How to make an Easter egg

Wash each half of your Easter egg mould with hot soapy water and a soft sponge, then dry carefully. Using a ball of cotton wool, buff the inside of the mould. The better the shine on the mould, the better the finish on the chocolate.

Step 2: Melt the white chocolate

Melt then temper the white chocolate for the brush strokes.

Tip: To make Good Food’s chocolate Krispie chick, all you need to do is add 50g puffed rice cereal when you take the milk chocolate off the heat.

Step 3: Brush the moulds

Colour half the melted white chocolate with a little food colouring gel if you want, then brush graphic stripes of chocolate onto the moulds. Let each colour set before you add the next (setting is really speedy if you’ve achieved good temper). Go over some stripes twice, to make the colours pop out. Repeat the melting and tempering process with the dark chocolate, if you like.

Tip: While the chocolate is drying, why not make treats to go inside your egg? It’s a lovely extra touch, and will distract impatient little chefs. See suggestions below.

Step 4: Fill the moulds

Line a baking sheet with parchment. Melt and temper the milk chocolate. Half-fill one mould with the chocolate, then tip it this way and that to completely cover the mould.

Step 5: Pour off the excess

Pour the excess back into the chocolate bowl, and scrape a palette knife across the mould to clean it up. Repeat with the other half of the egg. Set the moulds, flat-side down, on the lined sheet. Transfer to the fridge and leave to set for about 10 mins.

Step 6: Release the chocolate

When the chocolate is solid, flex the moulds to gently release. Take your time – you will see the air slowly creep its way between the plastic and the shiny, hard chocolate. Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.

Step 7: Melt the edges

Heat a baking sheet in the oven until warm. Put clean gloves on (prevents fingerprints) and pick up one side of the egg. Any messy edges can be melted flat by holding them against the tray. Next, carefully rub the flat edge of the egg on the tray to melt it a little.

Step 8: Finish the second half

Repeat with the second side. If you’re struggling to pick up the egg from the tray, use a palette knife to help.

Step 9: Combine the halves

Hold the melted edges of the egg together for a few moments until they stick. Wipe away any excess, then leave the egg to set in the fridge for a few minutes. The egg is now ready to give or wrap up for Easter. Store in a cool place away from fluctuating temperatures.

Our verdict?

The recipe was spot-on and really easy to follow. Perfectionists should invest in a thermometer to get that glossy, speckle-free finish, but if you don’t mind doing a bit of crafty decorating, making your own egg couldn’t be simpler – or more fun!

How to get super shiny chocolate

Tempering is the process of heating then cooling chocolate to form a specific type of crystals in the cocoa butter. If we simply melt and cool shop-bought chocolate, it will quickly ‘bloom’, with dots and streaks of cocoa butter. It melts quickly when touched too. Tempered chocolate quickly sets hard and shiny, won’t bloom, and shrinks as it cools, making it easy to remove from a mould. Here’s how to temper chocolate:

• Melt three quarters of the chocolate in a heatproof bowl until it is silky and smooth. White chocolate should reach 43C, milk and dark 45C. Add the remaining chocolate, chopped into small pieces.
• Stir with a spatula until the pieces have melted and the thermometer shows 28C for milk and white, 30C for dark. This can take a while, so have patience and keep stirring. Use as soon as possible. If the chocolate starts to get too cold and thick, heat for just a few seconds and stir well.
• Another way to temper your chocolate is to use a marble surface. Melt all of the chocolate at once until it reaches 55C then pour it onto a marble slab. Keep the chocolate moving by scraping it around the surface and into the middle until it has cooled to 27C. Scrape it back into the bowl and warm it just until it reaches about 30C then it can be used.

Ideas for decorating

• Melt a tablespoon of chocolate and dab a little on the back of your favourite, flat-backed chocolates or sweets before sticking on the egg – a good job for little ones.
• Create designs on your egg using different types of chocolate. You can colour white chocolate with gel food colouring then brush it into the mould with a pastry brush. Let each colour set before you add the next one, then finish by pouring in one type of chocolate to coat the inside.
• Making your own piping bag from baking paper is really easy. Use icing or cooled chocolate to put your artistic skills to the test – you could personalise the egg with a name or message.
• Cut out marzipan shapes to add to your eggs. Let kids get creative, or try a design such as the one used for our cute Krispie chick.
• For the adventurous, try our beautiful marbled egg or our step-by-step guide to making a striped chocolate Easter egg.

Our top five fillers

• Individually wrap chocolate truffles for a grown-up treat.
• Glitzy choc-egg lollies will fit snugly in your egg.
• The perfect project for little hands – really enormous chocolate buttons.
• Fudgy coconut brownies will make for a nice surprise.
• Use our basic biscuit dough recipe as the basis for Easter-themed mini treats.

Check out our decorating video for some easy Easter egg inspiration.

Where to get egg moulds?
Cookware and craft shops have Easter egg moulds. You can easily find them online at a good price – we bought ours from Lakeland.

Need a break from making Easter eggs? See our review of the best Easter eggs to buy.

Have you made your own Easter egg? Let us know below...