From eggs to chicks to sheep, chocolate Easter candy is a delicious part of the holiday celebration. Whether you tuck them in Easter baskets, or display them on your holiday table, having homemade chocolate treats will delight all you serve them to! By making chocolate Easter candy yourself, you can customize them to your family's taste. Select the type of chocolate you desire, and personalize the candies as you wish. You'll have a beautiful tray of chocolate Easter candies or a basket full of cellophane wrapped goodies that everyone will enjoy.

Chocolate Easter candy is a holiday tradition. When you make your own, you can control what goes in to them, how they are shaped, and how they are decorated, creating a truly personalized experience. This guide to how to make chocolate Easter candy will show you what you need to know to customize your own chocolate creations. Whether you prefer milk chocolate, dark chocolate or white chocolate, you can create wonderful holiday treats right in your own kitchen.

The tradition of chocolate Easter eggs stretches back to the 19th century in Germany and France, at that time the candies were small and made from bitter dark chocolate, truly an acquired taste. However, the first commercial chocolate eggs appeared in England in 1873 when Cadbury introduced their chocolate Easter eggs.http://www.hotelchocolat.com/chocolate-easter-gifts-AEasterEggHistory/ Milk chocolate was introduced in 1904 under the name of Nestle, it had been invented by Daniel Peter. Peter had been working on the formula for milk chocolate since prior to 1873, so it had taken many years and lots of failures before he was able to develop the correct formula.http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/MilkChocolate.htm Shaping chocolate into Easter bunnies appears to have first appeared in Germany. The history of how the Easter bunny developed is connected to the ancient pagan rites of fertility each Spring.http://candyaddict.com/blog/2007/03/18/the-history-of-the-chocolate-bunny/

You can use any type of chocolate to make chocolate Easter candy; however if you wish to use a mold you may need to add some paraffin, if you are using a chocolate that is not specifically designed to melt for use in molds and molding.http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Make-Great-Easter-Candy-Using-Chocolate-Molds---Part-Two&id=3855822 Mixing dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and white chocolate will add variety to your candy dish.http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Make-Great-Easter-Candy-Using-Chocolate-Molds---Part-One&id=3855689 A wide variety of molds in Easter designs are available, you may want to use just one, for example making all your candy in egg shapes, or all in bunny shapes, or you can choose to have multiple shapes with some chocolate Easter eggs, some chocolate Easter bunnies and some Chocolate Easter chicks. You can even use some white chocolate with green food coloring, grated or shredded, to make Easter grass for an indoor centerpiece.

1. Dark chocolate, milk chocolate, or white chocolate
2. Food coloring, optional for decorating white chocolate
3. A double boiler to melt the chocolate
4. Heatproof bowl
5. Candy Thermometer
6. Candy molds in Easter shapes, such as eggs, bunnies and chicks
7. Rubber spatula
8. Assorted decorations
9. Squeeze bottle or pastry bag
10. Food grade cellophane bags to place the candy in after it is cooled.

While the process of melting the chocolate, filling the molds and decorating the candy is not difficult, but it is important to prepare the chocolate by tempering it before use in the molds. This will ensure that it doesn't discolor when you refrigerate the candies later on. To temper chocolate, first melt the chocolate in the double boiler over simmering water, then remove from heat and let the chocolate cool to around 80 degrees F. Finally bring the chocolate up to the proper temperature, 88 degrees F to 91 degrees F, do not let it get above 91 degrees F.http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2005/08/tempering_choco.html

When you are ready to fill the molds using a squeeze bottle makes it easy to fill the molds. Wearing thin cotton gloves will keep your hands clean and help you avoid smudges. If you have excess chocolate, scrape off the extra chocolate into a clean bowl; it can be warmed and reused later. After you have filled the mold, tap it gently on the counter top to remove air bubbles. If you are making lollipops, coat the sticks with chocolate before inserting into the mold. It may be helpful to use a little oil to grease the inside of the molds, but be careful to use only a small amount, read the instructions from the manufacturer for the mold.