The Hunt For The Golden Egg

The temperatures are finally bearable in Chicago and a holiday weekend is upon us!  Though while you're busy hiding Easter baskets this year maybe take a second to think about what might be hiding in those Easter candies. We know, we know - those treats are only (mostly) for special occasions but that doesn't mean they can't be nutritious and contain good ingredients now does it? We swear these peanut butter eggs are better than anything you'll find in a package and only contain five simple ingredients. Maybe buy some yellow paper to wrap them in and no one will ever know the difference! 

What the heck is in the classic peanut butter egg anyway and have you ever even looked at the ingredients list? It starts decent with milk chocolate, peanuts, sugar, corn syrup and cornstarch, all pretty familiar. However, there are a few unsettling ingredients hidden in those eggs we just had to tell you about. PGPR is the first; used as an emulsifer and short for ployglycerol polyricinoleate, it is a yellowish, viscous liquid (ew!) composed of ingredients commonly found in caster oil. PGPR is used in a few big name candy companies in place of cocoa butter due to the lower cost. The next is partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (palm kernel and palm oil), aka trans fat. Trans fat is a man made fat that goes through processing to change the chemical structure causing the oil to unnaturally become solid at room temperature. Partially hydrogenated oil has a long shelf life which is why you see it in many processed foods. So what's wrong with that? Trans fat is like a "rotten egg" for your heart; it increases your LDL (bad cholesterol) and deceases your HDL (good cholesterol). For this reason trans fat, in our opinion, is one of the worst "foods" to ingest. Please do your body a favor and avoid any food containing partially hydrogenated oils! So now let's compare these ingredients to our five wholesome ingredient recipe and let your taste buds decide. 

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Eggs
PREP TIME: 5 mins
TOTAL TIME: 40-50 mins (includes chilling)
Servings: 8-10 peanut butter eggs

Ingredients
Filling
1/2 cup natural peanut butter 
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
2 tsp coconut flour
1/8 tsp sea salt

Chocolate Coating 
6 oz dark chocolate (we prefer 72% or greater)
1 tsp coconut oil

Combine the filling ingredients-peanut butter, maple syrup, coconut flour, and sea salt in a bowl. Stir until all ingredients are fully incorporated. Place mixture in the freezer to chill for 10 minutes. Once chilled, measure out 1 Tbsp peanut butter mixture and organically form into an egg shape, rolling lightly between your palms. Repeat with all peanut butter mixture. Place the "naked" peanut butter eggs onto wax paper and place back into the freezer for 20-30 minutes to set while you prepare the chocolate coating. 

Finely chop dark chocolate and melt with coconut oil in a double boiler stirring frequently. Once fully melted remove chocolate from heat. Remove eggs from freezer, making sure they are firm enough to hold their shape when handled. Using a large fork dip "naked" peanut butter eggs into chocolate (working rather fast as to not melt your filling into the warm chocolate), and use a spoon to completely cover eggs with chocolate.  Allow excess chocolate to drip off the fork before placing coated eggs onto wax paper. Place eggs in the fridge to allow the chocolate to set. Once chocolate coating is set you can wrap your candies in beautifully colored foil wrappers as we did. Store in the fridge for up to five days.

Not only will you feel guilt free while eating a homemade dark chocolate peanut butter egg, but your friends and family will be begging you for the recipe of this classic favorite!

We hope we've convinced you to replace that classic favorite this holiday. And maybe start a new tradition of making these homemade candies together as a family. Looks like you're the lucky one finding this recipe, aka the golden egg. Enjoy it, treasure it, and share it for generations to come. 

Hoppy Easter, 
Jess and Cecelia