These Chocolate Covered Coconut Buttercream Eggs are the perfect holiday treat! They're delightfully rich and creamy, filled with lots of coconut, and topped with toasted coconut too!
4cupsPowdered Sugar(plus a little extra for rolling the eggs in before they're chilled and dipped in chocolate)
1cupCoconut Flakes(plus ⅓ cup for toasted coconut topping - optional)
12ozSemi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
2tablespoonVegetable Shortening(or coconut oil or ½ square of paraffin wax)
Instructions
Coconut Buttercream Eggs
Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment mix together the cream cheese and unsalted butter on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy. Add in the vanilla extract.
Switch to a lower mixer speed and add in the powdered sugar a little at a time until the mixture comes together. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Then fold in the coconut flakes, stirring together until well blended.
4 cups Powdered Sugar, 1 cup Coconut Flakes
Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4-6 hours or overnight (the recommended option) to allow the coconut buttercream filling to become firm and easy to roll into the egg shapes.
Prepare a baking sheet lined with wax paper and a small bowl with a little powdered sugar.
Take a spoonful of the coconut buttercream filling and roll it into an egg-like shape with your hands. Lightly coat it with powdered sugar and place it on the baking sheet. Repeat this step until the whole mixture is used.
Freeze the coconut buttercream eggs until they are firm enough to dip into the chocolate (about 30 minutes to 1 hour).
Toasted Coconut Flakes (Optional)
Add ⅓ cup of coconut flakes to a microwaveable plate and heat in 30 second increments, each time stirring it up with a fork. You'll see a little smoke come from the flakes as you do this. This is okay. Do NOT heat the coconut flakes for more than 30 seconds at a time. I heated mine 3 times, for a total of 90 seconds. Set aside and allow to cool.
Assembling the Eggs
Using a double boiler (fill the bottom boiler with about 1″-1.5″ water), melt the vegetable shortening and semi-sweet chocolate chips over low heat, uncovered until melted and smooth. You can use a medium-sized saucepan and a heat-proof glass bowl fitted over the top. Another alternative is to melt the two together in the microwave using a heat-proof, microwaveable bowl. If using a double boiler and paraffin wax, do not melt the paraffin wax and the chocolate chips together at the same time. Melt the wax first, then add the semi-sweet chocolate chips, stirring until fully melted and smooth.
12 oz Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, 2 tablespoon Vegetable Shortening
Working quickly, dip each buttercream egg into the melted chocolate using your forks or candy dipping tools and set it back onto the wax paper. Top with a little toasted coconut.Dip each egg into the melted chocolate using candy dipping tools or 1-2 forks or candy dipping tools. Gently tap off any excess chocolate, placing the eggs back onto the wax paper-lined baking sheet. Top with a little toasted coconut. Repeat this until all the coconut buttercream eggs have been dipped in chocolate and topped with the toasted coconut, then place them in the refrigerator to allow the chocolate to harden. Once chilled, trim off any excess, if desired.
Store the chocolate covered coconut buttercream eggs in the fridge or you can freeze them in a tightly sealed container for up to one month.
Video
Notes
Placing the coconut buttercream eggs in the freezer for a minimum of one hour will be super helpful when it comes time to dip them into the melted chocolate. A good rule of thumb when it comes to this recipe is the longer you can leave the buttercream eggs in the freezer to firm up, the easier it will be and the less likely they are to fall apart when they are dipped into the melted chocolate.
You can use coconut oil or paraffin wax instead of vegetable shortening. The main purpose of the paraffin wax is to thin and add a little shine to the chocolate. It also keeps the chocolate from melting when left out at room temperature.
If you don't own a double boiler, you can take a medium saucepan, fill it with water to 1" - 1 ½", and top it with a glass heatproof mixing bowl. Then, place the chocolate in the glass bowl and melt it over low heat. Alternatively, you can melt the vegetable shortening and semi-sweet chocolate chips together in a microwave-proof bowl.
I used two forks to dip the coconut buttercream eggs into the melted chocolate, but if you prefer, you can use candy dipping tools instead.
If you don’t have a baking sheet that can easily fit in the freezer, you can use a container to lay the coconut buttercream eggs, fitted with a sheet of wax paper to the container's size.
If you'd like to add toasted coconut flakes to the tops of your chocolate-covered coconut buttercream eggs, you'll want to do so immediately after dipping them into the melted chocolate.