Sunday, March 28, 2010

Butter cream Easter eggs....

The sin of all sins - homemade butter cream eggs.

A yearly tradition for my family since I was in high school.
Pictured above are peanut butter cream eggs. I've included the "original" recipe below for not only peanut butter, but, traditional butter cream, coconut, and chocolate butter cream.

Here are the creams from above all dipped in chocolate. I can smell the calories!


On a few, I drizzled white chocolate after the chocolate shell had set.

And,here it is, still in my original binder from my home ec class in 9th grade. Click on the photo to read the recipe!
It's easier than pie and more fun than kneading dough - well kinda.
The dough should be a consistency you can handle without it sticking to your hands. And a little hint - start with less milk and add as needed and always have a little extra 10x (powdered) sugar available in case it becomes sticky.
After you've made the dough, break off chunks to a size of your liking an roll into a ball between the palms of your hands. After you have your ball, start to roll like a snake, then just before it becomes a log shape, flatten into an egg shape.
After you've rolled out all your eggs, let the dough rest in the frig for at least a couple of hours or even better yet, overnight. The idea is you want the dough cold.

For dipping, I typically use 1/2 unsweetened and 1/2 semi or bittersweet chocolate. To give you an idea, the batch above was a double batch (2lbs of 10x) so I wound up melting 8 squares of unsweetened and 8 squares of semi-sweet for the coating.
I now melt everything in the microwave - it only takes a couple of minutes. Beats the old double boiler method! I microwave in 30 second increments to keep a better handle on the melt. The square don't have to be totally melted - they will continue to melt - just keep stirring to keep the consistency blended and smooth.
Now comes the most boring - and I mean boring- part. Dipping the eggs. I use two forks.
Drop an egg in the chocolate, roll it over with one fork onto the other then lift out of the chocolate. Let the excess drip back into the bowl and as it's dripping, use your free fork to scrape the excess of the bottom off the fork holding the egg. When most has finished dripping, set on a tray covered with wax paper. Continue dipping until all your eggs are coated. Pop the tray in the fridge until set. You can then wrap each egg individually into little squares of plastic wrap. These do best if kept refrigerated, but, they do okay at room temperature.

If you are avoiding sugar, chocolate, or tooth decay you may want to stay clear of these. They are pure non-nutritional heaven.
Enjoy!


* I do not use margarine in this recipe. I use butter for the entire amount*

6 comments:

  1. I had no idea these could be homemade! Thanks for the recipe - I see butter cream eggs in our future. (And that's some new toy you have out in the garden! I think I'll keep Kim away from those pictures for a while...)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Those are wonderful! I wish I still had my recipe booklet from school.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I can taste them now; and gain ten pounds just from looking at them.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Toni- was that 1/3 cup each butter and margarine, so that you use 2/3 cup butter only?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Paula - 1/3 cup total or 5 1/4 tablespoons of butter. I guess that is confusing, but, I was only 14 or 15 when I wrote that down!
    Miriam - the new toy is great, but, it came with a hefty price tag. It's made work a lot easier for us middle-agers, though!
    Callie - it's hard to believe I still have it. It's hung around with me for 37 years!
    Becky - for sure, just thinking about them puts on the pounds. That's why they only come out once a year!

    ReplyDelete