These homemade peanut butter eggs taste like Easter memories – smooth chocolate, creamy peanut butter centers, just like the church bake sales of our childhood!
Homemade Peanut Butter Easter Eggs
One of my favorite Easter traditions as a kid was eating the homemade peanut butter eggs that our church would make as a fundraiser.
Church groups would make and sell them, but people would also make them at home. That’s why you may remember these confections by the name “Church Eggs.” They’re also sometimes called Amish eggs.
We bought them at times, but Granny also learned to make them, and they were just as good!
While there were usually several flavors of candy Easter eggs for sale, but my favorite, and the ones we made at home were peanut butter flavored.
This Easter, Stacey and I decided to try and make these irresistible Easter treats. As it turned out, the peanut butter filling was very easy to make. The dipping chocolate was a bit more challenging, but we learned some tricks as we practiced.
No matter how they look when you are done, the flavor is still going to be great. If you love the taste of peanut butter and chocolate like we do, you are going to love these.
You can decide on the size yourself. We made small ones, which are easier to handle and dip in the chocolate. Back in the day, they could be as large as a pound, but that makes dipping more challenging.
For decorations, we chose little pre-made sugar flowers that we found at our local craft/hobby store. I also did a few with pink sprinkles.
Growing up, these Easter eggs were always shared. My mom would open one and cut it into pieces to share. These are rich and sweet, and a few small pieces are so satisfying. These are not regular ol’ Reese’s peanut butter eggs…these are a homemade treat and a taste of childhood nostalgia!
These eggs are great to have on hand or share with your friends and family. They also make fantastic gifts!
— Sara
Ingredients
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- 1 cup Creamy Peanut Butter
- 1 lb Butter (2 sticks, we used salted butter)
- 2 lbs Powdered Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 3 Tablespoons Evaporated milk or water
- 24oz Chocolate chips or chocolate melting wafers
- 1/4 cup Food Grade Paraffin Wax Beads (or coconut oil) if using chocolate chips (see notes)
Helpful Kitchen Tools
- Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Microwave Safe Bowl
- Baking Pan lined with Parchment Paper
Instructions
To Make The Peanut Butter Filling:
- Blend peanut butter, vanilla, and butter in bowl of a stand mixer until creamy. You can also use a large mixing bowl and electric hand mixer.
- Add confectioner’s sugar and blend until the mixture starts holding together somewhat. It will still look crumbly though.
- Add 1 Tablespoon of the evaporated milk or water and continue blending. Add by teaspoons until the mixture becomes smooth and creamy. This will happen fast and does not require much liquid.
- Mold the peanut butter mixture into egg shapes and place on a parchment paper lined pan or pans that can fit into your freezer. Place eggs in freezer for an hour to chill.
To Make The Chocolate Coating
- In a microwave safe bowl or measuring cup, melt together the chocolate and paraffin. Heat in 20 second intervals. Stir until melted and smooth. If using chocolate melting wafers, you can follow the instructions on the package.
- If making smaller eggs, you can simply stick a fork in the top and dip in the chocolate.
- After you place the egg on waxed paper, you can cover the fork spot with a sugar flower, sprinkles, or smooth it with a little extra chocolate.
- Let the excess chocolate drip back into the melted chocolate and place the dipped egg onto waxed or parchment paper. If there is any peanut butter filling showing, just dab a little melted chocolate on it. Place preferred decoration on top.
Prep Tips
Peanut Butter Filling
- I made these peanut butter eggs using both a stand mixer and a hand mixer. The stand mixer was a little easier but the hand mixer worked fine.
- I also tried both a name brand peanut butter and a “natural” type of peanut butter. Both worked well, so go with what you would normally use.
- This recipe calls for a very small amount of canned evaporated milk. Canned evaporated milk is often used to add extra creaminess to a recipe. I did use it for my first round. However, it seemed wasteful to open an entire can for a couple of tablespoons. I tried it with water and the taste was the same as far as I could tell.
- When adding the liquid, add it in small amounts. The entire recipe calls for three tablespoons. Start with one, then add by teaspoon. The peanut butter mixture will look like crumbs, but will pull together really fast with a small amount of liquid.
- You can make these Easter eggs, any size you want. For handling and dipping a smaller size is easier to use. In our first attempt, we divided the recipe into 10 eggs. I wouldn’t go any bigger than this. When I tried the recipe again, I made the eggs even smaller, 20 per recipe. These were much easier to dip in chocolate and handle.
Dipping Chocolate
- This was the most challenging part for me. I did try melting my chocolate the first time in a double boiler, but this really isn’t necessary. You can easily melt your chocolate in the microwave.
- While I don’t like waste, you will want more chocolate than you actually need because you need to have enough to dip your eggs into. If there isn’t enough chocolate in the bowl, it’s harder to get that smooth look. If you end up a low level of chocolate, and the eggs aren’t as pretty, no worries. These are what I call the family tasters. They might not be as pretty but they taste just the same.
- The original recipe calls for chocolate chips and paraffin. I had to order food safe paraffin online since the paraffin in the grocery stores were not specifically labeled for consumption.
- Another option is melting chocolate wafers. These were so easy and the least expensive option. I found mine in my local grocery store. You might need a couple of packages.
More Homemade Candies:
- Old-Fashioned Pecan Divintiy
- Cherry Divinity Candy
- Pineapple Upside Down Fudge
- Homemade Cracker Jack Recipe
Old-Fashioned Peanut Butter Egg Recipe (Printable Recipe Card)
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Peanut Butter Easter Eggs
Equipment
- Stand or hand mixer
- large mixing bowl
- tray or pan to hold eggs
- Microwave safe bowl or measuring cup
Ingredients
- 2 pounds confectioner's sugar
- 1 pound butter we used salted butter
- 3 TB evaporated milk or water may not need this much
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 24 ounces chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup food grade paraffin or coconut oil Can use chocolate melting wafers instead
Instructions
Peanut Butter Filling
- Blend peanut butter, vanilla, and butter until creamy
- Add confectioner’s sugar and blend until mixture clumps together somewhat. It will still look crumbly.
- Add 1 Tablespoon of the evaporated milk or water and continue blending. Add by the teaspoon until the mixture turns smooth and creamy. This will happen fast and does not require much liquid.
- Form peanut butter mixture into egg shapes and place on a parchment paper lined pan or pans that can fit into your freezer.
- Chill peanut butter eggs in freezer for about an hour.
Chocolate Coating
- In a microwave safe bowl or measuring cup, melt together chocolate and paraffin. Heat in 20 second intervals, stirring between, until melted and smooth. If using chocolate melting wafers, you can follow the instructions on the package.
- If making small eggs, you can simply stick a fork in the top and dip in the chocolate. After you place the egg on waxed paper, you can cover the fork spot with a sugar flower, sprinkles, or smooth it with a little extra chocolate.
- Let the extra chocolate drip back into the melted chocolate and place the dipped egg onto waxed or parchment paper. If there is any peanut butter filling showing, just dab a little melted chocolate on it. Place preferred decoration on top and allow chocolate coating to set.
Notes
Nutrition
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