Homemade Cadbury Creme Eggs! (Yes, it's a thing!)

Don't fret. I have no intentions of making this a food blog. I did make Martha Stewart's chocolate pudding a few weekends ago, however, and since then I have been on a bit of a chocolate confection kick. After buying my first trio of Cadbury Creme Eggs at the grocery store the other day, I randomly decided to see if I could find a recipe that I could use to make these mysterious little Easter treats at home. I was surprised (and delighted) to find many links to food blogs that had exactly what I was looking for! 

The recipe for the cream eggs on each of the blogs I found was basically the same. They all seem to be variations on this one found on instructables.com posted in 2011. I was a bit more fond of this recipe I found on an excellent food blog called Food52. I like the simplicity and quality of the ingredients and the clarity of the method. You can see the recipe below.

Whether or not I attempt to make these remains to be seen, but I did want to share the recipe here in case there are any other Cadbury Creme Egg enthusiasts out there who would like to have it in their repertoire. Thanks to Ashley Rodriguez for this recipe and photos. Visit her wonderful blog, Not Without Salt, for more food inspiration.

Homemade Cadbury Creme Eggs

Makes around 15 eggs, depending on size.

Adapted from instructables.com

½ cup Lyle’s golden syrup
6 tablespoons butter, softened
½ teaspoon salt
3 drops orange blossom water (optional)
1 vanilla bean, seeds removed (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cup powdered sugar
¼ to ½ teaspoon yellow food coloring
12 ounces dark chocolate, chopped (or 1 bag bittersweet chocolate chips)

Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer that has been fitted with the paddle attachment (this can also be done by hand or with a hand mixer). Add the golden syrup, salt, orange blossom water (if using), vanilla seeds, and vanilla extract. Mix on medium-low to combine, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to make sure everything is mixed well. Turn the mixer to low and slowly add the powdered sugar. Mix until completely smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

Place a third of the mixture into a small bowl and add enough yellow food coloring to obtain your desired color. Cover both bowls with plastic wrap and put into the freezer for at least 15 minutes; your mixture must be very cold while you work with it. 

When the sugar mixture is thoroughly chilled, remove from the freezer. Working quickly, take about ½ teaspoon of the yellow “yolk” mixture and roll it into a ball. Repeat with the rest of the mixture.

Once the yolks are complete, place them on a plate or a sheet tray covered with parchment and then put that back into the freezer.

Now, scoop out a tablespoon of your “whites” and roll it into a ball. Repeat with the rest of the white portion of the sugar mixture. If the whites are too soft to work with, place back into the freezer for a few minutes.

Remove the yolks from the freezer. Place a white in the palm of your hand and gently flatten it a bit. Create an indent in the center to rest the yolk in. Place the yolk in the center of the white, then cover it up and roll the white into an egg shape. If at any point the sugar mixture gets too soft, quickly put it back into the freezer.

Continue this process until all your eggs are complete. Return them to the freezer.

While your eggs are chilling, temper your chocolate or microwave it in 30 second intervals, stirring very well in between. If you use the microwave method, add a tablespoon of canola oil to the melted chocolate and stir well; this will give you a little more flexibility with your chocolate. You will not, however, get as nice of a crack as you bite into the egg.

 Working with one egg at a time, remove the egg from the freezer and stick a toothpick in it. Dip the egg into the chocolate and carefully let the excess chocolate drip off. Place the other end of the toothpick into something – like a yam, perhaps – while the chocolate sets.

 Place the chocolate-covered egg into the fridge for 10 minutes while the chocolate sets. Carefully remove the toothpick from the egg and cover up the small hole with a little bit of tempered chocolate.