Homemade Fondant-Filled Chocolate Eggs and Bunnies

 

 

When I was a teenager Easter eggs were all about choosing whether I preferred Toffee Crisp or Mars or Galaxy, and getting a hollow chocolate egg in a big box with two bars of whichever chocolate I had chosen in the box with it. Now I like to think I have more refined tastes – but it’s probably just that I have more expensive tastes. Nothing will ever compare to the first Easter egg my boyfriend bought me from Godiva – I couldn’t believe how much it cost. But there are plenty of other shops and Easter treats which don’t have to break the bank – including home made ones!

 

There’s always something nice about home made treats which show you have put in the time and effort, and I like being able to make something just the way I want it. I’ve toyed with the idea of making Easter eggs for a few years but never quite seem to buy the mould from Lakeland that I’ve got my eye on in time, and this year was no exception. However, I popped into Poundland one day when I was passing and picked up this cute silicon mould for making small eggs and bunnies.

 

 

You can also buy it on Amazon but it three times as much – though that’s still not particularly expensive if you want to have a go and can’t get to a Poundland.

 

It’s really easy to use and since the mould is silicon you don’t even need to be particularly careful about removing the chocolates when they are set; just peel back the mould and they will pop out.

 

I used milk chocolate and needed 200g to fill all the shapes in this mould. I put a fondant filling inside, but you could also use caramel (either homemade or from a tin e.g. Carnation) or make them solid chocolate.

 

First melt 100g of the chocolate in the microwave or a bain-marie and using a teaspoon, spoon a little of the melted chocolate into each mould. Use the back of the teaspoon to spread it around, making sure you have covered the bottom and the sides of the mould with a thin layer. Place in the fridge to set – this should only take about half an hour.

 

 

I bought some fondant filling from Almond Art as I was purchasing some other things from their website and it only cost £2 for a large block. You can also buy boxes of fondant icing sugar and make it up yourself, but I have never done this so can’t share any advice on how to get it to the right consistency!

 

 

 

The block of ready made fondant was quite firm – though softer than sugarpaste. I popped a chunk of it in a dish in the microwave for a few seconds to soften it further and mixed in a couple of drops of Dr. Oetker food colouring to make the fondant yellow. I put it back in the fridge to go back to its original consistency and when it was thicker, spooned a little into each chocolate coated mould. If you are using caramel, just add the filling in the same way.

 

 

Melt the remaining 100g of chocolate and allow to cool a little, then carefully spoon into each mould so the filling is covered and the chocolate covers the top. Return to the fridge to set.

 

 

Again this only takes about half an hour, and then you can pop out the chocolates and if you want, decorate them further with royal icing or writing icing tubes, edible glitter, or whatever you like.

 

 

 You can see the fondant inside when you bite into the chocolates:

 

 

These would make cute Easter gifts if you can bear to give them away!

 

I’m sharing these with We Should Cocoa, hosted by Choclette at Tin and Thyme, as the theme this month is no-bake chocolate treats.

 

 

I am also sending this to Tea Time Treats, hosted by Karen at Lavender and Lovage and on alternate months Janie at The Hedgecombers, as their theme is chocolate.

 

 

The theme for this month's Biscuit Barrel challenge is candy. The challenge is guest-hosted by Alexandra, the Lass in the Apron, and was created by  Laura at I'd Much Rather Bake Than.

Finally I am sending this to the Food Year Linkup on My Recipe Book which showcases recipes for different times of the year, in this case Easter.