Fruit and Nut Easter Eggs
These can be made long before needed. Their flavor improves as they ripen.
2-1/4 cups sugar·
1 cup light corn syrup
3/4 cup hot water
1/2 lb. marshmallow creme
1/2 cup shortening, melted
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
2 cups candied fruit (cherries and pineapple)
Nuts
Dipping chocolate
In a saucepan, cook sugar, syrup, and water to 265 degrees. Add marshmallow creme and beat until almost firm. Add melted shortening, confectioners' sugar, candied fruit, and nuts. Mix well, shape eggs by hand and dip in the chocolate. The eggs will keep 6 to 8 months. Makes 10 eggs.
Easter Peanut Butter Eggs
Ingredients:
2 eggs, well beaten
1/8 tsp. salt
1-1/2 to 2 cups peanut butter
4 to 5 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 Hershey chocolate bar
1 pkg. (6 oz.) chocolate chips
Instructions:
Mix the eggs, salt, peanut butter, sugar and vanilla in order listed.
Form dough into egg shapes.
Melt the chocolate bar and the chocolate chips in a double boiler.
Dip egg shapes into chocolate mixture. Arrange on waxed paper until set.
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Marshmallow Easter Eggs
Ingredients:
2 tbsp. Knox gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup hot water
1 cup white Karo syrup
2 tsp. vanilla
Cornstarch, for hands
Milk chocolate
Instructions:
Mix gelatin and cold water. Set aside until water is absorbed.
Combine sugar, hot water, 1/2 cup of the Karo syrup and cook to the soft ball stage (240°F). Cool a few minutes.
Beat with mixer at full speed. Add the remaining Karo syrup and all of the gelatin mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time.
Beat 7 to 8 minutes after the last addition of the gelatin.
Add vanilla.
Pour into a well greased 7x9-inch pan and chill thoroughly.
Dust hands with cornstarch.
Spoon marshmallow out of pan and form eggs.
Brush excess cornstarch off and let dry for 1/2 hour on waxed paper.
Pour melted milk chocolate over eggs and let set.
Refrigerate for easier handling.
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Easy Elegant Easter Eggs
Ingredients:
1 stick butter
1 tsp. vanilla
2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
6 cups confectioners' sugar
8 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted
Instructions:
In large bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter until light and fluffy.
Add vanilla and condensed milk and beat until blended.
Add two cups of sugar and beat until blended.
Add two additional cups sugar and beat with mixer until blended.
If mixer is a heavy duty model, you may be able to use it to blend in the remaining sugar. Otherwise, remove the bowl from the mixer stand and using a wooden spoon, beat in the remaining sugar.
Remove mixture from bowl onto clean counter surface and knead with your hands if necessary to make a smooth, fondant consistency.
Pinch off about two tablespoons of the fondant and roll it between yourhands to form a smooth egg shape, slightly narrower at one end.
Place each egg on a cookie sheet covered with waxed paper.
Refrigerate a few hours or overnight to firm and chill before dipping in chocolate adhere to the eggs. Dip in chocolate.
Moist, sweetened coconut may be added to the fondant to make coconut cream eggs.
For peanut butter eggs, make a small yolk of about one tablespoon peanut butter and wrap in a thin layer of fondant. Shape as directed for shaping plain eggs.
Coat with chocolate for plain eggs.
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Easter Eggs
Ingredients:
2 boxes powdered sugar
2 sticks butter or margarine
1 tsp. salt
1 small can Carnation milk
1 pkg. chopped nuts
1 small jar maraschino cherries, drained
1 cup coconut
1 can crushed pineapple, well drained
1 pkg. (12 oz.) chocolate chips
Instructions:
Mix sugar, butter, nuts, cherries, pineapple and coconut.
Add salt.
Add milk to stick together, but not runny.
Shape and allow to dry.
Melt chocolate chips in double boiler. You can adds haved paraffin to chocolate chips to make chocolate shiny.
Dip shaped egg into melted chocolate and set out to dry.(Tupperware Pastry Sheet very helpful here.)
When chocolate is set, eggs can then be personalized and decorated with icing.
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Creamy Easter Eggs
Servings: 16
Ingredients:
3 tbsp. invert sugar *
1/3 cup candied fruit, chopped (cherries and pineapple)
1/3 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped
3 cups sugar
2 tbsp. light corn syrup
1 dash salt
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. marshmallow cream
Dipping chocolate
Instructions:
In a small saucepan, combine invert sugar, fruit and nuts.
Stir and boil for 2-3 minutes; drain, reserving liquid.
Combine liquid, sugar, corn syrup, salt and water in a 2-quart saucepan. Cover tightly and bring to a boil.
Uncover and place a candy thermometer in pan; cook to 250°F.
Pour candy out on a marble slab and cool to lukewarm.
Work candy with spatula until it is opaque.
Add vanilla and marshmallow creme.
Continue to paddle candy until creamy.
Add prepared fuit and nuts; knead into candy.
Form into egg shapes and let stand a couple of hours.
Dip in chocolate.
* buy invert sugar at cake and decorating stores. This is excellent for making Easter eggs but you can also make candy bars by patting candy into a square on waxed paper, cutting into bars and dip in chocolate.
Cherry Nut Easter Egg
Ingredients:
1/2 cup milk
1/2 stick butter or margarine
2 pkg. (3 oz. each) vanilla pudding and (not instant)
1 (9 oz.) jar maraschino cherries
1 cup pecans or walnuts, finely chopped
1 to 2 lb. confectioners' sugar
1 lb. chocolate, melted
Instructions:
Cut cherries in half; drain well on paper towels.
Cook milk, butter and pudding in a medium saucepan on low heat until well blended and thick.
Remove from stove and add cherries, nuts and enough sugar to make a thick consistency.
Form the mixture into 8 to 10 egg shapes with hands coated in butter.
Place on wax paper covered cookie sheet. Chill several hours until firm.
Melt chocolate being careful not to scorch it. Frost egg with melted chocolate.
Decorate with a buttercream icing.
And now to answer your question about invert sugar - depending on the recipe - honey or corn syrup can be substituted.
You can make your own 'invert sugar' from ordinary table sugar with just a few simple items. Sucrose is made up of two simpler sugars (glucose and fructose) joined together. Yeast must spend time and effort breaking the joining bonds to allow them to get at the simple sugars they need for metabolism. This can be done chemically in an acid environment with heat. You will need a candy thermometer that goes up to about 350°F and a 2 qt saucepan. The ingredients are sugar, water, and citric acid to provide the acidic environment needed..
There are certain temperatures that relate to the process of candy making as shown in the table below. The terms refer to how the sugar will behave on cooling.
Term Used Temperature
Soft Ball 240°F
Hard Ball 260°F
Soft Crack 275°F
Hard Crack 300°F
To make a pound of Candi Sugar, measure a pound of sugar into the 2 qt saucepan. Add just enough water to make a thick syrup, and mix in a pinch of citric acid. Now bring to a boil and keep the temperature between hard ball and soft crack (260°-275°F). As you boil, evaporation will cause the temperature to begin rising, so have a small amount of water on hand and add a tablespoon whenever the temperature gets above 275°F.
The color will gradually change from clear to light amber to deep red as the boil proceeds. Light candi sugar is a very light amber-yellow. This can take as little as 15 minutes. Dark candi sugar is very deep red. This can take several hours. Once you are at the color you desire, you stop adding water and let the temperature rise to hard crack (300°F). Once it hits hard crack, turn off the heat and pour it into a shallow pan (like a cake pan) lined with a sheet of waxed paper. As it cools it will go rock hard, and you can break it into 'rocks', bag in a ziplock bag and store in the freezer until you are ready to use it.
Hope this helps!
