Since we’re on a bit of a chocolate quest at the moment, we thought we’d try making our own Easter eggs this year.
They were a great success, and we finally figured out a way to make them hollow without having to heat and join two halves together.
Our dark eggs and chickens (of course) are made with a slightly darker mix (74%) of our new house blend. We made the modification on Christina’s suggestion, and it’s proven universally popular:
- 200g Callebaut 811 (54%)
- 200g Cacao Barry Tanzanie (75%)
- 150g Callebaut Cocoa Mass (100%)
The tempered chocolate was poured into one half of the egg moulds, which were then clipped together and carefully rotated as the chocolate set.
Our milk eggs are made of a blend of Callebaut 823 (33.6%) and Cocoa Mass (100%) resulting in a very grown up milk chocolate of approximately 47% cacao. Here’s the formula:
- 400g Callebaut 823 milk chocolate (33.6%)
- 100g Callebaut Cocoa Mass (100%)
It was a perfect way to spend a rainy Saturday before Easter!
You might enjoy this Jacques Torres clip on tempering chocolate – unfortunately I couldn’t embed it here, so you’ll need to click through and watch it on YouTube…
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Edit: I’d like to encourage any of you who are interested to give tempering a whirl. I wrote up the method I use here, but it’s quite fiddly, and if you google tempering, there are easier methods – usually involving melting 2/3 of your chocolate and then stirring in the remainder until the liquid chocolate reaches the right temperature. I personally don’t find the other methods as consistent, so I stick to what works for me.
David Lebovitz wrote a great post on tempering chocolate here.
One tip: getting chocolate to temper is quite easy, but keeping it there is tricky. The chocolate needs to go into the mould when it’s between 88 – 90F, but if it cools below that, it can drop out of temper, so the real secret to home tempering is to find a way to keep the chocolate at the ideal temperature while you work it.
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
They look wonderful Celia! So glossy and enticing.
I couldn’t even begin to do that… they look very pretty :D
they look amazing, so glossy. Not sure I’m that patient though!
Those treats look very good indeed, Celia. Love the shine on that chocolate, I but I don’t have the patience to try it myself.
I’ve just read a scary article on sugar, which gives me even more reason to cling to my love of dark chocolate with it’s reduced amounts of sugar!
What amazing stuff Celia, they look so professional and yum, yum. Are you tempted to use some gold leaf – is it expensive? That really dark chocolate looks as if it should have a sprinkling of gold dust. I wonder if it’s possible to make a chocolate lilly – guilded of course.
Wow, that’s amazing! I might have to add chocolate tempering/molding to my to-learn list…but I’m not sure I’m careful enough to make anything that looks that professional…so impressive, Celia!
So.. glossy I’m sure they will taste divine!
They look fantastic. So nice and shiny. I haven’t had any luck tempering chocolate. I’m jealous. :)
incredible! the gloss is utterly amazing. LOVE the chooks!
I loved Jacques Torres’s you tube explanation – especially comments about storing in wine cellar, as if you get stuck in your cellar you have wine, you have chocolate!
Celia my tempering cap gets well and truly taken off to you. AAAAmazing looking easter treats. Would you do an egg with your home made rocky road (with home made marshmallow in it of course)?….Your kids will never want to leave home!
Hi Celia…wow, this looks fabulous!!! happy Easter to you and your family!!! Looking further down at Abla’s book, we were in Melbourne some years ago and went to her restaurant and ended up buying her book. The food was unreal…Dzintra
Incredible Celia – I’m almost tempted to do this myself….almost!
WOW!!! I’m absolutely amazed at your Easter treats! They look nicer than the ones I’ve seen in stores here. The chickens look so cute. Have a nice Easter.
ooh. these look awesome! and you made them yourself! even better. well done.
Dear Easter Bunny… you need to step your game. Celia’s raised the bar.
looks luscious!
Maz
Your chocolates are lovely!
Growing up in a greenhouse/florist shop, Easter has always been more about the flowers for me.
I’m a total sucker for lillies and gloxenia , cinnerarra, and big corsages of orchids.
But seeing your chocolates reminds me of my favorite aunt who was a chocolate dipper at a local candy store.
I always wanted a job where I could put my hands into melted chocolate!
I used to make rocky road bunnies when Brandon was a boy – so much better than the bought ones.
These look so professional. Well done!
Thank you all for your kind comments – we’ve had such a blast making these! Today we made another batch – I tempered the chocolate, and Big Boy and Small Man helped me rotate the filled moulds. It was like a grown up version of making chocolate eggs with little kids.. ;-)
Amanda, we’re gradually darkening the chocolate we eat – the darks are now all over 70% and even the milk is usually 45% or higher. It’s working well – everyone’s palate is adjusting, and we’re all eating less sugar as a result!
Jan, no, never been tempted to use gold leaf – I don’t really like eating it! But I can see what you mean – the dark chocolate would look very pretty with a shiny gold dusting.. :)
Anne, the Jacques Torres clip is fabulous – I don’t use his method, but I love how he sticks his immersion blender into the melted chocolate!
Brydie, thanks for the idea – I hadn’t thought to make rocky road eggs! Might try them next!
Heidi, could you imagine being a chocolate dipper for a living? I’d be the size of a barn! ;-)
Deb, homemade rocky road really is something else – in our case, if for no other reason than I can make it with dark chocolate! :)
I’d like to encourage any of you who are interested to give tempering a whirl. I wrote up the method I use here, but it’s quite fiddly, and if you google tempering, there are easier methods – usually involving melting 2/3 of your chocolate and then stirring in the remainder until the liquid choc reaches the right temperature. I personally don’t find them as consistent, so I stick to what works for me.
One tip: getting chocolate to temper is quite easy, but keeping it there is tricky. The chocolate needs to go into the mould when it’s between 88 – 90F, but if it cools below that, it can drop out of temper, so the real secret to home tempering is to find a way to keep the chocolate at the ideal temperature while you work it.
Your chocolates look FANTASTIC!
[…] Celia of Fig Jam and Lime Cordial, a chocolatier extraordinaire shows you how to make your own easter egg shells […]
Stunning! You should start a chocolate shop and I will be your very first buyer. Oh, and you can throw in some jewelled jars too. I wouldn’t be able to resist buying those either. Gosh – I could just rip the head off that chicken right now – seriously; they’re so gorgeous Celia.
I hope you and your family have a safe and happy easter. And I hope the easter bunny skips your house – you don’t need him. Mariana.
Oh, oh, look at your chocolate hens!! How cah-yute are they!! Fascinating trick to get your chocolates hollow too, Celia. Genius! :)
They look wonderful and I have to say the chook ones are particularly fabulous given your extended family ;)
Oh they so are too aren’t they, love your little chooky choccies. The sheen you’ve achieved on this chocolate it pretty incredible, well done Celia, these look fantastic.
These look so lovely Celia. I’d like to know which one of your girls you used as your model for the choccky chookie? I think she is very stylish!
They look fabulous Celia, and what a clever idea to clip the two halves of the mould together and then rotate – wish I’d thought of that one last year when I was trying to join together my brother’s egg!
Totally jealous. Enjoy, they are beautiies!
Wow, seems a shame to eat them … but you can look at the photo as you yompf into them :-)
They look fantastic Celia!! Can I put in an order and buy my kids easter chocolate from you? Please…?!
I am most impressed with your solution for joining the egg halves together without having to join them. Very clever indeed.
What a beautiful job you did.
Glad you showed us your molds as I’ve seen plastic ones before but never trusted them. I like the glossy, patterned eggs and chicks!
Thank you all!
C, SG & Christine, the trick of clipping the moulds together worked surprisingly well – we’ve broken open a couple of eggs and they’ve been fairly even on the inside. There’s almost no trimming to do either once the chocolates come out!
Mariana, thank you – the Easter bunny has been given our house off this year. Actually, it’s the first year we haven’t bought any Easter chocs at all.. :)
Oz, plastic moulds are fabulous – easy to get the chocolate out, and I put mine in the dishwasher when I’m done. They don’t last forever, but hey, they only cost $2 each. I buy all my moulds online from http://www.candylandcrafts.com – even with the international shipping, they only work out at under $3.50 each.
They look amazing. I like the idea of making your own, cause easter eggs are always so much more expensive than normal ones.
Fantastic Easter eggs & chicks, your chocolate magic never seizes to amaze me. I was going to go on a chocolate course last month to try and crack tempering, but it was cancelled :( I am determined it’s going to happen some time this year though. It’s partly my fault I’m still so nervous, I still haven’t got myself a thermometer. Anyway I shall watch the u tube clip and see if that helps. Meanwhile I’d love one of your milk chocolate eggs :)
Happy Easter
Susan, thank you!
Choc, Happy Easter to you too! Making the eggs was fun. Don’t be nervous, you can always eat the rejects. Just yesterday in the car, Pete commented that our first three or four batches were rubbish, but then we figured it out and it’s all been good since then.. :)
You did an an outstanding job, dear Celia!! I love the fact that you love to use Callebaut chocolate, different kinds too!
He is Belgian too! :) MMMMMMM,….!
Sophie, yes, gorgeous Belgian chocolate it is too!! :) xx