Delight your family and guests with these candy Easter eggs made with a coconut, peanut butter, and nut center. After the egg-shaped candies are dipped in chocolate, serve as is or decorate with Royal Icing.

Coconut Peanut Butter Easter Eggs

Ingredients:

Center:

1 cup chunky or creamy peanut butter

¼ cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup shredded or flaked sweetened coconut

1 cup walnuts or pecans, finely chopped

1½ cups confectioners (powdered) sugar

Coating:

12 ounces semisweet chocolate or, milk chocolate

1 tablespoon shortening (optional, not used if tempering chocolate)

Royal Icing decoration (optional)

Tip: Use standard measuring cups and spoons or scales for accurate measuring.

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine peanut butter and butter, use an electric mixer or wooden spoon and beat together until well mixed. Add coconut, nuts, and powdered sugar; stir until well mixed.
   
   
2. Shape dough into egg shapes, about 2” in diameter.  Cover eggs and refrigerate until well chilled, 1 to 2 hours.
   
   Coating:
3. Line 2 large baking sheet or jelly roll pan with parchment paper or wax paper.
   
   Note: It is always preferable to temper chocolate when the chocolate is used for dipping candies. In place of step 4 below, See Tempering Chocolate – How to Temper Chocolate for information about how to temper the chocolate to be used for dipping these candies.
   
   If you don’t want to go through the steps of tempering the chocolate, the following directions are for melting chocolate (not tempering.) See Melting Chocolate – How to Melt Chocolate for additional information about melting chocolate.
   
   
4. In top of a double boiler over hot water, melt chocolate. Stir in the shortening. Set aside to cool.
   

Tip: Create a double boiler by filling a saucepan with 2 inches of water and bringing it to a simmer. Turn the heat off and place a glass bowl, stainless steel bowl, or ceramic bowl on top of the hot water; the upper pan should not touch the water.

5. Place the cooled bowl of chocolate over a pan of hot water to keep the chocolate a liquid consistency for dipping.
   
   Dipping:
6. Place one egg at a time in the chocolate, gently turn it over with a fork or candy dipping fork. Use the fork to lift the egg out of the chocolate and tap the fork on the rim of the bowl to allow excess chocolate to drip back into the pan, and then draw the underside of the fork over the rim of the pan to remove any drips of chocolate. Gently place the chocolate coated egg on the prepared baking pan, pushing the egg off the fork with another fork.  Let egg sit until the chocolate is dry and firm. Tip: refrigerate chocolate coated balls about 30 minutes for the chocolate to become firm. However, if the chocolate has been tempered the balls do not need to be refrigerated as the chocolate should set quickly.
   
   
7. When chocolate is firm, decorate as desired with Royal Icing (optional.)
   
   
8. Store in an airtight container so they won’t dry out. Candies dipped with tempered chocolate can generally be stored in a cool place or at room temperature. Candies dipped with melted (untempered chocolate) should generally be stored in the refrigerator.
   
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