This Candy Easter Egg holds a sweet surprise inside! Crack open its edible shell to find more candy to share and enjoy!
It’s been a while since I’ve made something just for fun, and what could be more fun than a giant speckled Candy Easter Egg? With the holiday coming up, I wanted to make something super cute that I could share with my family after our Easter dinner. Kids will adore this, but adults love it too.
This breakable candy Easter egg (also called a Piñata Egg or Bash Egg) is just as fun as opening an Easter basket. Fill it with small candies and little toys. It’s easy to customize to the recipient.
Silicone mold
You can’t make a giant Easter egg without an egg shell mold! This 3D Silicone Egg Mold is what I used. It creates an egg a little more than 7″ tall. And it even comes with a little wooden mallet for breaking the assembled egg (which I misplaced immediately after opening the package and never found again, le sigh). Each shell mold has a foot on the underside so they don’t wobble around and become misshapen as the candy sets.
For the speckle.
Grab a stiff bristle paint brush (new, unused, and kitchen-dedicated) 1 tablespoon of mini semisweet chips and 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil. I used sunflower oil because it’s what I prefer nowadays in all my baking and sweets. Melt the semisweet chips with the oil in the microwave. The oil loosens the chocolate’s texture to become more fluid. This is the perfect consistency for creating speckles and splatters.
Next, dip the paint brush in the chocolate and use a finger to flick the end of the brush towards the molds. This creates speckling. Then, dip the paint brush in the chocolate again, loading it well, and fling the chocolate onto the molds. This creates a paint splatter effect. Whisk the molds away to the freezer to chill for about 10 minutes, or until totally set.
For the shells.
One 12 oz. bag of meltable candy wafers is a little more than you’ll need to make one assembled egg. However, I recommend melting the entire bag in case you need a little extra for spackling thin spots in the shells. Melt the candy in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave at 30 second to 1 minute intervals.
Stir well between heating intervals, and use the residual heat from the bowl to do most of the melting of the wafers as you stir. This is key to not overheat the candy. Let the candy cool a little before you pour it into the molds. It should be warm to the touch (not hot!) yet still pourable.
Gently spread the candy into the mold using a small spatula. Whisk the molds away, once again, to the freezer to set about 20 minutes or until the candy is completely hardened.
Test results.
I made three different eggs which turned out to be like snowflakes – no two alike! Ha. It was a learning process, but I really love how each one turned out.
Attempt 1: For a marbled look pour hot melted candy into the molds and turn them to swirl the candy over the cavity surfaces (see video for action). I did this with the blue shells, and the chocolate speckling was not preserved. Instead, it created marbling – which I like! But it wasn’t exactly what I was going for.
Attempt 2: For a marbled and speckled appearance, use a mini spatula to partially spread warm candy into the mold, then use the swirl technique to finish covering the cavity. The result is speckling and marbling – which I also like! However, I wanted to try again.
Attempt 3: For a strictly speckled appearance, use a mini spatula to gently spread warm candy into the mold. Again, you can see this action in the video at the end of this blog post. It preserves all the semisweet chocolate speckling and spatter marks. Now this is what I was going for!
Unmold the egg shells.
This is the fun part! Gently peel away the silicone molds to reveal the beautiful speckled candy eggshells. If you’re looking to simplify things, you can skip the speckling and mold the candy without it. This will give you the appearance of a giant dyed Easter egg – still very cute! (Although I am partial to the speckling.)
Candy!
Easter candy is the prettiest of all candies, I think. Gather your favorite and most colorful small candies for filling the egg shell. Include little toys, foil-wrapped chocolates, sprinkles, malted milk eggs, jelly beans – whatever will comfortably fit inside. Pile the candy up in the center.
Join the shells.
In a small nonstick pan, over low heat, gently melt the edges of an egg shell (see the video for action). The melted candy will join the shells together. Let this stand at room temperature until set. This won’t take long at all, if your room temperature stays around 69-72F. Otherwise you can transfer the egg to the refrigerator to speed setting.
Add some brightly colored grosgrain ribbon to make the eggs egg-stra cute! (Haha. I couldn’t help myself.)
As I mentioned before, the silicone mold comes with a little wooden mallet which you can give with the egg if you’re giving it as a gift. I lost mine immediately upon opening the package. And I’m having my own Easter egg hunt looking for it (note: I have a puppy that likes to carry things away). However, I used a wooden dough tamper (as seen in the video) that worked just fine.
Of course, if you don’t have time to make your own Piñata Egg at home, you can purchase one online, complete with wooden mallet, although they can get pretty pricey.
This is such a fun interactive treat with real piñata appeal! Except this one is totally edible with its candy shell. This was so fun to make, I’ll probably put a few more together for gifts. It’s an easy edible craft that requires little kitchen time.
Happy Spring!
Related recipe: Edible Paper Mache Easter Egg Piñata
Candy Easter Egg (Breakable Bash Candy Egg)
Equipment
- Silicone egg mold with mallet mold size approximate 7.2” x 5.7”
- large baking sheet
- Stiff bristle paint brush kitchen dedicated
- Nonstick pan
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon mini chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil I use sunflower oil
- 12 oz. candy melting wafers your color choice
- 2 cups assorted small candies such as jellybeans or malted milk eggs
Instructions
- In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine the semisweet chips and oil. Heat at 100% power in the microwave at 30 second intervals, until the mixture is melted and can be stirred smooth. (About 45 seconds to 1 minute total.) Set aside to let cool slightly.
- Place the silicone molds on a large baking sheet. Make room in your freezer to accommodate the sheet with molds on it.
- Dip the stiff bristle paint brush into the chocolate and flick the bristles of the brush with a finger into the cavities of the shell molds. Do this repeatedly for speckling. For spattering, load the paint brush with the chocolate mixture and use flinging motions to splatter the shell cavities with the chocolate. Place the molds in the freezer to set the chocolate.
- Meanwhile, melt the candy wafers in a large microwave-safe bowl at 100% power in the microwave. Heat in 30 second to 1-minute increments, stirring the candy well between heating intervals. Be sure to stir well using the residual heat from the bowl to do most of the melting. This will help avoid overheating the candy. When the candy is smooth, let it cool slightly. It should not be hot to the touch, rather it should be warm yet still pourable.
- Remove the molds from the freezer and immediately divide about 3/4 of the candy between the two spattered shells. Use the mini spatula to gently spread the candy up the sides of the mold. Be sure to spread the candy all the way to the top edges where the two shells with meet to form the whole egg.
- Transfer the molds to the freezer to set, about 20 minutes, or until the candy is extremely firm/hard to touch. Examine the set candy in the molds to make sure there are not weak or thin spots in the shells. If you see this, re-heat the remaining candy until smooth and gently spatula melted candy over the thin areas. Freeze again until solid.
- When the shells are solid, peel away the silicone mold away from the candy to reveal beautiful speckled egg shell halves.
- Have the assorted candies ready to hand. Also have some paper towels at the ready.
- Place a nonstick pan over low heat. Place an egg shell half edges-down in the pan for 1-3 seconds, or until the edges melt evenly. Remove quickly and place on a serving plate. Wipe the pan clean with a paper towel. Add the assorted candies, sprinkles, toys, etc, and pile them high in the center of the egg shell, avoiding the melted edges. Melt the edges of the second shell in the same way as the first, then top the filled shell with the second shell, meeting the melted edges together. Hold for 30 seconds to 1 minute until firm. Allow the egg to stand until the candy is well set.
- Wrap the egg with a ribbon and bow using the grosgrain ribbon. Present to a lucky recipient along with a small wooden mallet for breaking, or include cracking instructions.
This looks so beautiful. I love to see your attempts. I don’t get to try all your recipes, but I always love looking at them. You are gifted in your creative ideas and presentation.