How To Make Great Easter Eggs At Home

This is an overview of how to make a chocolate Easter egg from scratch.

The first step is to temper the chocolate. Tempering determines the consistency and shine of your Easter egg. When you melt chocolate it separates from the fat which is no good for making great chocolate Easter eggs. To solve this you must temper it which happens when it is between 29°C and 31°C.

One way to do it is to put it in the microwave (in a glass bowl) on a fairly high temperature for 30 seconds until it is melted - but make sure you don't overheat it. The rule is that the chocolate should only be slightly warmer than your bottom lip - but be very careful when you test it.

You may be tempted to place it back in the microwave if you still see lumps in it when you stir the contents of the bowl - but don't. The residual heat in the chocolate will melt it over time.

You may see the chocolate start to set around the sides of the bowl - mixed them back into the mixture.

Step 2 Molding the Egg
It's time to pour the mould now. Get the mould and ladle in some chocolate, but don't add too much as you can always add some more. When you've got enough use a pastry brush to spread the chocolate around the mould. Try for an even thickness by letting it partially set and then spread some more on - you may have to do this two or three times.

Step 3 Cleaning the Mold
This is an important step as you want the two halves of the mould to fit seamlessly. Take a sharp knife and cut around the top of the mould so that no chocolate is protruding over the edge.

Step 4 Removing from the mould
When the chocolate has set and cooled it is time to remove it from the moulds. But don't be impatient, leave them for at least twenty minutes to fully set.

When unmoulding you have to be careful and delicate. If you've melted the chocolate in the first place, it should have a nice gloss and not stick to the mould. Simply tip the mould and it should slide out. Or just push gently on one side and it should come out of its home.

Stuff You May Need To Make Easter Eggs at Home (or just chocolatey stuff):

Easter Egg Moulds - eDirectory £3.15
Farringdon Collection 12 Piece Tinplate Chocolate Moulds - Amazon £1.75
Chocolate Time Chocolaitere - Amazon £18.95
Temptations Chocolate Treat Maker - Amazon - £9.99
Temptations Single Chocolate Fountain - Amazon £24.99
Temptations Double Chocolate Fountain - Amazon £44.99