Cadbury Creme Eggs

So, I ran to CVS after work the other day, only to be met with an awful Easter tragedy. Not a single Cadbury Creme Egg remained on those stinkin shelves. And it's not even Easter yet! Isn't there supposed to be an overabundance of those things so we can all buy extras at half price on Monday? I'm not sure who stocks those shelves, but that's just a shame. 

I mean, really, there were plenty of Peep Imposters (aka Bunnies) and an assortment of lovely pastel-coated chocolate bits. But not a single creme egg in sight. Tear.

Just look at that delicious ooey, gooey center. Beautiful. Not that I wouldn't be thrilled to find a basket full of commercial-crafted creme eggs on my doorstep this Sunday morning, but, dare I say, this version might just be a little bit better than the original. What!

Also, if you have self-control issues but still want the eggs all for yourself but don't want to eat them all in one day, they freeze really well...if they last that long!

Cadbury Creme Eggs [click to print]
Makes about 15 eggies

• 1/2 c. corn syrup
• 1/4 c. unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tsp. clear vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 3 c. powdered sugar
• 1/2 to 1 tsp. orange zest
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. yellow food coloring, liquid
• 12 oz. milk chocolate chips

Combine corn syrup, butter, vanilla and salt in mixing bowl and beat until smooth. Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, and beat until smooth. Scoop about 2/3 of mixture into separate bowl and put in fridge or freezer to chill. Add food coloring and zest to remaining mixture and beat until well combined; chill about 15 minutes.

Scoop white mixture, about 1 tablespoon at a time, onto parchment paper. Make a small depression in the center of each white and chill. Roll yolk mixture into balls, about 1/2 teaspoon at a time, and chill on a piece of parchment paper until firm to the touch.

Place a yolk in the center of each white and pinch sides of white together to enclose yolk. Roll into an oblong egg shape and return to parchment paper; chill again. If things get too sticky while you're working, you guessed it, chill for a few minutes and then continue.

Melt chocolate in double boiler or in microwave safe bowl in 30 second intervals, stirring well between each nuke. You can add a tablespoon of oil or shortening to the chocolate to make it easier to coat the eggs, but it won't have as crisp of a crack when you bite into the chocolate shell. Insert a toothpick into each egg and dip in chocolate to coat. Stick egg-topped toothpicks into potatoes until set. Or just drop egg into chocolate bowl and cover with chocolate, tap off excess chocolate and place on parchment paper to harden.

Source: Adapted from Instructables and Not Without Salt

Big Fat Kitchen Disaster

Like most of you, I have a full-time, non-baking job. And (try to have) a social life. So in between work and other stuff, I rush home and test recipes. Well, I was anxious to start baking again after a brief hiatus and was quickly setting things on the counter for a berry cake, it is still (barely, sniff!) summer, after all. Milk, butter, measuring spoons, eggs and C-R-A-A-A-C-K!

Oops. Apparently when my mom said you shouldn't set eggs on the counter because they might roll onto the floor, she was serious.

So I laughed, snapped a few pics and moved on with my baking project. Really, what else could you do? After waiting impatiently for the cake to bake, I pulled it out of the oven and it looked amazing! My oven doesn't have a window on it, so you can imagine how painful it is for me to wait. I let it cool for a few minutes in the pan, then gently turned it out onto the cooling rack. The color was great and it smelled delicious but it looked like there was a small break so I lifted the cake to get a closer look and it slid right off that cooling rack. Yes, you heard me. My second kitchen disaster of the evening.

Oops again. I think my jaw about dropped to the floor and my eyes bugged out of my head. That cake looked so good! And if there wasn't a break in it before, I sure fixed that! I'll have to do some more testing and get back to you on that recipe...

Oh, cake, you dear sweet deliciousness, why do you taste so good? If I'd realized how much patience this whole baking thing required, I may have chosen another addiction, but it's too late to turn back now!