Coconut Cream Eggs

By Ann Fulton

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With its classic flavor and texture, this decades-old recipe has garnered legions of fans and truly stood the test of time!  

 

Last year at about this time, I shared my grandmother’s decades-old recipe for peanut butter eggs. So it seemed only fair to offer the recipe that my family deems its counterpart. To be sure, both versions have a loyal following.

Non-coconut lovers have actually converted after sampling this treat.  I have told my parents–who seldom argue but have bickered over these–that I will take their box away if they don’t agree to share. Delight as they do, some years I stash two small boxes in the freezer to dole out on their birthdays.

A very exciting moment occurred several years ago when a friend, whose husband worked for a chocolate company, arranged for a small group of friends to make these treats at her husband’s facility. The adventure was sure to be fun and, no doubt, easier than crafting hundreds of these by hand in my own kitchen.

I had visions of the candy “insides” rolling down a conveyor belt, leading them to a vat of melted chocolate. They would plunge into the sweet brown liquid and quickly emerge, perfectly encased in dark or milk chocolate.

As it turned out, we were given a lesson on hand-tempering chocolate and proceeded to dip every last candy egg by hand. The process wasn’t any quicker–and we were literally up to our wrists in chocolate. But what could be bad about that? It was a real-life Charlie and the Chocolate Factory experience for sure.

The beauty of these treats, however, is that they taste just as good out of a home kitchen as they do from a commercial kitchen.  Ultimately, they will taste far better than most store-bought candy because there are no extra preservatives, additives, artificial colors, etc.  Buy the best chocolate you can.  For coconut eggs, I really love dark chocolate, but choose the variety you love the most.

With its classic flavor and texture, this decades-old recipe has garnered legions of fans and truly stood the test of time!  

I pat the dough into blocks and then refrigerate until firm. You may do this up to a few days in advance of rolling and dipping. Slicing the chilled blocks into squares, as shown above, makes it very easy to make uniformly shaped eggs.

With its classic flavor and texture, this decades-old recipe has garnered legions of fans and truly stood the test of time!  

The insides, ready to be dipped. For the peanut butter egg recipe, see the link below.

Click here for the Chocolate Peanut Butter Egg recipe.

With its classic flavor and texture, this decades-old recipe has garnered legions of fans and truly stood the test of time!  
Coconut Cream Eggs
When finished, I refrigerate the eggs and pack them in airtight containers or white craft store boxes (tied with a pretty ribbon) for gift giving. We like to eat the eggs cold; some people prefer them room temperature. Either way, they are delicious!

Yield: approximately 80 (fewer if you roll larger eggs)
Ingredients
  • 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, room temperature (I use salted butter)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 (14-ounce) bag flaky coconut
  • 1 (2-pound) bag confectioner’s sugar
  • Approximately 1 pound good, dark melting chocolate for dipping (see notes)
Instructions
  1. Cream the butter, cream cheese, vanilla, and salt. Stir in the coconut. Add the sugar, about a third at a time, until it is completely incorporated. (I think it is easiest to do the mixing with clean hands.) Form the filling into a big, rectangular block, wrap in parchment or wax paper and then again in plastic wrap, and chill until firm. At this point, you may leave in the refrigerator for several days.
  2. When ready to roll into eggs or rounds: To make uniformly sized candy, cut the block into long slices and then into squares. Next, roll the filling into a ball and flatten into a circular shape or egg, as desired. (Since I make my peanut butter candy in egg shapes, I make these round in order to distinguish between the two. On occasion, I have made them both in egg shapes and have drizzled a little white chocolate over the top of the coconut eggs to tell the difference. You could also dip one variety in milk chocolate and the other in dark. Do whatever you like best.) As you roll, place the eggs on a parchment-lined baking sheet. When finished, wrap well in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight (or even several days) or until ready to dip them in the chocolate.
  3. Finally, melt the chocolate in a double boiler (or fashion your own by placing a small pot inside a medium pot). Dip the eggs and remove to a wax paper or parchment-lined baking sheet. I like to keep 15 to 20 out at a time, leaving the remaining eggs in the refrigerator. They will be easier to dip if they are cold. I have tried the special utensils made for dipping chocolates, toothpicks, and any way I can think of to make this process easy and less messy! The way that has ultimately worked best for me is to use a dinner fork. I drop the egg in the chocolate, roll gently to coat, and lift it out with the fork. Hold the egg on the fork for a few seconds, allowing the excess chocolate to drip back into the pot (I scrape under the fork with a small spatula or dinner knife to help remove the excess), and then gently slide off of fork and onto the lined baking sheet. If you end up with “feet”–a puddle of chocolate that pools around the egg–you can gently break this off once the chocolate hardens. My kids, however, think these are the best ones because they get more chocolate!
  4. The chocolate will harden as it cools. If your kitchen is very warm, you may wish to place the trays in the refrigerator. Stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, the eggs will keep for several weeks–if they last that long! They also freeze quite well. *Tip:* One year, I thought I would be smart and put the dipped eggs on a cooling rack, thinking that it would be a fast, easy way to drain the excess chocolate. Don’t do it! The eggs adhere to the rack as the chocolate hardens and the bottoms will cling to the rack when removed.
  5. *If you wish to use chocolate that requires tempering:* First, if you purchase the standard melting wafers–Wilbur makes exceptional melting chocolate–there is no need to temper them. Wilbur also sells a higher grade chocolate, sold in block form, which must be tempered. The only risk you run if you don’t temper it properly is that the chocolate may look a little streaky. It will still taste fabulous. What I do, however, is melt a portion of the chocolate–maybe 8 ounces–in a double boiler. Then turn the heat off and add about a quarter cup (no need to measure, just a small handful) of chopped chocolate and stir it in. This brings the temperature back down which is how it tempers. I turn the heat back on when I need to add more chocolate or if I get sidetracked and the chocolate cools too much and starts to thicken. Repeat the process as needed until all of the eggs are dipped.
  6. I sometimes temper chocolate in the microwave when making quick recipes (like Oreo, pretzel, or salted almond bark—these are also great ways to quickly use leftover chocolate. All of the recipes are posted). In this case, simply heat the chocolate in 30-second intervals, stirring as you go. When the chocolate is all just barely melted, stir in some chopped chocolate and let it melt in the heat of the already warm chocolate.
  7. Once dipped, the candy should be put in a cool place to set up properly. I put the baking sheets of dipped candy in the refrigerator or near a cool window until set and completely cool.
Notes
  • Feel free to use milk chocolate if you prefer it to dark chocolate.
  • But if you enjoy really dark chocolate… Sometimes, I dip a small portion of the eggs in unsweetened The absence of sugar is balanced by the sweet filling, and there are some who adore this truly bittersweet pairing.
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Comments

  1. Linda M Dellatore

    Hi
    Why would my coconut mixture be too sticky to roll? Should I add more confectionary sugar or refrigerate a while before shaping into eggs?

    Reply
    1. Ann Post author

      Hi Linda, It’s likely the temperature. I’ve made these so many times that I’m certain the measurements will work for you. If you chill the dough for a while, you should be in great shape. That said, if you have any questions or issues, let me know and we’ll figure it out.

      Reply
  2. Grazie

    If I leave out the coconut that my niece doesn’t like, will I have vanilla cream eggs? Or do I need to add something to make vanilla? Thank you so much for your help and for sharing your recipe!

    Reply
    1. Ann Post author

      Grazie, I have a friend who does just that with this recipe and her family loves them that way. I have never made the recipe that way, but I trust this friend’s judgment and, looking at the remaining ingredients, feel like you can’t go wrong. If you try, please report back!

      Reply
    1. Ann Post author

      I haven’t, Carol, but coating wafers do work well. As long as you like the taste of the chocolate you should be fine with them.

      Reply
  3. Carol

    I use cold mashed potatoes only better at it then mix with powdered sugar and peanut butter and refrigerate the same way. Never used cream cheese maybe this year I’ll try it I like the mashed potatoes cause it gives it form and not too sweet

    Reply
    1. Ann Post author

      I’ve never thought to use mashed potatoes in this recipe, that’s for sure! That’s some very creative ingredient tweaking, Carol. Thanks so much for your comment.

      Reply
  4. Shirley K

    I tried these for Easter and they turned out great! They taste so good! I used semi sweet chocolate but next year will make half with bittersweet. Also next year I will add two whole almonds to the top of half. I used your method of making the rectangle and refrigerating and the cutting! This method made it easier to shape the eggs evenly. I was able to shape the eggs and put them in a bowl and back to frig before dipping. Thank you for sharing!

    Reply
    1. Ann Post author

      What a wonderful comment, Shirley! I’m delighted you were pleased with the recipe and love your ideas for next year’s batch. I’m a big fan of dark chocolate with this filling!

      Reply
  5. Jan

    I made my own concoction before where I didn’t have to refrigerate, but can’t remember & also allergic to corn so I can’t have confectioners sugar have to grind my own or pay $6 a bag! Help

    Reply
  6. Eileen Post author

    These and the peanut butter eggs are both excellent. I make the filling at other times of the year and make “truffles”.

    Reply
  7. Megan

    Hi! Fellow Lancastrian here 🙂 I made peppermint patties in the past and rolled the peppermint filling like a fondant then cut the shape with a cookie cutter- I am wondering if you think the coconut or PB filling would be possible to do this way? I made your PB eggs last year (amazing, reminded me of my grandmas!)but I forget the consistency. Just was thinking of trying something different this year with the cutters to save some time. Thank you!

    Reply
    1. Ann Post author

      First of all, I’m glad that we’re “neighbors” and so happy you love the peanut butter eggs! I think your concept would work with both the peanut butter and coconut eggs. If the filling gets too soft to work with, you can put it in the fridge briefly to firm up. If you try, I’d love to know how you make out!

      Reply
      1. Megan Tomsheck

        Hi again! I am super happy with this new method I tried! Yesterday I made both fillings. I lined rimmed baking sheets with parchment (I grab the 1/2 pan flats already cut at Clarks restaurant store!), presses down the filling, put another piece of parchment on top and rolled to even thickness. They stayed in the fridge until tonight when they cut out beautifully! I used oval cutters but will find egg shapes in appropriate size next year 🙂 tomorrow I will dip! I also make the PB at Christmas so I plan to try Star and tree cutters I think the cream cheese keeps this filling a dense enough consistency that the rolling/cutting works. Happy Easter!

        Reply
        1. Ann Post author

          Hi Megan, I love your technique and the idea to use fun shapes for various holidays. The cream cheese is the secret ingredient in terms of the texture and flavor of these eggs, and I’m so glad it makes for good cutting, too. Thanks so much for your wonderful feedback!

          Reply
  8. Cathy

    When freezing chocolate cream eggs, should they be individualy wrapped before freezing so they don’t get stuck to each other?

    Reply
    1. Ann Post author

      Hi Cathy, I’ve never wrapped them separately and have never had a problem–although when layering them in a large container I do separate the layers with a piece of waxed or parchment paper. Hope that helps!

      Reply
    1. Ann Post author

      Thank you, Dianna! I’m so happy you’re going to make these and am optimistic they will be a hit!

      Reply