History of Chocolate Easter Confection

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The Mayans and Aztecs were two ancient people groups of Southern Mexico and Guatemala. What did they have to do with the history of Easter? This is where chocolate originated, and tied to the history of chocolate Easter confections provides a rich holiday legacy.

The Mayans and Aztecs discovered that the seeds of the cacao tree can be processed into chocolate. These early peoples mixed the ground cacao seeds with spices to create a beverage. The Aztecs used cacao seeds as money, and they exacted cacao seeds from their citizens and their conquered. In Aztec culture, only royalty and elite could drink chocolate, but in Mayan culture more people had access to chocolate. Both cultures used chocolate as religious offerings and during sacred rituals.

Spanish conquistadors, after exploring Mexico, brought the seeds with them back to Spain, and the cacao seeds eventually spread all over Europe. It was in Europe that the ground cacao seeds were mixed with sugar, and a new taste sensation was born. At this time in Europe only the rich could afford to drink chocolate.

The Industrial Revolution brought modern technology to the making of chocolate, and it was at this time that technology made it possible for chocolate to be eaten in its solid form. It could also be mass produced, making it more accessible to a wider audience. Even today machines are used to sort and clean the seeds, then weigh them. After this they are roasted and cleaned still further. At this point they get ground and through this process they are liquefied, then separated into cocoa solids and cocoa butter. Although each chocolate manufacturer has their own specific recipes for making chocolate, they all essentially mix together chocolate liquor, sugar, condensed milk and cocoa butter to create chocolate crumb. The crumb is pressed and forms chocolate paste, which is then blended in a large vat. At this stage, the chocolate is heated and cooled several times to temper it, making is shiny. After it is tempered, it can be poured into molds, forming all the familiar shapes in which chocolate comes. It can also be poured over flavored centers or the shaped chocolate can be filled with liquid. Finally, a machine is used to package the chocolate for sale.

The first solid chocolate Easter eggs were created in Germany and France around 1800. After this came the formation of hollow chocolate eggs, and with modern machines that could mass produce the confections, over time they became one of the best-loved Easter confections around the globe. To satisfy our worldwide sweet tooth requires the manufacture of ninety million chocolate Easter bunnies every year. Today's Easter baskets, filled with Easter gifts, are a chocolate-filled holiday tradition.

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Best Easter Ideas - Chocolate Yummies Fill Empty Tummies

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How time flies by, it only seems like yesterday when the tedious job of taking down the Christmas decorations was undertaken and stored up the loft, only to repeat the whole tedious process accordingly to commemorate Easter. However, because the lord is involved with both festive dates - makes tasks as such not so tedious at all but much more rewarding. Christmas day we celebrate the birth of Christ and Easter Sunday his resurrection.

Tradition up holds by giving a child a chocolate egg on Easter Sunday, and in some cases more because of greed, all because mom and dad give in to their demands. This is not good for their health or your pocket. Parents need to downsize on the chocolate egg or quantity. Huge savings can be made by doing this thus giving you those extra pennies to spend on healthy candy alternatives.

Easter is about feasting but do take care of what edible delights you are serving up. Keep your child`s welfare in mind. hence no guilt trip for you if the child is sick from overeating or piling on the pounds

If the feast table is to be laden with yummies to fill the tummies then it is a good idea to include some healthier alternatives. There is a vast variety of healthy replacements for candy baskets.

Instead of chocolate or marshmallow candy, fill the baskets with natural cookies which can be baked at home and juicy fruits. Mini boxes of raisins dried apple pieces and sultanas are a good choice of appetizer.

Fill basket with low fat candies.

Both stuffed bunny rabbits and jelly beans are tempting eye candy to a child and low in calories.
After the feast their will be the cleaning up so no time to cook tea, a good idea is to have the children decorate hard boiled eggs which can be eaten with a salad.

If the hens have been laying and you have spare eggs organize an egg rolling competition. Hard-boiled eggs are rolled down a slope, the winner is the one which rolls the egg the furthest, survives the most rolls, or is successfully aimed between two pegs!

Below budget-friendly activities for kids this Easter:

Take the kids on a shopping spree. Give each whatever you can afford and let them choose their own Easter gift, by doing this the day will not seem as long than that of being in the home running out of ideas as to what to do next.

Easter Garden : Pick up some flower pots, and seeds, and teach your kids a few gardening basics then let them plant their own spring flowers.

Sometimes a change of location is all it takes to keep kids entertained and more so at Easter time. So why not take the kids on a picnic, weather permitting. Whether it is the garden or a nearby park the kids will love it. Bring a toy to play with, it would be in your best interest to replace the old kite or ball with a new one, this will excite the children more.

Give young children a basket of brightly coloured plastic eggs; with coins inside each egg, be careful with small items placed in an Easter basket.

Easter day is named after the Saxon goddess of spring, Eostre, whose feast took place at the spring equinox. Easter is now the spring feast of the Christian church, commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Traditionally Easter eggs are given as presents symbolising new life and the coming of spring.

Happy Easter

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Of Chocolate Eggs, Bunnies, and Personalized Easter Baskets

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A way to celebrate Easter is to give away personalized Easter baskets, which could contain the traditional basket fillers, such as pascha (Easter bread), ham, egg, cheese, butter, salt, sausages, and eggs. For these traditional baskets to become unique and personal, extra effort needs to be exerted by the giver. It can be through a simple handmade card, hand-painted eggs, fine chocolate, or homemade basket fillers.

Another route to take in customized Easter baskets is to fill them up with non-traditional (or non-Christian) things, like gourmet chocolate presents, cookies, blankets, a sweater, and even bunnies. Whatever you can fit into the basket, as long as it's a heartfelt gift, then don't hesitate to pile it in.

To Buy or To Make

Custom Easter baskets can be store-bought or hand made - that is to say, everything in it you've made especially for the person for whom it is intended. After all, the only reason it is called 'personalized' is because it was tailored to fit the personality of the recipient. There are many stores both online and off that specialize in making personalized Easter baskets, and most of the online stores will have the baskets delivered to your doorstep, or your recipient's. 

If unsure of whether or not to buy it or make it, do a little research first. Sometimes it might seem like a good idea at first to just make it, but then late in the day you will realize that it's much harder work than it looked. If you're not careful, it can be a lot more expensive, too. The upside of giving store-made one-of-a-kind Easter baskets is that you already know what the cost is, and most stores have different price ranges to choose from. Not only that, they are probably much better at packaging, too.

But giving the exact same thing to everyone sort of takes out the fun in it, and making everything yourself can leave you too tired to celebrate. The answer to that is to take a hybrid approach:  start with some purchased items and add a little something extra from your kitchen or worktable.

Why Take the Made-to-Order Approach?

Giving another person a truly personalized Easter basket - or anything with a customized touch, for that matter - can make anyone feel special. It means that someone took the time and the effort to think of who he/she really is, as well as what he/she wants or needs. That is, indeed, the essence of giving.

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Chocolate Party Ideas - 7 Ways to Sweeten Any Celebration With This Rich Candy Treat

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Who doesn't love chocolate?! The rich, sweet taste appeals to everyone from little kids to their great grandmothers.  So if you're looking for that special ingredient to add something extra to your next party, why not choose this delicious treat?  You can make it your entire party theme or just the crowning touch to your celebration.  Here are seven ways you can use chocolatey goodness to elevate your party to the next level.

1. Invitations.  Set the tone for your party by choosing invitations with a rich cocoa brown color scheme.  It's become a trendy color in the past few years, so the invitations shouldn't be difficult to find.  Add a drop of chocolate fragrance oil, scented perfume or even scratch and sniff stickers to the back of the envelope before mailing.

2. Atmosphere.  Just about any candle shop will carry candles scented with this delicous fragrance.  Scatter these small lit candles around the party to create an inviting ambiance.  Decorate with cocoa brown balloons.  You can use other balloon colors to accent the brown, such as silver, gold and red.  If you want to take it a step further, you can have napkins, plates and tablecloths in the same or coordinating color.  Using your digital camera on macro mode, take super close up photos of candy bar wrappers or the inside of a Whitman's sampler or box of truffles.  Make poster size enlargements of your pictures and display them at the party.

3. Chocolate Fountain.  This makes an elegant centerpiece and is a lot of fun.  Although a word of warning, it also very messy.  You can buy these small fountains for a reasonable price and rent larger ones.  For a cheaper alternative, consider a making a rich chocolatey fondue.  You can still dip pieces of fruit, cake, marshmallows, graham crackers and pretzels into the mixture.  But since the fondue tends to be a bit thicker in consistency than the fountain, there is also less mess potential.

4. Games.  If you're having an entire theme party, you might want to also include some games.  Hide gourmet wrapped truffles for a sort of Easter egg hunt.  You could fill a jar with M&Ms and have everyone guess how many candies it contains.   The person that comes the closest can take home the entire jar as a prize.  Play trivia by researching candy facts online.  Use wrapped confections as game pieces for bingo or other games.

5. Tasting.  You could build a whole party around this.  Invite your guests to taste and rate a variety of chocolates.  Break apart each bar and display on individual plates. Make sure you label each plate with it's name, country of origin, and anything else interesting about it.  This way, your guests can distinguish between the samples, when they mark the cards you printed for their ratings.  Don't forget to offer breadsticks and crackers to cleanse the palate between tastings.

6. Unique menu items.  Instead of just the usual devil's food cake, how about croissants filled with this rich ingredient?  Replace standard brownies with cocoa raspberry cookie bars.   You can serve white, milk or dark chocolate covered potato chips, popcorn and orange peel. Believe it or not, they actually sell bacon that has been coated in this delectable confection.  You don't have to go that far, but it certainly would be a conversation starter!

7. Chocolate favors.  Whether you have a candy theme party or a regular traditional event, you can't go wrong if you send your guests home with tasty party favors.  Personalized chocolate-bars are popular.  The candy bar wrappers are imprinted with your message and sometimes even a photo.  You can also find little mint size tins filled with these gourmet treats with the top cover displaying a personalized design customized for the occasion.  Your party favors don't have to be limited to the edible variety.  You can also give away cocoa scented candles, lip balm and bath beads.  Or how about a funny T-shirt or magnet with a quote about this dreamy confection?

So, the next time you plan a party, think about this delicious treat.  Whether you add just a little sweet touch to your celebration by giving your guests chocolate favors, or pull out all the stops and throw a big cocoa theme party, your guests will be delighted.

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Easter Chocolate: All You Need to Know About Choosing Healthy Chocolate this Easter

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You don't have to give up eating chocolate just because you want to eat healthily. But you do need to choose the right chocolate this Easter, the type that brings positive health benefits and isn't laden with disastrously unhealthy added fats and sugars.

When you're choosing chocolate Easter eggs this year, remember these facts:

Healthy chocolate What does chocolate contain, that's good for you? The cocoa bean, from which chocolate is made, contains antioxidants, as well as the minerals copper, magnesium and iron, and vitamins A, B1, B2, D and E. Research into chocolate shows that it can improve boost immunity, lower blood pressure and may even help to protect against cancer properties. Dark chocolate can lower cholesterol levels. And the chemical serotonin found in chocolate is a great natural anti-depressant.



Choosing good chocolate Sad to say, a lot of mass-produced chocolate bars do not give you all these health benefits. Why? Because they contain very little cocoa solids, and way too much sugar, fats and other additives. Also, manufacturing processes have probably robbed them of what little nutritional value they had. To get the health benefits of chocolate, choose dark varieties, containing 65 per cent or more cocoa solids. These types of chocolate taste rich, with a complex flavour - and provide you with all the health benefits of the cocoa bean.



Recognising good chocolate Look for a glossy surface, and dark colour with reddish-black undertones. The chocolate should break crisply when you snap it. Look for brands with no or low added sugar and a cocoa-solid content of 60% or more. Try to find trade brands, and also look out for organic chocolate such as Green & Blacks.



How much chocolate to eat Top quality chocolate should be savoured, so don't wolf those eggs down at a sitting. Make them last over 3-4 days. At other times of year, one or two squares of good chocolate, eaten twice or three times a week, can be part of a healthy diet, as long as you're also getting plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables.

This year, at Easter, remember these chocolate facts, and buy an egg that tastes great and does your health a good turn.

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Healthy Easter Treats - Easter Bunnies Bring More Than Chocolate Eggs

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Easter baskets don't have to be full of chocolate and peeps. Here are some great ideas that will fill your Easter basket without all the extra fat and sugar.

Bubbles

What child doesn't love to blow bubbles? Grab a couple of bottles of bubbles for this year's Easter basket. The kids will have a blast with them and with a little luck it will be warm enough outside to keep them busy and running around chasing bubbles for quite some time.

Sidewalk Chalk

Another fun treat is sidewalk chalk. This is the perfect time to draw on the sidewalk with the weather warming up. Plus we get enough rain in the spring that your driveway or sidewalk won't be decorated for too long.

Homemade Playdough

Make some playdough using your favorite homemade playdough recipe (we have one at kinderinfo.com). Get a couple of small playdough toys to go along with it and let the fun begin.

Toys from the Dollar Store

You can also pick up some very inexpensive toys at the dollar store. I have found anything from Easter themed coloring books to kites in there. This is also a great place to shop for the Easter baskets themselves, as well as some plastic Easter eggs that are great for hiding small trinkets and treats.

Of course every child should have some special treats in the Easter basket as well. Along with the obligatory chocolate bunny, include some healthier treats.

Chocolate and Yogurt Covered Raisins

Both chocolate and yogurt covered raisins look like little mini Easter eggs and are a yummy treat. Fill a small cellophane bag with these sweet treats and tie a pretty bow around it.

Trail Mix with Jellybeans

Mix some low sugar cereal like chex, or cheerios with some small pretzels, peanuts, raisins, and some jellybeans for an Easter inspired Trail Mix. You don't have to feel bad about your kids filling up on this. Pour your trail mix in a small bag, or fill some large plastic Easter eggs with the mix.

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Chocolate Easter Nests Your Kids Will Love to Make

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Instead of coloring eggs this Easter how about having your kids make edible chocolate Easter nests? These nests are easy to concoct and will look and taste just like the expensive candy nests you see in the stores this time of year. Best of all, your kids can help with these. They'll have fun forming this chocolaty mixture into nests, then decorating each nest with jellybean eggs.

What you will need:

A double boiler

A medium size muffin tin

1 (14 oz.) bag sweetened flaked coconut

1 (6 oz.) bag milk chocolate baking chips

1 can chow mein noodles

1 (7 oz.) bag assorted jelly beans

1 Tbsp. solid shortening

Non-stick cooking spray

Directions:

In a double boil (or place a glass bowl over simmering water) melt the milk chocolate chips and one tablespoon of shortening. After mixture is completely melted, fold in flaked coconut and chow mein noodles. Gently mix together until thoroughly blended.

Spray muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. Spoon enough chocolate mixture into each section of a muffin tin to flatten along the inside of each section make a basket shape. Immediately press jellybeans (gently) into nest.

When all sections of the muffin tin have been filled with a "chocolate nest," let them dry completely. While they last, display on a pretty dish covered with colorful Easter grass.

Makes approximately 24- 30 nests depending on your muffin tin.

Variation: These nests can be made with white chocolate baking chips as well. You can also add a couple of drops of either red or green food coloring to make pink or green nests from the white chocolate.

Happy Easter!

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Chocolate Hot Cross Buns And Easter Eggs

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Going to the local supermarket in February and seeing rows and rows of Chocolate Easter Eggs and Chocolate Bunnies in all sorts of decorative colors, sizes and packaging and Hot Cross Buns appearing next to loaves of bread is an exciting visual experience of anticipation or one of disgust that Easter in our society has come to this. I love chocolate so I get excited.

The enormous volume that is stocked in all of the supermarkets and shopping centres tells me that I am not the only one that enjoys buying, giving, receiving and eating lots of Easter Eggs and Hot Cross Buns.

As a child growing up in Australia I have fond memories of the Easter Holidays. Sometimes we would go away for a few days on a holiday and other times we would spend it at home. No matter where we were The Easter Bunny always delivered a Chocolate Easter Egg in the middle of the night and I remember waking up to a brightly colored foiled covered egg.

We would spend Easter Sunday lunch with the family. I would wait eagerly at the window watching out at all the cars going by for my Nana to arrive in her little white mini knowing that a chocolate easter egg would be presented to me on arrival. I was never interested in eating lunch and my brothers and sisters and I would eat a token amount and disappear to consume chocolate Easter eggs until we felt really sick.

Over the Easter holiday period we would have Hot cross buns grilled under the griller or baked in the oven with butter spread over them for snacks. Hot Cross Buns tend to have a "burp" factor in some people (and now I am older I am one of them). I am not sure whether it is the spices or the yeast but I have discovered that Chocolate Hot Cross Buns are fine to eat and don't "repeat" on me. They are delicious fresh from the oven or heated up in the microwave and I have discovered that they are even better with chocolate hazelnut spread instead of butter!

Easter is a great time to spend with your family and eat lots of chocolate Easter eggs and Chocolate Hot Cross Buns. Happy Easter!

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Chocolate Easter Eggs

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Chocolate Easter Eggs are what many people give at Easter, at least in Australia. We came home with so many Easter Eggs from school and kinder that I was tempted to open an online store.

The problem with commercial chocolate is that the ingredients are not particularly good for our health. The main ingredient in most commercial chocolate is sugar, followed by a number of other ingredients such as milk solids, cocoa, cocoa butter, lecithin and flavors. Who knows what 'flavors' means anyway? This is a good way to hide nasty additives in my opinion. Then there is also the heat treatment that removes any goodness from chocolate.

Commercial chocolate can also impact your health. Children who are amine responders will often become aggressive, which makes for fun times with siblings, along with other food intolerance symptoms. Other family members might become tired or lethargic, cranky or moody and others might get a case of irritable bowel syndrome.

My recommendation if you insist on having commercial chocolate Easter eggs is to buy organic, fair trade chocolate. Yes, chocolate can be good for you; the ultimate is to have raw chocolate as it has huge health benefits. The anti-oxidant value in raw chocolate is higher than some super foods combined. It also has other nutrients such as magnesium, chromium, iron and amines.

For those who suffer from food intolerance symptoms, you need to be aware of the amines in chocolate. While some of the amines in raw chocolate are important for your body, I recommend you heal your body first, before putting that next piece of chocolate in your mouth.

A great alternative to giving out chocolate Easter eggs is to give a small toy chicken or novelty item that children can play with. They appreciate this just as much as chocolate Easter eggs and I talk from experience here.

If your children are old enough then I recommend you make your own raw chocolate Easter eggs. It is a great way to come together at Easter and enjoy the treats afterward.

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How to Make Great Easter Candy Using Chocolate Molds - Part One

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Chocolate and Easter go together as much as Easter eggs and baskets. Why not combine the different elements and learn how to make your own chocolate Easter candy? Your children can help make and decorate the chocolates. Making your own chocolate Easter candy is a great Easter activity to hep you enjoy more time with your kids.

Chocolate Easter candy can be made with any type of chocolate. Using dark or milk chocolate may be the easiest. However, if you would like to try your hand at making pastel eggs, choose white chocolate and add food coloring to create the shades you like. You can also purchase pre-colored white chocolate to make things easier. The colored chocolates are great for decorating, even if you prefer to make your candy out of dark or milk chocolate. You can also add extra ingredients such as nuts, fruit pieces, or peanut butter to make your chocolate candy even more custom made.

Getting Started
There are a few basic ingredients that you will need in order to make your chocolate Easter candy. Using higher quality chocolate will result in better tasting chocolate eggs; however, you can use any type you have. I find that it is easiest to purchase candy disks that were made specifically for melting and molds. Here is a short list of the basics you will need:

* Whatever chocolate you want to use
* Double boiler or microwave oven in which to melt the chocolate
* Heatproof bowl
* Candy molds in the shape of eggs, or a deviled egg tray
* Rubber spatula to stir the chocolate
* Pastry bag or plastic bag with a hole in the corner for piping chocolate
* Any decorations or extras you want to include

Now all you have to do is melt the chocolate, pour it into the molds, and release! There really is no end to how creative you can get depending on the molds and colors you choose. You can go as simple as solid colored eggs to three dimensional bunnies and more! Have fun with your choices!

Choosing the Right Chocolate Mold
When you first decide to start making chocolate Easter candy from chocolate molds, of course the first thing you must do is purchase a mold. While it is possible to use other types of food molds you may have around the house, for the best results, select a mold that was made specifically for chocolate.

Another mistake that people often make when they select their candy molds, is they go for the cutest molds with the most intricate details. In many cases this may be their first and last attempt at making their own chocolate Easter candy. As simple as making chocolate Easter candy from molds is, there is still an art and level of skill required. So for your first chocolate making endeavour, try to select molds that are of moderate size (no smaller than a quarter, no larger than a couple of inches) and that have few details, or at least those with large details as opposed to smaller finer details. The one from Fuzzy Bunny shown in the picture is a great starter mold for both variety, size and cuteness!

Use the manufacturers recommendations when using the chocolate molds, however, I often will rub a little vegetable oil on the molds before I use them (using very little oil - it should not pool in the bottom of the mold, only give the mold a shiny appearance.) You can get some great candy mold making tips here. Also, since you will be refrigerating your molds as they harden, I clean out my refrigerator of aromatic leftovers - that garlic smells good in the stew, but it won't be so great smelling on your chocolate. Also, make sure you have plenty of space to place the molds while they harden. Some people recommend hardening chocolate in the freezer to reduce the occurrence of smells as well as to speed the process, but I think the best results occur when using the refrigerator.

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How to Choose the Best Chocolate Egg For Easter

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Easter means different things to different people. But there is no doubt that for many of us, it is the sight of chocolate eggs that really gets our attention!

But how do you know which one to buy? After all, there are so many different ones to choose from that it can be rather overwhelming to figure out which Easter egg to go for. The best way to make sure you get it just right is to start with who you are buying the egg for. Is it for a young child, or an adult? Is it merely a token present or will it be something special?

If you are buying a chocolate egg for a child, you will probably want to focus your attention on smaller eggs. Some are designed specifically for children and they may have other benefits to them as well. For example, some might have a game or mask - to colour in or cut out - from the back of the box.

You can often purchase children's eggs that come with other items too, such as a mug, for example. These are good because they mean the child will get to keep something long after the chocolate has been eaten - just make sure the age of the child is well matched to what you are buying.

But supposing you are buying an egg for an adult? There is a much wider selection available for adults, and some of them are based around chocolate bars that you will no doubt already be familiar with. What you could do is find out what bar the recipient likes the most, and then buy a chocolate egg which comes complete with those bars.

But of course, the most important purchase will be for your partner. This is when it is worth spending that little bit more money - some eggs might be handmade or hand finished, while others are extremely large and could last through to the summer!

Always make sure you know what your partner will appreciate though. For example, if they are passionate about a particular type of chocolate, the largest available egg in that style will be very well received. If you are stuck for ideas you could always start dropping hints ahead of time. You could also take your partner shopping and see whether they spot any eggs they particularly like the look of.

If you're really stuck then the best course of action might be to buy a range of smaller Easter eggs and wrap them all up together in a large gift basket. Either way, you will not be short of options when selecting the perfect Easter egg - if anything, you are spoilt for choice!

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