Easter candy

April 23, 2011 | 6 Comments »

Every year around this time I think to myself ‘I should make my own Easter candy!’… and I never do. This year I finally got around to it. And boy am I glad I did!

The only Easter candy I really miss since going vegan is the chocolate covered marshmallow eggs and the coconut filled eggs. So when I spotted both recipes online I figured I’d give it a shot.

I followed this recipe for the chocolate covered marshmallow creme eggs. I used Ricemellow Creme and vegan butter in place of the marshmallow cream and regular butter. Then I did my best to shape them into eggs. Yes, there’s A LOT of sugar in them and they’re incredibly sweet, but it is candy after all. It’s not super gooey and marshmallowy like the stuff I used to buy way back in the day, but they’re still very yummy. I had the tummy ache to prove it hahaha.

My favorite of the two is definitely the coconut filled eggs. I used this recipe as a base. I really experimented on this one though. It was a lot of work and it gave me one heck of a headache, but it was well worth it. I’d seriously do it all over again just to enjoy one of these pieces of chocolate covered coconut heaven.

First things first. I had to make myself some vegan sweetened condensed milk. I followed this recipe. I used unsweetened coconut milk (not the canned stuff) so that it wouldn’t be overly sweet. Once I was finished making the condensed coconut milk I refrigerated it overnight. Believe me when I tell you, this condensed milk turned out wonderful and really added that extra something to the candy.

I didn’t add corn syrup and I toasted my coconut before combining with the liquid mixture. Toasted coconut makes a world of a difference! I also didn’t use a heat proof bowl. I just dumped the ingredients into a small pot with the heat on medium/low and kept a close eye on it. Lots and lots of whisking! After I added the toasted coconut to the liquid mixture I scooped out some of the mixture using a teaspoon and shaped it as best as I could and placed it on a plate lined with parchment paper. Then I popped them in the freezer until nice and firm. To get them coated in the chocolate I found it easier to stick a toothpick in the side and quickly (but easily) dip the coconut into the chocolate, allow the excess to drip off, place them back onto the plate lined with parchment paper and back into the freezer until the chocolate hardened. It sounds like a lot of work and it kind of is. But WELL worth it. Trust me! Just look at the inside! Look at that toasted coconut! It’s wonderful!

And so that’s what I’ve been up to. Hope you all have a wonderful Easter!