Whole Food Coconut Eggs

I love holidays. They’re the best times to get caught up with that family you always say you’ll call.

In all seriousness, holidays are also a special time to reminisce on the memories of lost loved ones. We have my Grana’s, my late great-grandmother, rice pudding at nearly every family gathering throughout the year. We always share stories about my pap munching on his stinky cheese while drinking his dark black coffee in the morning.

Coming from an Italian family, it should come as no surprise that some of our most cherished memories of these loved ones involve food.

Easter has always been a special time of year for our family, but I always looked forward to it because of my Nana. My Nana was my great-grandmother and a tiny Italian powerhouse of a woman. Nana and I always had a special relationship, as I was her first great-grandchild. I remember her singing “A Bushel and a Peck” to me nearly every time we were together, and I can still taste her famous tomato sandwiches served on top of warm, fluffy, homemade bread.

This time of year, my Nana would hurry to the general store and buy me those fancy Dark Chocolate Coconut Cream Eggs. I remember the tiny, yellow, candy sunflower (the only flower I actually like) that was delicately placed on the top of each egg. I remember the irresistible texture and cloying sweetness of the gooey coconut center. I remember the distinct bitter-sweetness of the dark chocolate. These eggs are Easter to me.

After we lost my Nana, those coconut candies were such a wonderful and welcomed reminder of her love and personality. This is why I just had to put my [whole food] spin on these classic childhood treats. Sweet, chewy, and down-right divine, these Whole Food Coconut Cream Eggs will make a welcomed guest at your Easter feast!

Clearly, coconut will be the star of the show today. I get my immense love for coconut from my Nana; every year on her birthday, we like to celebrate with one of her favorite coconut cakes. I usually use unsweetened, shredded coconut in my recipes, so we’re using it today! It is full of healthy fats, so don’t fear the coconut! To reinforce the coconut flavor in these eggs, we’re using a bit of coconut butter. It adds some structure to the centers while flavoring these eggs with tropical coconutty goodness.

Our sweetness and gooeyness comes a la raw honey. It’s extremely possible that I’m addicted to this stuff. I love that it is a natural, refined sugar-free sweetener, and the thickness gives the centers that memorable chew that was so endearing as a child. Honey is used in a ton of different medicinal settings, and it even can help fight infections. Sweetness and crazy awesome health properties? Honey is the bee’s knees (pun so intended).

You may use melted chocolate/chocolate chips for the outer coating; however, if you wish to keep your creation refined sugar-free, a simple mixture of cocoa, coconut oil, maple syrup, salt, and vanilla will do the trick! I love this refined sugar-free alternative, but just note that it is a little more snappy and thin than your classic coconut cream egg coating.

I also realize that these eggs look a little…erm…homemade. I’m sure with a little more finesse, you can get the eggs much more smooth and egg-like. I forgot parchment paper in this whole process, which would have made it much easier to remove the frozen eggs from the plate I used. Using parchment paper is key to keeping your eggs uniform and smooth!

While these Whole Food Coconut Eggs may not be as special as the ones gifted to me by my Nana, I’d like to think she’d be proud of my remake. Perfectly chewy and naturally sweetened, these Whole Food Coconut Eggs are a perfect treat to add to your Easter table and share with loved ones!