Make Your Own Easter Treats

Easter eggs have been appearing on the supermarket shelves since New Year, but that doesn't mean you have to take home the same foil-wrapped treats as everyone else. Get the whole family together and make some treats that the Easter Bunny will envy with these glow-in-the-dark hen eggs and our tips for making your own tasty chocolate eggs—both using your trusty Panasonic microwave!

Make your eggs glow in the dark

With some ordinary hen eggs, egg dye, and a microwave, you can make a fun Easter project for the whole family. The dye reacts with the protein in the eggs and the energy in the microwave to make eggs glow in a super cool way. Interestingly, only one in three eggs will glow as the albumen (egg white) protein needs to be at a certain level. These eggs will not be edible, but make extra fun decorations!

Method:
1. Place three raw eggs gently into a bowl with egg dye. Turn the eggs over a few times to make sure they are covered with dye, and then let them soak for 5 minutes.
2. Take the eggs out of the bowl. Let them sit on a piece of paper towel until they dry.
3. Place all of the eggs onto a microwave-safe plate and microwave on medium temp for 10 seconds only.
4. Carefully remove the eggs and place them on a hard surface.
5. Turn off the lights. You should see one or more eggs glowing in the dark. As the process works for only one in three eggs, you may need to try again with a new batch of eggs.

Make your own chocolate eggs

If you want to get everyone involved in making Easter eggs instead of buying them from the store, you'll find it so much easier to use a microwave to melt the chocolate for the moulds rather than fussing around with double boilers on the stove.

Perfect melted chocolate:
1. Break the chocolate into evenly sized pieces.
2. Place in a clean, dry, unchipped, heatproof, microwave-safe bowl. Do not use plastic bowls as they will retain moisture, causing the chocolate to seize.
3. Leave the chocolate uncovered, as covering will cause condensation to form and drop into the chocolate, again causing it to seize.
4. Microwave uncovered for the first minute on Medium-High/70%. Stir with a metal spoon. Then microwave for 30 seconds and stir again until smooth. You can microwave for a further 30 seconds if required, stirring afterwards.
5. Remove from microwave and stir until completely smooth.

Tips for chocolate moulds:
1. Brush the egg mould with vegetable oil to lightly grease.
2. Spoon the melted chocolate into the prepared mould (about 1 1/2 tablespoons each side for a large mould, and 2 teaspoons each side for a medium mould).
3. Working quickly, use the back of a teaspoon to spread the chocolate evenly over the inside of both sides of the mould.
4. Close the mould so the edges join. Use clips to secure.
5. Shake to coat on both sides. Set aside for 5 minutes. Turn over and set aside until almost set.
6. Place in fridge for 5-10 minutes to chill.
7. Remove the clips. Gently press the top and bottom of the mould, one side at a time, to release the egg.
Then it's time for the Easter egg hunt! Why not use your glow in the dark eggs to light the way around the back garden for a fun night hunt?