You're about to set off on a very mouth-watering journey. A simple yet delicious recipe: filled chocolate eggs! These little confectionery treasures are a perfect alternative to the classic Easter eggs: whether as a delightful DIY gift, a sweet treat to enjoy at the end of a meal or a snack, filled chocolate eggs are a tempting little indulgence that will please the palates of grown-ups and children alike.
The best part? They're so easy to make that you'll wonder why you never made them before! With our kitchen tools, making filled chocolate eggs will be child's play. So put on your apron, fire up the oven and get ready to amaze your guests with these irresistible treats!
Step 1: preparing the chocolate eggs
You'll need:
- Dark chocolate
- White chocolate
- Piping bag
- A polycarbonate egg mould
- Start by cleaning the egg moulds with a soft cloth.
- Temper 2/3 of the white chocolate in the microwave. Once it is soft, stir the chocolate until it reaches a temperature of 40–42 °C.
- Add the remaining chocolate a little at a time and keep stirring until it reaches the pre-crystallization temperature of 28 °C.
- Pour the melted chocolate into a piping bag and create polka dots on the polycarbonate egg moulds. We'll keep the leftover chocolate at temperature in the mini Meltinchoch by Martellato.
3. Temper the dark chocolate in the same way: reach a melting temperature of 45–50 °C and a pre-crystallization temperature of 30 °C.
4. Pour the dark chocolate into the mould (this will be the shell), tap the mould to knock out any bubbles and turn it upside down to remove the excess.
5. Once the chocolate has cooled, add the white chocolate in the same way: knock out the bubbles and turn it upside down to remove the excess.
Now we have the shell of our two-tone eggs!
Step 2: preparing the filling
For the filling you'll need:
- 125 g milk chocolate
- 100 g chopped toasted hazelnuts
- 30 g crushed amaretti di Saronno (Italian almond macaroons)
- Prepare the syrup by boiling 123 g of sugar with 100 ml of water.
- Spread a thin layer of chopped hazelnuts over a surface lined with baking paper.
- Once cooled, drizzle a small amount of syrup over the chopped hazelnuts and caramelize the mixture for 10 minutes at 150 °C. Leave to cool.
- Temper the milk chocolate, add the caramelized hazelnuts and stir carefully. Finally, crush the amaretti di Saronno and add them to the mixture.
- When the filling is nicely smooth and well blended, use a teaspoon to place the mixture inside the egg shells.
Step 3: preparing the white ganache and closing the filled chocolate eggs
For the white ganache you'll need:
- 120 ml fresh cream
- 20 g dextrose (or icing sugar)
- 15 g acacia honey
- 25 g egg yolk
- 200 g white chocolate
- Bring the cream to the boil in the microwave.
- In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks and add the sugar.
- Once the cream begins to boil, pour it into the yolk-and-sugar mixture. Cook until it reaches 83–84 °C.
- Strain the cream through a fine sieve directly onto the white chocolate.
- Blend with an immersion blender: at this stage, avoid incorporating air into the cream.
- Once the cream has reached 29 °C, transfer the mixture to a piping bag and garnish the chocolate eggs.
And so we've reached the end! Once the halves of the chocolate eggs have cooled, use the piping bag to spread a little melted chocolate around the rim of the eggs and join the two halves together.
Your filled chocolate eggs are ready to serve at the end of a meal or to be wrapped up and given to your loved ones!
Blog by Enrico Gumirato, pastry chef and trainer
