There is a part of me that is sad and depressed about choosing to cancel The Delawder Matthews Easter Egg Hunt for Money this year. Yet somehow, there is also that part of me that is sighing with relief at the same time. I love “The Hunt,” but Easter somehow managed to sneak up on me this year, and no matter how much I thought about it, I just never got to that point where I could get through all of the details to find the enjoyment in it. A huge part of that is most likely due to my brother not being here this year to celebrate it with us. As time goes by, I find myself mourning him more each day, and facing the reality of a future without him in it. A future without someone to be utterly honest with me about the food I make, and the way I go about it. I could always rely on my “Big Bubba” to share his true opinion. In the spirit of that honesty, he would hate these eggs. He would say that they were too soft, and that the vanilla was not necessary. And then, in the spirit of true big brother and little sister rivalry, I would have to counter with the opinion that the addition of vanilla was a stroke of absolute genius, and the soft melty texture of the eggs was absolutely divine. You see, even though he’s not here on Earth, I can still argue with him, still disagree with every breathe I take, still love him more than words can show, and miss him with the passing of each ticking moment gone by.
Ingredients:
- 2 Cups Candy Corn
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 (15-oz) Jar Creamy Peanut Butter
- 1 (16-oz) Bag Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- 1 Tablespoon Crisco
Directions:
- Microwave candy corn in a medium glass bowl for 1 minute.
- Stir with a silicone spatula, microwave for 30 seconds, stir, and then microwave again for an additional 30 seconds. Repeat this process until the candy corn is melted.
- Stir in the vanilla and the peanut butter until incorporated.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
- Form tablespoons of the mixture into egg shapes, place them on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper, and then refrigerate the eggs for 2 hours.
- Microwave the chocolate chips and the Crisco together in a glass bowl for 1 minute, stir, and then microwave again for an additional 15 seconds. Repeat this process until the chocolate is melted.
- Place each egg on the tines of a fork, dip in the chocolate, coat completely, tap off any excess chocolate, and then place on a wax paper lined cookie sheet. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Trim any excess chocolate off of the bottom of the eggs with a knife, and then place on a cookie rack over a foil lined cookie sheet. Use a fork to drizzle each egg with the remaining melted chocolate. You may need to add a bit more Crisco to the chocolate and reheat it for 15 – 45 seconds.
- Refrigerate for 2 hours, and then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Suggestions:
- Don’t let the time involved in this recipe dissuade you from making these eggs. The steps are simple and go quickly; there is just a lot of waiting between steps.
- After drizzling the eggs with chocolate, sprinkle each egg with nonpareils or add a store purchased icing decoration on top.
- I used these chocolate chips in this recipe, because I was too lazy to make a special trip to the market. Feel free to swap in any bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips. If you find that the chocolate is too thick to coat or drizzle the eggs, just add a bit more Crisco to thin the mixture out.
- Do not use natural peanut butter in this recipe, due to its high oil content.
- This recipe will yield approximately two dozen eggs.
Improvements:
- Use vanilla paste in lieu of vanilla extract.
- Sprinkle each egg with sea salt.
Ingredients:
- 2 Cups Candy Corn
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 (15-oz) Jar Creamy Peanut Butter
- 1 (16-oz) Bag Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- 1 Tablespoon Crisco
Directions:
- Microwave candy corn in a medium glass bowl for 1 minute.
- Stir with a silicone spatula, microwave for 30 seconds, stir, and then microwave again for an additional 30 seconds. Repeat this process until the candy corn is melted.
- Stir in the vanilla and the peanut butter until incorporated.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
- Form tablespoons of the mixture into egg shapes, place them on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper, and then refrigerate the eggs for 2 hours.
- Microwave the chocolate chips and the Crisco together in a glass bowl for 1 minute, stir, and then microwave again for an additional 15 seconds. Repeat this process until the chocolate is melted.
- Place each egg on the tines of a fork, dip in the chocolate, coat completely, tap off any excess chocolate, and then place on a wax paper lined cookie sheet. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Trim any excess chocolate off of the bottom of the eggs with a knife, and then place on a cookie rack over a foil lined cookie sheet. Use a fork to drizzle each egg with the remaining melted chocolate. You may need to add a bit more Crisco to the chocolate and reheat it for 15 - 45 seconds.
- Refrigerate for 2 hours, and then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
