterscotch pieces on the inside of the egg after I painted on the second coat.  A lovely crackling and crunchy surprise for whoever bites into the egg.  To decorate I made a piping bag and piped some easter designs onto a sheet of baking paper and stuck these onto the egg using some fondant icing as edible glue.

As you can see, Nye was very proud of his egg creation.  Fancy having a go, what sort of egg would you make?

Disclosure:
Ingredients and instructions supplied by Waitrose, photos and words my own.