Making Homemade Easter Eggs with the Little Ones

What do you do with the kids at Easter when you've just launched your own free from chocolate... make Easter eggs of course!

Most of the kitchen is covered in chocolate. Ava, our 3 year old daughter has eaten her share for the whole of lent, actually not just eaten she's worn quite a lot of it too and it's not even Easter yet but it was the best fun with a little one and the end result - homemade chocolate eggs, a little rough around the edges with a few finger marks (as you can see from the photo!) but they taste amazing, can be given as gifts this weekend to Ava’s 2 little friends who have allergies to dairy and are a hundred times better and fun to give this Easter than a pre wrapped and boxed supermarket one!

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Easter Egg made with our coconut sugar chocolate

Here's what you do and what you need to make 2 eggs:

- Egg moulds or alternative (see last paragraph!) We got the medium sized plastic ones that come in two half egg mould packs for a few pounds at the local hobby craft store.

- 3 bars of good quality chocolate, we used our new organic coconut sugar 100 grams bars which are perfect for crafting (and low GI so we're less worried if Ava eats too much!) for more info check out our chocolate blog here

- Lots of patience and a good sense of humour, it's messy but kids love making them

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​Pouring the melted chocolate into the mould

1. Break up and melt the chocolate. 2 options here. You can do it the way I learnt in school home economics class a long time ago -  placing in a bowl over a pan of hot water on the stove making sure not to get any water in. Alternatively zap in the microwave, we did this at 350 watts for 3 minutes.

2. Place the mould in the palm of your hand and pour chocolate in filling to about a third. Tilt and rotate to move the chocolate around so it covers the full mould and pour back excess chocolate.

3. Place face down on a baking sheet and repeat for all moulds.

4. Put in the fridge to set for 5-10 minutes.

5. Once cool and chocolate firm repeat another two times for each mould so you have three layers of chocolate.

6. When last layer has cooled pull at the edges of mould several times to release mould while pressing out to release egg from mould.

7. To join up the egg halves, place some melted chocolate on a plate and press the edges of the egg into the melted chocolate then use as a glue to join up the other half, place back in the fridge to set.

8. Create a cardboard round to mount.

Obviously it doesn't just have to be chocolate eggs if you don't have time to buy the moulds this Easter weekend or are reading this after the holidays. Once we got going we filled some bunny rabbit and chick cookie cutters on a plate and even the Christmas tree shaped ice cube tray I dug out the drawer (it was snowing outside so I have an excuse!) All worked out remarkably well and added to the fun.

So, it’s going to be an alternative chocolate egg hunt in our garden this Sunday with all the new crafted chocolate shapes now in the fridge but we can guarantee the chocolate will be top notch and everyone can enjoy them!