Crunchy Peanut Butter Caramel Eggs

Looking for a special treat to share with your little bunnies this weekend?  These may just be the perfect thing, and the little bunnies can even help make them, which makes them even better.

These little eggs kind of remind me of a Watchamacallit bar.  Remember those?  They were one of my favorite candy bars as a kid, so it may be why I was drawn to these guys in the first place.  They have this crispy, crunchy, chewy, peanut-buttery center drenched in just the right amount of chocolate.

I started by mixing together my sticky, peanut butter caramel.  In a saucepan, I melted together equal parts creamy peanut butter, light corn syrup, and brown sugar.

I stirred that over the heat until it was nice and smooth, and I could see that the sugar had melted in.

Once it was warm and smooth, I poured it over some Rice Krispies and Cornflakes in a large bowl, and added some chopped peanuts.

I gave the mixture a good stir, making sure every little bit of cereal and peanut were covered in the sweet chewy caramel.

Then, it was time to make some eggs!

While the mixture was warm, I took rounded tablespoonfuls of the cereal mixture and rolled them into egg shapes.  The mixture is, not surprisingly, very sticky, but as you roll they become more cohesive and less “all over your hands”.  As I finished each egg, I laid them out on a cookie sheet that I’d lined with parchment paper.

I had two cookie sheets full of little eggs, and I put them in the refrigerator to help them to set up while I melted my chocolate.

In a microwave safe bowl, I melted down some semi-sweet chocolate chips along with a little dab of shortening, in the microwave.  The shortening just helps make the chocolate a little smoother, and easier to work with for dipping.

Once the chocolate was melted down and beautifully smooth, I got to dipping my eggs.  Using a fork, I rolled each egg in the chocolate until it was evenly covered.  Then, I lifted the egg out of the chocolate with the fork, and tapped the fork on the edge of the bowl, allowing the excess chocolate to drip right off the egg.  Once it had a nice, even coat, I used another fork to help move the chocolate covered egg back onto the cookie sheet.

At this point, you can bring the kids in.  Avery helped me sprinkle some designs on the eggs!

Once all of the eggs were dipped and decorated, the cookie sheets went back into the refrigerator so the chocolate could harden back up.  Although, Avery dove into one while it was still pretty goopy, and seemed perfectly happy…and was covered in chocolate.  (I wish I’d taken a picture!)

The eggs can be stored in the refrigerator, but let them come to room temperature before serving.

I hope you and your families have a wonderful Easter weekend!  May the Bunny bring many sweet Easter memories your way!

CRUNCHY PEANUT BUTTER CARAMEL EGGS

Adapted from Taste of Home