Chocolate Easter Eggs and Bunnies

Serious Eats had a good question about chocolate Easter bunnies and preferences. So what's better? Solid? Hollow? Dark chocolate? Milk chocolate? I think I'm partial to hollow, but since I haven't had a chocolate Easter bunny in a long time, I can't remember if I liked milk or dark chocolate. My taste today is for dark chocolate, so maybe I'll need to buy one of the bunnies. Can you buy just one? Don't they reproduce?

Chocolate Easter Eggs: Alison Ladman had a great recipe for the Associated Press for making your own Chocolate Easter Eggs. Looks like the end product would be delicious, but it's more for a candy maker, and I'm a baker. I don't really get "melts" and all. Lots of other chocolate egg recipes on Elizabeth LaBau's chocolate Easter Egg entry on About.com. There are even some I will try. Here's her recipe for Double Chocolate Easter Eggs. Might as well go for the Gold: double chocolate. And this looks relatively easy.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:

* 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
* 1 package (5.25 oz) chocolate pudding mix, not instant
* 1/2 cup milk
* 1 lb powdered sugar, sifted
* 1 tsp vanilla extract
* 1 cup chopped walnuts
* 5 ounces unsweetened chocolate (can substitute bittersweet)
* 1 tbsp shortening

Preparation:

1. Place the butter in a medium saucepan and heat it over medium until the butter is melted. Pour in the pudding mix and stir until smooth and well-combined.

2. Slowly pour in the milk and continue to stir until mixture is smooth. Continue to cook over medium heat, stirring, until mixture is very thick and pulls from the sides of the pan.

3. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the powdered sugar and vanilla. Stir in the walnuts and allow to cool for 5 minutes.

4. Form the mixture into about 20 egg shapes and place on foil-lined baking sheet. Place in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.

5. While candy is setting, melt the unsweetened chocolate and shortening together in the microwave. Allow it to cool, but not set. If it begins to harden before candy is ready to be dipped, re-warm it in the microwave briefly.

6. Dip the eggs in the melted chocolate using two forks or dipping tools. Place them back on the baking sheet. Place the eggs back in the refrigerator to set completely.

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Hotel Chocolate, a UK company, has some beautiful chocolate Ostrich Easter Eggs and even some Engraved Cocoa Pod Easter Eggs. Too late for me, I guess to order these.

So while I was searching, I found a cool site called Easter Eggs. Links to a lot of English Easter chocolate. Loved the 1/2 price Thorntons Easter Bunnies (milk and white chocolate). Not traditional in so many ways, and maybe a bit too cute, but such fun!

And Brett Moore has the top 9 Chocolate Bunnies for Easter. Maybe not too late to order. They all look great, and I think Brett vetted them on taste.