Peanut Butter Melt-Away Eggs

With Easter only a few weeks away, I'm in the mood for CHOCOLATE! And nothing goes as well with chocolate as peanut butter.

Chocolate eggs first appeared in the early 1800s in Germany and France. The first eggs were solid - but chocolatiers son found ways to create hollow eggs. The process was complicated and impractical until the discovery of 20th century chocolate making techniques. With the new techniques for processing chocolate, all sorts of shapes began appearing including molded bunnies and chicks for Easter.

In 1922, H B Reese introduced the first peanut butter cup candy bar which has continued to gain popularity through the years, so I am assuming the chocolate covered peanut butter egg originated sometime after that. I remember getting a one pound peanut butter egg each year in my Easter Basket as a child so they've been around awhile. LOL!

Today, over 90 million chocolate bunnies are produced each year. When polled, 76 percent of Americans said they preferred to eat their bunnies ears first. Marshmallow Peeps, especially the yellow ones, are the most popular non-chocolate Easter treats.

I have several recipes for fondant for Easter Eggs, but my favorite one came from the youth pastor at our church in Oakland, MD. Each year the young people made three varieties of Easter eggs - peanut butter, coconut and cherry. The peanut butter eggs were outstanding and working together to make them was the best fun of the season.

Peanut Butter Melt-Away Eggs

Fondant:

2 sticks of margarine
One 8 ounce block of cream cheese
One 18 ounce jar of peanut butter
2 pound bag of powdered sugar

Blend margarine, cream cheese and peanut butter until well mixed. Slowly add in powdered sugar until mixture is the consistency of thick cookie dough. Mold into egg shapes and refrigerate overnight.

Coating:

1/4 pound paraffin, chopped finely to melt better
1 pound sweet milk chocolate, wafers or morsels
Semi sweet morsels may also be used.

Heat in double boiler over low heat until melted. Dip fondant eggs and allow to cool thoroughly. Decorate with frosting flowers if desired. The number of eggs will depend on the size.

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Enjoy!