Peanut Butter Eggs

Make homemade chocolate eggs filled with the creamiest, best-tasting, easy-to-make peanut butter fudge!

Then wrap the delicious Peanut Butter Eggs in brightly colored foil to make them look festive in your Easter baskets.

Adults will love these peanut butter fudge-filled Easter eggs as much as kids do, so be sure to make a lot!

These peanut butter fudge eggs are the most popular chocolate eggs I make for Easter every year.

Back when I had my candy stores, I made thousands of these every Easter to sell to my customers. Now I just make small batches of homemade peanut butter eggs to share with my family and friends.

This year, I finally decided it was time to share the recipe for these delicious peanut butter fudge eggs with you. I don’t know why I waited so long!

Over the years here on Hungry Happenings, I’ve shared recipes to make decorated chocolate eggs for various holidays including:

• Milk Chocolate Easter Egg Bunnies filled with my favorite peanut butter fudge
• Milk Chocolate Egg Turkeys filled with pumpkin ganache
• White Chocolate Egg Mice filled with cashew milk ganache
• White Chocolate Egg Snowmen filled with chocolate hazelnut coffee ganache
• Dark Chocolate Egg Penguin filled with Amaretto and Raisin Ganache
• Milk Chocolate Egg Bears filled with peanut butter buckeye filling (made with butter, powdered sugar, and peanut butter)

More Chocolate Easter Egg Recipes:

• caramel chocolate eggs
• chocolate bark eggs and solid chocolate eggs
• coconut cream eggs
• marshmallow eggs
• chocolate truffle eggs
• chocolate raspberry eggs
• hollow Easter egg hot chocolate bombs
• breakable candy-filled chocolate Easter eggs

Peanut Butter Fudge-Filled Chocolate Eggs

To make 20 of these eggs you will need:

• 16 ounces dark, milk, or white chocolate
  • You’ll need about 3/4 ounces of chocolate per eggshell, but you’ll need extra chocolate if you use polycarbonate molds to make the eggshells, so plan on having about 24 ounces of hand, so you can pour, dump, and scrape.
• Peanut Butter Filling
  • • 8 ounces white compound chocolate (preferably, Nestle Premier White Morsels or Peter’s IceCaps, but you can also use Merckens White Wafers, Ghirardelli White Melting Wafers, Ghirardelli Classic White Chips, Hershey’s White Baking Chips, or White Almond Bark)
    • 4 ounces Reese’s Peanut Butter Chips
    • 8 ounces creamy peanut butter (1 cup)
      • I like to use Jif Creamy Peanut Butter. I think it gives the fudge the best flavor, but you can use other peanut butter. I don’t recommend using natural peanut butter though. It’s best to use really smooth peanut butter that’s not oily or gritty.
    • pinch of salt

To make the chocolate eggshells you can use pure chocolate or compound chocolate (also known as Candy Melts, confectionery coating, melting wafers, and almond bark).

Let’s talk about the two different types of chocolate and how you melt and use them.

Pure Chocolate

• Pure chocolate contains cocoa butter which melts at body temperature so it gives the chocolate a luxuriously smooth texture when it melts on your tongue.
• The flavor is decadently rich and delicious.
• When pure chocolate is in temper it has a wonderful snap and shine.
• Pure chocolate MUST be tempered (heated and cooled to specific temperatures).

I highly recommend using pure chocolate to make your chocolate eggs however pure chocolate must be tempered. You cannot simply melt it and hope for the best. That will not work.

I use Peter’s Burgundy Chocolate Bars or Callebaut Couverture Chocolate Callets to make my chocolate eggs.

If you have never tempered chocolate, I highly recommend purchasing the chocolate callets. They look like chocolate chips but the callets do not contain emulsifiers like chocolate chips (which inhibit them from melting at low temperatures). Chocolate callets are easy to melt and temper.

Compound Chocolate

• Compound chocolate, also known as, confectionery coating, candy melts, melting wafers, or almond bark can be used to make your chocolate eggs.
• Compound chocolate contains vegetable oil, typically palm kernel oil, instead of cocoa butter so it does not need to be tempered.
• This type of chocolate is easy to melt and it hardens beautifully without any fuss.
• Most compound chocolate comes in the form of wafers, but almond bark comes in bars. If using bars, be sure to chop them finely before melting.

How to melt chocolate.

• Pour your finely chopped chocolate or candy melts into a microwave-safe bowl and heat on high power for 30 seconds then remove and stir.
• Repeat this process until most of the chocolate is melted.
• Then heat at high power for 15-second increments, stirring after each, until completely melted.

• Alternatively, you can melt your chocolate in a double boiler set over low heat.
  • Fill a pot with 1-inch of water and set a tight-fitting bowl over the opening of the pan.
  • Fill the bowl with chocolate and heat on low stirring often until melted.

See how beautifully shiny these chocolate eggs look? They were made using tempered pure chocolate. Tempering is the process of heating and cooling chocolate to specific temperatures so that the chocolate hardens properly.

If chocolate is not tempered properly it will be too soft to remove from a candy mold and will bloom (become streaky and spotty).

You can read a more in-depth conversation about tempering chocolate on my chocolate-making tips page but I’ll share a brief explanation below.

Seeding Method of Tempering Chocolate

• • Melt 12 ounces of dark chocolate to 115°-120° Fahrenheit, milk chocolate to 110°-115° F, or white chocolate to 105-110° F by heating it in the microwave for 30-second bursts of high power until melted or in the top of a double boiler (a bowl set over a pan filled with 1-inch of water) set over low heat, stirring often, until melted.

• Begin to cool the chocolate by stirring in about 2 more ounces of chocolate.
• Continue to stir, scraping down the sides of the bowl until all of those chocolate pieces have melted.
• Check the temperature of the chocolate.
• Continue to sprinkle in small amounts of the chocolate callets and stir to cool the bowl of chocolate.
• Be sure to always scrape the sides of the bowl. You do not want the chocolate to harden around the edge of the bowl.
• Your goal is to get the chocolate to 88-91 °F for dark chocolate; 86-88°F for milk and 82-84°F for white.
• Once the chocolate reaches that temperate, remove any unmelted chocolate pieces. If there aren’t many pieces you can also just dissolve them using an immersion blender. If there are too many, however, you don’t want to do that as you will run the risk of cooling the chocolate too much.
• You need the chocolate to melt and stay within the tempering range of:
  • 88-91 degrees Fahrenheit for dark chocolate
  • 86-88 degree Fahrenheit for milk chocolate
  • 82-84 degrees Fahrenheit for white chocolate
• Test the temper of the chocolate by dipping a metal spatula, spoon, or knife into the chocolate.
• Shake it, to remove the excess chocolate then set it aside at room temperature.
• In 3-5 minutes, the chocolate should harden and look shiny.
• While you are waiting, be sure to stir your bowl of chocolate, to make sure it doesn’t cool too much around the edge.
• If your test chocolate has hardened and looks shiny be sure to check the temperature of your bowl of chocolate before proceeding to make your chocolate eggs as the chocolate will have cooled slightly and will need to be warmed slightly!
• Heat it in the microwave for about 5 seconds then remove and stir and check the temperature. Do not let it go above temper temperature (91° dark, 88° milk, or 84° white). If it does, you have to start this whole process over again.
• You are now ready to fill your molds with chocolate.

Shiny vs. Spotty Chocolate

• Cocoa butter contains crystals that are stabilized at certain temperatures and if you temper your chocolate properly it will be shiny.
• If the chocolate is not tempered, the cocoa butter crystals will not be stable and the crystals will bloom (come to the surface of the chocolate) forming spots or streaks on the surface of your chocolate. Bloom may take several days to appear.

Soft Chocolate (that won’t come out of the mold)

• When tempered chocolate is poured into a mold it shrinks slightly as it cools and hardens so it’s easy to remove from the molds.
• If you do not properly temper your chocolate it will NOT harden properly and it will not retract from the mold, meaning it will stick to the mold and you won’t be able to remove it.
• If this happens, you will need to wash the chocolate out of the mold using hot water, dry the mold, then try again.

Tips for ensuring shiny chocolates.

• Make sure your molds are clean and dry before using them.
• I recommend brushing the inside with a soft cotton ball. This will ensure they are completely clean and it will make your chocolates really shiny.

 

Egg Molds

You can use polycarbonate, plastic, or silicone molds to make your chocolate eggs. I prefer molds with egg cavities that are between 2 1/2 and 3 inches in length.

• polycarbonate egg molds (my favorite!)
  • I prefer using these durable FDA approved heavy-duty plastic molds to make chocolate eggs. The molds are a bit pricey, but they will last for many years. My egg molds are almost 30 years old, have been used to make tens of thousands of chocolate eggs, and they still look brand new.
  • You can use egg molds with a design too.
• hobby-grade plastic egg molds
  • For many years, I used plastic hobby-grade plastic candy molds to make my chocolate eggs but found I could make the eggs so much faster using the polycarbonate molds. If you don’t plan to make a lot of eggs or you don’t want to invest in the nicer molds, these will work fine.
• silicone egg molds
  • Another low-cost alternative.

Other supplies you’ll need to make your peanut butter eggs:

• microwave-safe bowls or a double boiler
• silicone spatula
• offset metal spatula
• metal bench scraper (or use a putty knife that’s only used for chocolate work)
• optional, food-use only paintbrush if you plan to use silicone molds
• food handling gloves are imperative when working with chocolate that you wear gloves so that you
• disposable pastry bags or parchment paper cones
• parchment paper or wax paper set on cookie sheets or cutting boards
• an instant-read thermometer is a must if you plan to temper pure chocolate (my favorite is a Themapen)

You can find the supplies needed to make these hot cocoa bombs from Amazon. I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you when you use any of the affiliate links in this post.

           Let’s get started.

Video

Be sure to watch the video to see how these peanut butter eggs are made.

I’ll also share step-by-step instructions below.

 step-by-step instructions

Making chocolate eggs using a polycarbonate mold.

1. Fill the egg cavities in your mold completely with chocolate.
2. Turn the mold upside down over your bowl of chocolate and allow the excess chocolate to drip out.
3. Tap the side of the mold a few times to encourage all of the excess chocolate to drip out of the mold.
4. Use an offset spatula to scrape off the excess chocolate.
5. Set the egg mold upright and use a metal bench scraper or food-use-only putty knife to scrape over the mold to ensure all of the excess chocolate has been removed.
   • You really want to make sure the top surface of the mold is as clean as possible because you’ll be adding another layer of chocolate over the filled chocolate eggs and will need to scrape it directly at the surface. So, bumps of hardened chocolate will make that difficult.
6. Chill pure chocolate eggshells in the refrigerator for about 10-15 minutes until hardened. If your room is cool, you can also allow the chocolate to harden at room temperature.
7. If using compound chocolate (candy melts, almond bar, etc.), chill the eggs in the freezer for about 5 minutes just until hardened. If let in the freezer too long, the eggshells may crack.

You can make your eggshells using milk, dark, or white chocolate.

You can even use colored candy melts if you want to make colorful white chocolate eggs.

Note about thin chocolate.

• If you have used really thin (viscous) chocolate or candy melts, you may want to set the mold upside down on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet before chilling so that the chocolate doesn’t sink to the bottom of the mold.
• If the chocolate is extremely thin, you may need to add a second layer.

Make your chocolate eggs using a plastic candy mold or a silicone mold.

1. Spoon some chocolate into the egg cavity then use the spoon or a food-use-only paintbrush to brush the chocolate up around the edges of the mold.
2. Completely cover the inside of the mold.
3. Be sure you cannot see through any of the chocolate and that the top edge of the chocolate is not too thin.
4. Scrape any chocolate that has gotten onto the top of the candy mold. You want the top edge of each chocolate eggshell to be smooth.
5. Chill pure chocolate eggshells in the refrigerator and chill compound chocolate (candy melts) eggshells in the freezer until hardened.

If your plastic egg mold is completely flat (no ridge around the edge), you can use the pour and dump method listed above for the polycarbonate molds.

Peanut Butter Fudge Filling

The beauty of this peanut butter fudge is that it is liquid while it’s warm. As it cools, it firms up. Once it cools completely it is solid but it melts in your mouth when you bite into it. It’s incredibly creamy and smooth.

1. Combine 8 ounces white chips and 4 ounces peanut butter chips in a microwave-safe bowl (or the top bowl of a double boiler).
2. Heat for 30-second bursts of high power until melted or heat in a double boiler over low heat, stirring often, until melted.
3. Stir in 8 ounces of creamy peanut butter and a pinch of salt until well blended.
4. Allow the filling to cool slightly. You don’t want to pipe hot peanut butter fudge into chocolate eggs, as hot fudge would melt the chocolate or throw it out of temper. Ideally, it should be cooled to about 90 degrees, but don’t cool it too long or it will firm up. If that happens, you can just reheat it in the microwave or using your double boiler.
5. Pour it into a disposable pastry bag or a squeeze bottle.

Fill the chocolate eggs with peanut butter fudge.

1. Pipe peanut butter fudge filling into the chocolate eggshells.
2. Tap the mold to remove air bubbles and to smooth out the surface of the fudge.
3. Fill the fudge so that you have about 1/16 of an inch of space to add a layer of chocolate.
   • If you have used a plastic or silicone mold to make your eggshells, you can pipe chocolate over the top of your eggs or spread it overtop using a small offset spatula. If you can, I still recommend you scrape over the top using the bench scraper.
4. Set the fudge-filled chocolate eggs aside for at least one hour so the fudge can firm up. You can chill the eggs in the refrigerator if you need to speed up the process, but be sure the mold has come to room temperature before adding your chocolate layer.
5. Once the fudge has set, pour chocolate over the top of the eggs.
6. Use an offset spatula to smooth out the chocolate then scrape off any excess chocolate.
7. Tap the mold to remove air bubbles.
8. Use a bench scraper or food-use-only putty knife to scrape the top edge smooth.
9. Chill pure chocolate eggs in the refrigerator or compound chocolate in the freezer for about 5 minutes until the top layer of chocolate hardens.

You will use the exact same technique as listed above to make milk chocolate or white chocolate eggs.

I own two Savage Bros. Melting machines and use them to temper my milk and dark chocolate. The big vat holds up to 50 pounds of tempered chocolate.

I simply open the spout and chocolate pours out onto my molds. It makes creating these chocolate eggs quick and easy.

You can serve your chocolate eggs on a platter or simply place them in your Easter baskets, but I like to make them look pretty by wrapping them in colored foil wrappers.

It’s also a great way to differentiate the chocolate egg flavors. As I mentioned, I used to make more than a dozen different chocolate egg flavors and I wrapped them all in a different color.

Wrap your peanut butter fudge eggs in foil.

1. Purchase 6-inch square pieces of colored foil candy wrappers then cut them down to 5-inch square wrappers. Unfortunately, the foils do not come in 5-inch squares. They come in 3-inch, 4-inch, and 6-inch. You can even buy Easter bunny and egg printed foil.
2. Lay an egg with the curved side down on the foil.
3. Fold in two corners, then fold in the other two corners.
4. Smooth out the wrinkles.

If you watch the video, you will see how I wrap a chocolate egg in foil.

Tips for differentiating filled chocolate eggs:

• I typically make more than a dozen different chocolate egg flavors for Easter. I usually wrap each flavor in a different foil color.
• I wanted a nice variety of colored foils in my pictures, though so I used various colors of foil.
• To make sure I could tell my milk chocolate peanut butter fudge eggs from my dark chocolate fudge eggs, I labeled them.
• I used small return address labels from Avery. I use the templates on their website to add my text (and my logo) then print out the labels on my home printer.

IMPORTANT: If you are making a variety of filled chocolate eggs, I recommend you unmold them onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Write the name of the filling on the parchment paper as soon as you unmold them so you don’t get them confused. You can even put a sticky note directly onto the candy mold to ensure you know what is inside the eggs.

How to store your chocolate peanut butter eggs?

• Store at room temperature for up to 2 months. They’ll be fine to eat up to 4 months after they are made but will taste best if eaten within two months.
• If you don’t wrap your chocolate peanut butter fudge eggs in foil, I recommend storing them in an airtight container, to keep them from getting dusty and to keep them fresh.
• I do NOT recommend refrigerating these peanut butter chocolate eggs as chocolate will pick up smells and condensation from the refrigerator.
  • If you live in a hot climate and you have to refrigerate your chocolate eggs, be sure to seal them in an airtight container along with a piece of paper towel (it will wick up any moisture). When you are ready to serve the eggs, set the container on your counter for about an hour before opening it. This will help to eliminate any condensation.
• You can freeze your chocolate eggs if you need to keep them for a longer period of time.
  • Wrap the peanut butter eggs in foil, and place them in a cardboard box then place the box inside a zip-top bag and freeze for up to 6 months. Or place the foil-wrapped eggs in between layers of paper towels in a zip-top bag and freeze. The cardboard box or paper towels will help to wick up any moisture.  Remove the bag from the freezer and set it on your counter, unopened, for several hours, until the chocolate thaws before opening.

If you’d like to learn more about the art of making chocolate, be sure to check out my online video chocolate-making classes at The Sugar Academy.

Save 20% off any class using coupon code HUNGRYBLOG20.

Peanut Butter Eggs Recipe

More chocolate Easter recipes…

Easter Egg Hot Chocolate Bombs

These hollow chocolate eggs are filled with hot chocolate mix and marshmallows, but could be filled with candy.
If you want to make 3-D chocolate eggs filled with peanut butter fudge that look like these decorated chocolate eggs, you can “glue” two halves together with chocolate or melt the bottom of one egg half and attach it to another half.

Handpainted Chocolate Easter Lollipops are fun to make and decorate with and for kids.

White chocolate-covered Rice Krispie Treat Bunnies look super cute in Easter baskets.

 

Did you make this recipe or have a question about it? Let me know by leaving a comment below. Be sure to rate the recipe too. If you love the recipe, please give it a 5-star rating.

I love making fun food for parties and special occasions and sharing my creative ideas with you.

If you make this recipe and share it online be sure to link back to this post.

Thanks and have a sweet day! –

Beth