Want to be a hero this Spring?
Make your own Cadbury Creme Eggs.
Every year, our good friend D. Bunnyhunter waits like a little kid for the new harvest of Creme Eggs to hit the shelves. (David, let me know when you want to pick yours up, OK?)
These are actually really easy to make at home. Like, ridiculously easy. If you can beat butter and sugar together (with a stand mixer, with a handheld mixer, with a wooden spoon and a little elbow grease), you can do this. Trust me.
They’re good messy fun, and would make a great project for a (very patient) parent. I got more than a little covered in chocolate.
I can’t remotely take credit for this awesome idea
I saw this on Food 52 last week. Ashley from Not Without Salt adapted a recipe for them from Instructables.
May someone else take this version and pass it along as well, to help spread the good word about the ridiculous deliciousity that is the Homemade Cadbury Creme Egg.
For real.
Mad love to our friend Rich from the band The Unlivin Dead for bringing these little guys to my attention last week. (Check them out, they’re old friends!)
Don’t blame me if they make your kids go bananas
These are like rocket fuel for little kids. With the exception of some butter and a little chocolate, these babies are 100% pure sugar. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Golden syrup or light corn syrup?
Use either. The original recipe calls for regular old Karo brand light corn syrup. Lyle’s Golden Syrup was a nice substitution on Food 52’s part. The hint of caramel adds a nice, subtle flavor to the filling. You can find Lyle’s at most fancier grocery stores, or order it online. It’s great stuff, and well worth seeking out.
Homemade Creme Eggs
½ cup Lyle’s golden syrup (or Karo light corn syrup)
6 Tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups confectioners’ sugar (a.k.a. powdered sugar)
~1/2 teaspoon yellow food coloring
12 oz. dark chocolate chips
Makes 14-16 creme eggs, depending on how large you roll them
Make the filling
Grab your butter. Let it stand on the counter for about 30 minutes to soften up.
Toss it in the bowl of your stand mixer (or in a large mixing bowl if you’re beating by hand).
Add the golden syrup or corn syrup.
Toss in the vanilla extract. (Have vodka and a coupla vanilla beans lying around? Learn how to make your own here. I’ve had my bottle going since 2002! The flavor is a-ma-zing.) Want to flavor your eggs? Substitute mint extract, maple extract, a little rum, etc., if you like.
Beat on high until the mixture is creamy and uniform.
Add the confectioners’ sugar.
Stir it around with your paddle to start to incorporate it. That helps avoid a big poof of powdered sugar when you turn on the mixer…
Then beat on medium for a minute or two until the mixture is uniform and fluffy.
You want something akin to soft Play-Doh.
Color the yolks
Once it’s uniform, round up your butter and sugar paste.
Remove about a third of it and stick it in a separate bowl.
Add the yellow food coloring and mash it around until you’re happy with the color of your yolks. (BTW, I could totally see using green food coloring instead of yellow for a Green Eggs & Ham type of thing…)
Pop the filling in the freezer
Put the divided filling into the freezer for about 10 minutes. The goal is to get it to firm up enough to be easy to roll into balls—not freeze it solid.
After 10 minutes, give the yellow filling a poke. If it doesn’t immediately stick to your finger, you should be good to go.
Make your yolks
Measure out a rough teaspoon of yellow filling.
Roll it between your palms to form a ball. (Hello, sticky paws!)
Set the ball on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Repeat with the rest of the yellow filling until you have a nice little army of glorious candy yolks. Stick the pan in the freezer to firm up while you deal with the whites.
Make your whites
Measure out a rough tablespoon of the white filling. Roll between your palms to form a ball. Set on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Repeat until you have rolled all your whites. (Make sure you have a white for each yolk you rolled…)
Set your whites in the freezer for about 10 minutes to firm up.
Assemble your creme eggs
Grab both pans out of the freezer. Press your thumb into the middle of one of the whites to make a nice little nest for the yolk.
Nestle a yolk in the depression.
Smoosh the white around the yolk until it’s completely enclosed.
Roll the finished egg between your palms again to make it roughly egg shaped. Set it back on one of your parchment lined pans. Repeat with the rest of the filling until you’ve used it all.
Once you’re done, smooth out any oddly shaped eggs to make them a little more oval, if you like. Pop the pan back into the freezer for about 15 minutes.
Dip the eggs in chocolate
Melt your chocolate chips in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring well each time. I used Hershey’s Special Dark, but by all means, use 12 oz. of your favorite chocolate.
When you’re ready to dip your eggs, stick a toothpick pretty deeply into one.
Quickly roll it around in the melted chocolate, covering the entire filling.
With a clean finger or spatula, glop off some of the extra chocolate so you have a relatively even coating.
Stick the toothpick into a squash or other large, stable veggie so the chocolate can cool and preserve the round shape.
Repeat with the rest of your eggs, until you’ve coated them all in chocolate.
I only had one squash on hand, so I quickly ran out of room. I cooled the rest of the eggs on my parchment-lined pan. It worked out just fine, though one side of my eggs is a little flatter than the others.
Pop the coated eggs into the freezer or fridge until the chocolate sets up.
And…voila!
You just made your own Cadbury Creme Eggs. Not too shabby, eh? For full effect, wrap each in food-safe colored foil.
Storing homemade creme eggs
These have enough sugar in them that they should be OK on the counter for a few days. To be safe, I’d store ’em in the fridge.
Enjoy!
The Hungry Mouse
Yields 14-16 eggs
Here's how to make awesome, copycat Cadbury eggs at home.
Save RecipeIngredients
Instructions
- Grab your butter. Let it stand on the counter for about 30 minutes to soften up.
- Toss it in the bowl of your stand mixer (or in a large mixing bowl if you’re beating by hand).
- Add the golden syrup or corn syrup.
- Toss in the vanilla extract.
- Beat on high until the mixture is creamy and uniform.
- Add the confectioners’ sugar.
- Beat on medium for a minute or two until the mixture is uniform and fluffy.
- Color the yolks: Once it’s uniform, round up your butter and sugar paste. Remove about a third of it and stick it in a separate bowl. Add the yellow food coloring and mash it around until you’re happy with the color of your yolks.
- Put the divided filling into the freezer for about 10 minutes. The goal is to get it to firm up enough to be easy to roll into balls—not freeze it solid.
- After 10 minutes, give the yellow filling a poke. If it doesn’t immediately stick to your finger, you should be good to go.
- Make your yolks: Measure out a rough teaspoon of yellow filling. Roll it between your palms to form a ball. Set the ball on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Repeat with the rest of the yellow filling until you have a nice little army of glorious candy yolks. Stick the pan in the freezer to firm up while you deal with the whites.
- Make your whites: Measure out a rough tablespoon of the white filling. Roll between your palms to form a ball. Set on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Repeat until you have rolled all your whites. Set your whites in the freezer for about 10 minutes to firm up.
- Assemble your creme eggs: Grab both pans out of the freezer. Press your thumb into the middle of one of the whites to make a nice little nest for the yolk. Nestle a yolk in the depression. Smoosh the white around the yolk until it’s completely enclosed. Roll the finished egg between your palms again to make it roughly egg shaped. Set it back on one of your parchment lined pans.
- Repeat with the rest of the filling until you’ve used it all.
- Once you’re done, smooth out any oddly shaped eggs to make them a little more oval, if you like. Pop the pan back into the freezer for about 15 minutes.
- Melt your chocolate chips in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring well each time.
- When you’re ready to dip your eggs, stick a toothpick pretty deeply into one.
- Quickly roll it around in the melted chocolate, covering the entire filling.
- With a clean finger or spatula, glop off some of the extra chocolate so you have a relatively even coating.
- Stick the toothpick into a squash or other large, stable veggie so the chocolate can cool and preserve the round shape.
- Repeat with the rest of your eggs, until you’ve coated them all in chocolate.
- Pop the coated eggs into the freezer or fridge until the chocolate sets up.
- And…voila! You just made your own Cadbury Creme Eggs. Not too shabby, eh? For full effect, wrap each in food-safe colored foil. Enjoy!
