Tuesday, March 06, 2007

Sugar Easter Eggs

Sugar Easter EggsEaster isn't until April 8th but that means you have a month to prepare and have some fun. A family friend took the time to come over to our house and teach me how to make these molded sugar Easter eggs several years ago and they turned out so cute I can't help but share the idea with you.

Wilton makes egg molds for an exorbitant price but I found my little plastic molds for under two dollars at our local Party and Craft store. It's only a plastic egg that fits together, suitable for filling with candy, but works as well as a Wilton mold.

I've made them as household decorations, as party favors and as presents. They're fun for kids to make and since they are so easy to put together, having one break isn't the end of the world--it just means you get to make more next year. One batch of sugar mix makes several smaller eggs (I have two sizes of molds).

1. Mix up the following recipe:

3 1/2 cups of granulated sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 egg white, well beaten

Mix the sugars together then add the beaten egg white until the mixture has the consistency of damp sand. If you wish to have colored eggs, add some food coloring as you mix but make sure it is evenly mixed throughout before going to the next step.

Sugar Easter Eggs2. Pack the sugar mixture into both halves of the mold pressing firmly to make sure there are no seams or air pocket. Level each with a straight edged knife.

3. Cover each mold with a plate, square of cardboard or other flat surface and quickly invert to unmold each egg. Remove the mold.

4. Immediately cut off the end of each half of egg with a straight, sharp knife. Be sure to make a clean break. Then carefully push the unmolded halves together, cut ends touching. This allows the rest of the surface to dry out but will keep the inside in tact.

5. Let them dry for three hours, depending on the heat and humidity of the room, then pick them up and gently scoop out the insides with a spoon so that each half forms a oval bowl. Save the scraped sugar for other eggs--covering it tightly until it's used.

6. Let the upturned shell dry for half an hour before decorating.

7. Prepare the royal icing with the following recipe:

8 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
5 egg whites at room temperature
a variety of paste food coloring colors

Combine all the ingredients and beat at a high speed for 7-10 minutes (hand mixers will take longer) but do not over beat. The icing should be quite stiff, the stiffer the better. Add any desired coloring during the last few minutes of the mixing. Paste coloring is preferred as it will not ruin the consistency of the icing.

If the icing is too soft, mix in another 1/3 cup of powdered sugar and continue beating until the desired consistency. Be sure to keep all icing tightly covered as it will dry out and harden quickly.

8. Decorate the bottom half of the Easter egg by making a pool of colored frosting and sticking the decorations into it. These could include tiny toys, dried flowers, stickers cut out but with the backing still stuck on, a picture of your child, a religious symbol or picture or tiny frosting decorations such as found in cake decorating stores. When I made them as party favors for my nieces and nephews I had tiny cut out pictures of temples that I landscaped in the frosting.

9. Once the bottom is decorated, add a ribbon of frosting on the upper edge to act as glue. Stick the two halves together and hold a moment while the frosting hardens. Once dry, decorate the seamed edge with a scalloped pattern of frosting and decorate the edge of the eye hole the same way.

10. Decorate the top of the egg with frosting leaves and flowers, lattice patterns, dried flowers or whatever else you'd like.

If properly stored they can last for several years. Depending on how often they get handled of course.

***

And speaking of making things from scratch, Stephanie's got a collection of things made from scratch that are worth a peek.

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23 comments:

Lisa Wheeler Milton said...

These are beautiful. My kind of eggs! (I am allergic to the common kind.) =]

We will have to give them a spin.

SaM-GiRL said...

They look gorgeous! Great blog.

Anonymous said...

These look great...thanks for sharing them...they capture the true spirit of Easter...and well you can also drop by my blog on Easter Greetings sometime and enjoy all the fun and spirit of Easter it's filled up with!!!

Carina said...

Once again, you impress me greatly with your crafty skills. I promise you, I can mess up standard egg dyeing.

Stephanie Appleton said...

Wow those are beautiful! Maybe when the kids are older. . .

Thanks for linking to Make it From Scratch too!

thehotrodqueen said...

wow! those are really wonderful! thanks for sharing!

Amy W said...

Those are awesome, thanks for the instructions.

Katie said...

Wow, what a neat idea. I'm very impressed! I also love the recipe for Diablo Verde shakes, any way I can get more avocado is good! Now, about that kiwi syrup...

angie said...

Fun idea! I always wondered how they made those! I think i might attempt to make these this year! My kids will love it for sure! Thanks!

Julie Q. said...

Ah the memories. These look just like the sugar eggs we used to make with my mom. They do last forever. We still have a big one that we made more than 20 years ago. The frosting has faded a bit, but it's still intact.

Lei said...

i love it... and so cute on the inside. Thanks for sharing a new idea!

Anonymous said...

Those are too cute!

Unknown said...

I had one of those as a kid and I loved it!!! I think about it every year when I get down the Easter deco's. Maybe we'll get brave and try making our own around here this year.

Anonymous said...

Am I the only person who looks at those eggs and thinks, "It would be lovely, but NOT IN A THOUSAND YEARS could I make those eggs?" Maybe in my next lifetime I will get to be crafty. I'm jealous though...they do look great.

Damselfly said...

Wow, you *made* these?! I wouldn't dare attempt to make them. I'll just stare at yours, if you don't mind....

Unknown said...

Sugar Easter Eggs were featured on ChickenFlicker.com's One A Day feature where we feature a chicken related topic every day

http://chickenflicker.com/1aday/

Love the site.

--hen

Strommer Family said...

Very beautiful-made some yesterday ay a Relief Society activity-by the way I felt so at home seeing the pictures of the temple you placed in your egg!!

TeaMouse said...

My mom made these years ago when she lived in Iqaluit - I've always wanted to make them and now I know how...thank you! I'll file that for next Easter.

snarflemarfle said...

Just found this post through your (first ever!) newsletter! What a great memory you brought back. My sister and I used to make this with my grandmother! We always had a great time crafting with her!

Alison Kerr said...

Very cool. I used to see these for sale when I was a kid and I was fascinated by them. I'd no idea I'd ever read about how to make them. It really sounds a doable project :-)

Meredith said...

Funny, but I saw your link from the Kitchn blog and clicked over. I must have dismissed this project back when you first posted, but my now 7-year-old could probably help me at this point!

Thanks for sharing your practical approach!

Anonymous said...

It was rather interesting for me to read this article. Thanx for it. I like such themes and everything that is connected to this matter. I would like to read more on that blog soon.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for this detailed instruction. We made these in Sunday School when I was 7 and wanted to share the project with my Sunday School group. Back in 1974 of course we just used the plastic L'eggs Eggs...I am having trouble finding the right size for the egg mold.