Today’s recipe comes again from dear Leotie Lovely. Easter is soon on its way, meaning that the shops are suddenly lined with chocolatey wares wrapped in layers of plastic and packaging, a zero waste nightmare. On top of that, if you’re vegan your options are dramatically reduced. I saw Holly’s vegan optional, homemade creme egg recipe a long time ago, and have been saving sharing it until now. I hope you enjoy!

Below are her words…

I made these bad boys a few years back for an Easter lunch I was attending. It was one of those ‘cooking’ projects I went into thinking there was no way I wouldn’t screw it up, and was happily surprised when I in fact did not. It’s a lot more work than buying a pack of palm-oil filled un-ethically made cadbury creme eggs from the shop, but I guarantee it’s worth it. This makes around 15 eggs, depending on size and I’ve adapted the ingredients list from Food52, these are their photos and their original instructions as well.

[WHAT YA NEED]

½ cup corn syrup or agave nector

6 tablespoons butter, softened / ¼ cup vegan butter

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 cup powdered sugar / powdered vegan sugar

¼ to ½ teaspoon yellow food coloring

12 ounces dark fair trade chocolate ()

[HOW TO]

ONE. 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 syrup, salt, 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.

TWO. 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.

THREE. 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.

FOUR. 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.

FIVE. 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.

SIX. 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.

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

EIGHT. 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.

NINE. 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.

TEN. 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. (they won’t come out looking perfect as the picture but I promise you they’ll taste the damn same!)

Seriously delicious! Remember to go show Holly some love on Instagram or Twitter, and find her online here for more eco and ethical goodness.

Until next time, stay magic y’all.