Is there anything more iconically “Easter” than a creme egg? I have had a love-affair with them ever since I was a little kid. Back then, they were only available at Easter so they were highly coveted and savoured. I would look forward to getting to eat a few of them every April…until my first year in college, when my Aunt somehow managed to buy a costco-size box (and I mean a box – like the 24 or 36 count ones that stores buy and then sell each egg individually) and gift it to me. Let’s just say that even after sharing it with a group of friends over a weekend, it was a good decade before I could even look at one again.
Nowadays, versions of Cadbury eggs are around longer than March and April, but the classic ones will always be thought of as an Easter treat. Which brings me to this challenge: how does a creme-egg loving girl get her fix now that she’s vegan? Easy…she creates her own!
Admittedly, it’s been about 7 or 8 years since I’ve eaten a non-vegan one, but from what I recall, this recipe is pretty darn close to the original ones. Right down to the yellow “yolk.”
While they are actually really easy to make, they are pretty much 100% sugar, so they only make an appearance once a year in our house. A couple of things to note before making these: you definitely want to get a silicone mold for them. It’s the easiest way to ensure you can get the chocolate eggs out in one piece. I used Wilton’s silicone egg mold. They are available on both amazon.ca and amazon.com. You can also use this generic silicone egg mold.
Second, to achieve the yellow centre, Wilton ‘golden yellow’ food coloring works really well and is free from animal products or bi-products. Vegan Chow Down provides a full list of vegan-friendly Wilton products that was obtained directly from Wilton. It’s a handy reference guide for all your decorating needs.
You only need a few drops of it, and I recommend starting out with one or two drops only. Its a very small amount of fondant that needs that yellow hue. If you aren’t a fan of food coloring, or don’t want to buy a whole jar just for one dessert, tumeric works just as well. Just be sparing with it as too much will impart an earthy, perfumy taste. About a 1/4 tsp of tumeric to 3 or 4 tbsp of fondant worked well for me.
Finally, I recommend using white or light corn syrup as the sweetener. You can use regular golden syrup but your fondant will come out a bit beige and not as bright white. I’ve used both and in no way does it affect flavour or texture, it’s merely an aesthetic thing. If you don’t have either, you can use light agave or brown rice syrup.
Once made, I keep mine in the freezer and when I want to eat one, let it sit at room temp for 5 minutes first. The fondant filling doesn’t fully freeze, and the almost crisp texture of slightly frozen chocolate against cold, creamy fondant is delicious in my opinion. Also, keeping them in the freezer keeps me from eating an entire tray at once. They will also keep well for days in the fridge too.
Vegan Easter Creme Eggs
Equipment
- 1 Silicone egg mold
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups dairy-free chocolate, chopped (or semi-sweet chocolate chips)
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1/2 cup icing sugar
- 2 tbsp Lily white corn syrup
- 4 tbsp unsweetend dairy-free milk of choice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2-3 drops Wilton Color Right gel food coloring in yellow
Instructions
- In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate and coconut oil and heat in :30 increments, until melted, stirring in between each interval. (Do not heat for longer than 90 seconds) . (Alternately, you can melt the chocolate in a double boiler by placing the chocolate and coconut oil in a heat-safe bowl over a 2 inches of simmering water and stirring until melted)
- When melted, add approximately 2 tbsp of chocolate to each cavity in the silicone mold, and spread evenly to coat the mold. Make sure the chocolate layer isn't too thin – it needs to be sturdy to support the filling, but also not too thick because you need room for the filling. Once each cavity is filled, place the mold on baking sheet in the freezer for 15-20 minutes.
- While the chocolate is setting up in the freezer, combine the icing sugar, golden syrup, milk and vanilla in a small bowl and whisk furiously into a thick, smooth filling. Remove approximately 2 tbsp of the filling and place in a second small bowl. To that bowl, add 2 drops of gel food coloring and stir until fully combined.
- Remove the chocolate egg shells from the freezer and spoon in a layer of the white fondant filling, followed by approx 1 tsp of the yellow fondant on top. Repeat until all shells are filled.
- Spoon or pour the remaining melted chocolate on top of each egg to completely cover it. Place the mold back in the freezer for a minimum of 30 minutes to set. Enjoy directly from the freezer or let stand at room temp for 5 minutes.
Notes
- You can use regular corn syrup if you don’t have white syrup, but your fondant will be slightly beige in color. It won’t affect the taste however. Also, if you don’t have corn syrup, you can swap it for brown rice syrup or agave (or vegan honey)
- If you don’t want to use food coloring (or don’t have it) you can use turmeric instead to color the yoke. Just be sparing with it as too much will impart an earthy, perfumy taste. approx 1/8 teaspoon is enough for 2 tbsp of fondant.
- Store in the freezer for 3 months or in the fridge for up to two weeks. The fondant filling doesn’t fully freeze, and the almost crisp texture of slightly frozen chocolate against cold, creamy fondant is delicious, in my opinion.
