How do you make Easter eggs even more fun? Make your own. Maybe that sounds a bit daunting but not really, thanks to Jamie Oliver. You need a few bits of equipment and the best quality chocolate you can afford. The end result will be so much better than a mass branded product.
Snapshot Survey
Snapshot Survey
1. Chop up the Chocolate
First of all, you need to pick your favorite brand of chocolate. Break it up in to rough chunks, and then using a sharp kitchen knife, chop it all up as finely as you possibly can. The finer the better, as the smaller the pieces are the more silky and amazing the finished product is going to be!
2. Melt the Chocolate
You then need to fill half of small pan with water and being gently to simmering point over a low heat. Get a heatproof bowl and place it over the pan, adding the chopped chocolate so that it starts to melt. Stir the mixture occasionally to aid the melting process.
3. Check the Temperature
Making sure to use oven gloves, take the bowl off the heat and leave it on the side to cool down slightly. You need to make sure that you keep a track of the cooling chocolate’s temperature, with 35ºC being the desired number.
4. Spoon into Molds
Now it’s time to take the melted chocolate mixture and spoon it in to your Easter egg molds. Do this one step at a time, tilting the liquid chocolate around the mold so that you get a completely even covering. If you end up with too much mixture in the molds, then it’s fine to just tip it back out.
5. Next Comes the Cooling Period
Allow the newly spooned in chocolate to cool down inside the molds, and after a little while, take a butter knife and start to scrape and cut around the open rim of the mold so that you are left with a clean edge to the Easter egg half.
6. Leave to Dry
Now it’s time to lay out a sheet of greaseproof paper and sit the mold flat side down on the counter. Leave this for a minimum of 15 minutes, or depending on the size of the egg you are making, just for as long as it takes to be completely set.
7. Repeat All over Again for the Second Mold
Now comes the repetitive part. You need to go all the way back up to step four and repeat the process so that you will eventually end up with two halves of a chocolate egg!
8. Build up Layers
Once those first mold layers are completely dry, you need to repeat the process a few times until you reach the desired thickness for each half. Ideally, you want the halves to be around 1/2cm thick to give the person eating the egg the most satisfaction!
9. Refrigerate
Once this is done, place both of your mold halves in the refrigerator for at least ten minutes to allow all of the new chocolate to completely set.
10. Remove from Molds
Now it’s time for the moment of truth! Warm your hands slightly and then proceed to gently squeeze the molds and work your way around the edges until the chocolate starts to come away from the sides.
11. Stick Together
Melt down a little of the leftover chocolate from the early steps, brush the rims of the egg halves with this mixture, and then gently press them together so that they stick in place and create a perfect oval shape. Congrats, you’ve made your very own Easter egg!
Here’s some of the equipment you need:
Kitchen knife - $10.26 at amazon.com
Heatproof bowl - $11.31 at amazon.com
Chocolate thermometer - $11.39 at amazon.com
Easter egg mold - $5.65 at amazon.com
Butter knife - $4.99 at https://www.amazon.com/ZYLISS-Sandwich-Condiment-Spreader-Orange/dp/B00421ATIQ/ref=sr_1_11?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1521396344&sr=1-11&keywords=butter+knife
Kitchen timer - $7.29 at https://www.amazon.com/Polder-TMR-606-90-Digital-Kitchen-Magnet/dp/B01K607OV6/ref=sr_1_8?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1521396453&sr=1-8&keywords=digital+kitchen+timer