Chocolate Easter Eggs

Chocolate Easter Eggs

I had my first Finnish chocolate as a foreign exchange student in Finland and it's been my favorite ever since!  Finnish chocolate doesn't get the same attention as Swiss chocolate, but it's equally as delicious, if not better!  (Of course I am a little partial! )  At Easter time, Fazer makes one of my favorite chocolates of all time, the Fazer Mignon.

 Imagine... the most delicious hazelnut chocolate you've ever tasted.  Poured into a real egg shell.  Imagine... holding a real looking and feeling egg in your hand and upon cracking it, instead of finding a runny or hard boiled egg, finding a solid chocolate egg inside! It's quite magical!  What a fun thing for every Easter basket!  Of course you can buy these over the internet around Easter, or if you are really lucky, in Finland, but I wanted to try making the Fazer Mignon at home!  Here's how I did it!   
    

Chocolate Eggs

3-4 large (real) eggs

1 package milk chocolate or semisweet chocolate chips

6 tablespoons butter

Cut a hole 1 cm in diameter into bottom of  raw egg.  Poke sharp object inside hole to break the yolk and shake to remove insides.  Rinse out egg shell and let dry.  Melt chocolate and butter in top of double boiler and stir until smooth.  Support egg shell in a tiny bowl so that it is stable enough to sit upright on it's own with hole pointing upwards.  Pour chocolate into dry and empty egg shell.  Allow to cool completely.  Plug hole with a little Royal icing and allow to dry.

Royal Icing 

1 egg white

1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

2 pinches cream of tartar

In electric mixer, beat the egg whites with 1 cup sugar and cream of tartar.  When smooth add remaining sugar 1 cup at a time. Mix until smooth and creamy.  Keep damp cloth over the bowl to prevent hardening.  With a knife cover the hole in the egg shell with royal icing.  Smooth out and let dry.  Let chocolate eggs set up in the refrigerator.

                                       

  The "Finnish"-ed Product!  

         Hyvaa Paasiastia!  (translation...Happy Easter! )