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Original post published March 31, 2018. Post last updated on December 10th, 2023.
Growing up, these chocolate-dipped buttercream Easter eggs were a family favorite. An annual holiday tradition, I looked forward to making them every year.
I have a photocopy of the tattered old cookbook from which this recipe originates. The recipe says WGAL-TV CONSUMER CORNER and is dated April 2, 1982, courtesy of The Kitchen Shoppe in Carlisle, PA. Also included are recipes for other classic Easter treats such as peanut butter eggs and chewy divinity coconut eggs.
My favorite buttercream eggs were always the maple walnut flavor. (Probably because I LOVE anything maple-flavored, as evidenced by this recipe I created for maple walnut ice cream!) But, it’s fun to make a variety of different varieties of eggs so there is something for everyone.
A Sweet and Creamy Chocolate Treat
These sweet, creamy eggs feature a soft buttercream center enrobed in chocolate and decorated with sprinkles, sugar, or piped chocolate. They look complicated, but aside from tempering the chocolate (see my workaround below!) they’re actually quite simple to make, with no actual cooking required.
Buttercream Easter Eggs Tips and Tricks
If desired, you can separate the buttercream base dough into several smaller bowls and use a different flavor and color for each, rather than making just one flavor. For my most recent batch I divided the dough into three portions to make vanilla, chocolate, and raspberry eggs.
I like to use high-quality flavor oils from LorAnn Oils. If you don’t have these, grocery store flavor extracts will work, too. Just be sure to taste and adjust accordingly, as these extracts are often less concentrated than food-grade oils and extracts.
Fun with Flavorings
Feel free to be creative with your flavorings! You can use any extract or flavor oil you desire. Some popular options include maple, cherry, strawberry, coconut, coffee, raspberry, chocolate, or peppermint. Add the flavoring slowly, a few drops at a time, until you have the taste you desire. You can also skip the flavoring and make classic vanilla buttercream eggs instead. (If opting for vanilla, I like to add a teaspoon or two of good-quality vanilla bean paste to the buttercream to accentuate the vanilla flavor.)
Other add-ins, such as chopped nuts, coconut flakes, or crushed espresso beans, can also be kneaded into the buttercream dough.
You can use gel food coloring to tint the buttercream, choosing colors to match your flavors (pink for cherry, yellow for lemon, etc.) You can also retain the natural off-white color if making coconut or vanilla eggs, or if you just prefer a more natural look.
Decorate your chocolate-dipped eggs with pastel nonpareils, Easter sprinkles, sanding sugar, crushed nuts, or piped or drizzled chocolate. If making several kinds of buttercream, I find it helpful to choose a different decoration for each to help differentiate between flavors.
Choosing Your Chocolate
I enrobed this batch of eggs in my go-to Callebaut 54.5% dark chocolate. However, you can use any chocolate you like. White, milk, or even ruby chocolate would make for a delightful batch of buttercream Easter eggs.
Whichever chocolate you choose, be sure to opt for a good-quality chocolate couverture. This recipe will not work with chocolate chips, because they aren’t made for tempering.
A Tempering Alternative
If you aren’t familiar with tempering, you can use discs of coating chocolate for this recipe. Unlike couverture, coating chocolate (also known by a range of other names such as melting chocolate, melting wafers, confectionery coating, candy wafers, or dipping chocolate) is pre-tempered and will work if you want to enrobe your eggs without tempering the chocolate.
More Easter recipes you might enjoy:
Chocolate Mini Egg Cookies
Creme Egg Brownie Cups
Mini Egg Blondies with White Chocolate Ganache
Pastel Cream Cheese Peppermints
And if you make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!
“No Cook” Buttercream Easter Eggs
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 50 2 in / 5 cm long eggs 1x
Description
A classic Easter candy recipe! These sweet, creamy eggs feature a soft buttercream center enrobed in tempered chocolate and decorated with sprinkles.
Ingredients
225 grams unsalted butter, softened (1 cup / 2 sticks)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
900 grams confectioner’s sugar (2 pounds, or about 7–7.5 cups), plus more as needed
3 tablespoons whole milk, plus more as needed
Flavor oil or extract, to taste
Gel food coloring (optional)
Good-quality chocolate couverture, for tempering and enrobing
Sprinkles, sanding sugar, or additional melted chocolate, for decorating
Instructions
Line a large baking tray with parchment or a silicone mat, and set aside until ready to use.
In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, whip softened butter until light and fluffy.
Mix in vanilla extract and salt.
Gradually add confectioner’s sugar and milk, alternating between the two until all sugar is worked into the mixture and a soft dough has formed. If necessary, add a bit more sugar or milk to adjust the consistency. The dough should not be too sticky, or too stiff.
Add your choice of flavor and color. If desired, you can separate the dough into several smaller bowls, rather than making only one flavor. You can also skip the flavoring and make classic vanilla buttercream eggs.
Using your hands, shape the dough into balls and place on parchment-lined tray. Transfer to the refrigerator to chill while you melt and temper* your chocolate.
When chocolate is ready, remove buttercream centers from the fridge. Working quickly, use an enrobing fork to dip each center in the tempered chocolate and transfer to prepared tray.
Decorate each egg with sprinkles or sanding sugar, or pipe with additional chocolate.
Allow chocolate to set before transferring eggs to an airtight container. Layer eggs between sheets of parchment or wax paper. Store container in the refrigerator, or in a cool/dark place at room temperature, for up to two weeks.
Notes
*See the blog post above for alternatives to tempering. If you don’t want to temper the chocolate, I recommend using candy melts to coat your eggs instead.
Feel free to be creative with your flavorings! Use any extract or flavor oil you desire. Some popular options include maple, cherry, strawberry, coconut, coffee, raspberry, chocolate, or peppermint. Add the flavoring slowly, a few drops at a time, until you have the taste you desire. Other add-ins, such as chopped nuts, coconut flakes, or crushed espresso beans, can also be kneaded into the buttercream dough.
You can use gel food coloring to tint the buttercream, choosing colors to match your flavors (pink for cherry, yellow for lemon, etc.) You can also retain the natural off-white color if you prefer a more natural look.
For best results, use a good-quality (and properly tempered) chocolate. Milk, white, or dark chocolate all work well for this recipe. Or, see my notes in the post above for an alternative to tempering chocolate.
Recipe adapted from WGAL-TV Consumer Corner/The Kitchen Shoppe in Carlisle, PA. Original recipe dated April 2, 1982.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Chilling Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Chocolate
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: Sweets
I loved the recipe!
Could I use real fruit puree instead of extracts or will it be runny and if so can I add more powered sugar to make it work?
Due to the high moisture content, I wouldn’t suggest using fruit purée in this recipe. For a more natural alternative, you could try using food-grade essential oils (such as orange or peppermint oil) instead of extracts. Or, you might be able to knead a bit of crushed freeze-dried fruit into your filling mixture. I haven’t tried it personally, but it should add a nice pop of color and a hint of fruit flavor!
How can I use this recipe to make peanut butter eggs
Hi Melanie! I’ve never tried to add peanut butter to this recipe. However, here is my go-to recipe for peanut butter eggs. You can also roll the mixture into ball shapes and serve at any time of the year!
Peanut Butter Eggs
8 oz. (225 g) butter, softened
8 oz. (225 g) cream cheese
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (190 g) smooth peanut butter
32 oz. (908 g) confectioner’s sugar
Combine all ingredients using a hand or stand mixer. Roll into eggs and chill until firm. Dip chilled centers in tempered chocolate of choice (dark, white, and milk will all work well).
Enjoy!