Day 85 - Easter Egg Hunt Cookies (Surprise!)

     Want some Easter goodies?

     I found these INCREDIBLE looking bundles of deliciousness on the blog In Katrina's Kitchen.  What a great blog!  OH. MY. GOODNESS!  I left her a comment saying that I just HAD to use these for one of my baking days and share them with you.  Yes, you and just you.  Because I know you'll like them!  And, I have a history with Cadbury Creme Eggs.  A LONG history.  I remember seeing those brightly colored wrappers in my grandmother's kitchen back in 19..., ok, the early 80's.  So I was what, a preteen?  I loved them then and I still absolutely love them now.  AND, I have loved them in between then and now.  So much so (and I wrote this in that comment to Katrina, too), that when they started selling them again (because they only sell them for a few months of the year) in late January of 1992 up until my delivery/due date on April 3rd, 1992, I ate one. EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.  And I'm not talking the baby ones, neither.  NOPE, I ate a single large Cadbury Creme Egg every day for about 2½ months while I was pregnant with our first child, our daughter.  It's no wonder I gained 52 lbs. during that pregnancy, but it is amazing I wasn't diagnosed with gestational diabetes.  Every day.  They were and still are a tiny piece of heaven.
     These cookies were also great to make because I was able to bring out my mini muffin tin from hibernation and give that baby a good scrubbing.  In the 20 years we've been married, I've used that thing only once.
     Here are some tidbits from the Cadbury egg website (Hershey's owns the rights to manufacture, advertise and distribute these delectable morsels in the U.S.):

Quick Facts
So, how do people eat their Creme Egg?

53% of people bite off the top, lick out the 'creme' then eat the chocolate

Nope, not me.  Too diificult when I'm driving 'cause I'm usually eating these in the car immediately after purchasing it in the store.

20% just bite straight through - YUP!  That's ME!!!

16% use their finger to scoop out the 'creme' - WHY would I waste some of that precious creme on my FINGER??!!

How people unwrap their eggs can also reflect their Creme Egg eating style, we have...

Delicate Peelers - To achieve a considered, methodical & subtle eat
Stage Peelers - Who unwrap just enough to keep the 'creme' off their fingers
Quick Discarders - Who rip off the foil as they just can't wait to eat their Creme Egg

     Easter Egg Hunt Cookies

     2½ cups flour
     1 teaspoon baking soda
     1 teaspoon salt
     ½ cup shortening
     ½ cup butter, softened
     ¾ cup granulated sugar
     ¾ cup packed brown sugar
     1 teaspoon vanilla
     2 large eggs
     36 mini Cadbury Eggs

     Optional:
     green frosting ( I used the buttercream frosting that I used from Wilton on my son's birthday cake) (Note, today I made only ½ the recipe for the Wilton frosting, and didn't even use all of it.)
     jelly beans    

     Preheat oven to 350ºF.
     Cream butter, shortening, both granulated and brown sugars, and vanilla in a mixing bowl.  Add eggs, one at a time, mixing in thoroughly.

     In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt.  Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients.  The dough will start to pull away from the mixing bowl.

     Using just under a tablespoon of dough, wrap a mini Cadbury egg so that it is completely covered.  After wrapping, I rolled it around in my hands and made sure it was spread evenly around the egg.  Place the cookie inside a well greased mini muffin tin.  Do not use much more than a tablespoon of dough or the cookie will spread over the top of the pan as muffins will tend to do.

     Bake for 9-12 minutes until golden brown.
     Allow cookies to cool in pan for 15-20 minutes until you can twist them out.  Using your fingertips, gently try to twist the cookie to remove it.  If the cookie seems to soft or like it will break apart, wait 2 minutes and try again. (I waited only about 12 minutes with the first batch and the tops were coming off.  But they were easy to put back together.  The second batch I left in the pan until they were almost completely cooled and they twisted right out without any problems.  I was so psyched!) Katrina suggested not having the cookies cool in the pan completely, but I found that it worked best for me.  It may also have been that instead of using a whole cup of shortening, I decided to use ½ shortening, ½ butter.  You can decide which would be best for you.

     Allow cookies to cool completely before frosting.  Top with jelly beans.

     I don't need anyone else's help in rating these puppies.  I'm giving them 4 rolling pins!  Haha, even without the cookie dough I'd give them a 4!  I have a rating system for my baked goods which is based on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being an Oh. My. Goodness!
     I just hope I've posted this with enough time for you to find some mini Cadbury eggs.  If you make them, I want to see, so please post a picture here on our 365 Facebook page and while you're there, "Like" us!
     Thank's for reading and happy baking!  I'd say have a great weekend, but I'll be back every day.  :-)