Decorated Sugar Easter Egg

No more endless Googling or scrolling on Pinterest: A sugar Easter egg is the centerpiece that will take your Easter table from pretty cute to downright darling. This vintage decoration’s egg shell is made entirely out of sugar, food coloring, meringue powder and a bit of water, all molded into an Easter egg shape. The piece de resistance, though, is the panoramic window, opening to a detailed Easter scene inside.

After the Easter sugar egg is formed, feel free to get creative with the scene inside. Fill it with “grass” and sugar candy flowers, then gently place baby bunnies, tiny chicks or snoozing lambs. Don’t forget to decorate the outside, too, with piping patterns or more candy. Once finished, present the sugar Easter egg on a plate or pedestal so everyone can ooh and aah over it. I also love the idea of placing the egg on top of an Easter cake on the dessert table, surrounded by equally cute Easter treats.

Ingredients for Decorated Sugar Easter Eggs

• Food coloring: Yellow liquid food coloring dyes the sugar mixture to create the pastel yellow egg.
• Granulated sugar: You’ll need a lot of granulated sugar for this recipe’s one sugar egg: 4 whole cups worth!
• Confectioners’ sugar: Also known as powdered sugar, confectioners’ sugar sweetens and thickens the royal icing. The more confectioners’ sugar added, the thicker it will be. Water will thin it.
• Meringue powder: Meringue powder is a shelf-stable ingredient made from dehydrated pasteurized egg whites. It strengthens the royal icing and the egg shell.

Tools to Make Decorated Sugar Easter Eggs

• Egg mold: Our egg mold is the “Polycarbonate Easter Eggs Chocolate Mold Ostrich Egg Shape Candy Mould 14cm (5.5 inches) Long” from Amazon. It is the perfect size to make a stately sugar egg with a scene inside.
• Mini fluted-edge tart molds: This is optional, but you can make a cute pedestal for your egg by filling a small tart mold with the same sugar mixture used for the egg.
• Offset spatula: An offset icing spatula will help pack in the sugar, level off the excess and trim the bottoms of the egg halves.
• Egg-shaped cookie cutter: An egg-shaped cookie cutter forms the window for the sugar egg’s Easter scene.
• Paring knife: A small sharp knife, like a paring knife, will expertly cut out the scored window.
• Piping bags and decorating tips: These tools will assist in adding the royal icing cleanly and precisely to “glue” the egg shell halves together and add any decorations to the sugar eggs with a scene inside.
• Assorted candies: Check out your local hobby store for cute Easter candies to decorate this sugar egg. We used sugar flowers, leaves and pearl-like balls.
• Shredded green paper grass: Green “grass” creates a scene, as if your bunny is lounging in a spring meadow. Find paper grass or Easter basket filler at a craft or hobby store.
• Small ceramic lamb or bunny: Look for small ceramic figurines online through Etsy, eBay or Amazon. Make sure the figurines are small enough to fit inside the egg shell.
• Serving pedestal or plate: Once your sugar Easter egg is complete, give it the presentation it deserves! Set it down on a nice serving plate or a footed cake pedestal. Place it in the middle of your table for all to “wow” over.

Directions

Step 1: Make the sugar mixture

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Stir together 10 drops (or desired amount) of the yellow food coloring with the cold water in a small bowl. Set the bowl aside.

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In a large bowl, combine the granulated sugar and meringue powder.

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Add the colored water to the sugar mixture and combine thoroughly using your hands.

Editor’s Tip: The mixture should resemble the texture of wet sand or packing snow. Feel free to wear plastic gloves during this process so the dye doesn’t hue your hands.

Step 2: Shape the mixture in the egg molds

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Firmly pack the sugar mixture into each egg half and the tart molds, leveling off the tops with an offset spatula.

Test Kitchen Tip: Discard or save the excess sugar to make additional eggs.

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Immediately unmold the eggs and tarts onto a work surface.

Step 3: Cut the window and let the egg dry

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Using an egg-shaped cookie cutter, lightly press the cutter into one of the sugar egg halves, about 1/4-inch deep. This will make it easier to remove the piece later.

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With an offset spatula, trim a small portion from the large bottom end of each egg half. Let the pieces stand, uncovered, for two to three hours.

Step 4: Scoop away the insides

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With a tablespoon or teaspoon, gently scoop out the sugar from the center of each half, leaving a 1/4-inch shell.

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Invert the egg shell domes onto a work surface. Using a paring knife, carefully remove the piece that was scored with the egg-shaped cookie cutter.

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This will create the window. Let the pieces dry completely overnight.

Step 5: Make the royal icing

In a bowl, use a hand mixer or stand mixer to beat the confectioners’ sugar, meringue powder and water on low speed just until blended. Once combined, continue to beat on low speed until stiff peaks form, 7 to 10 minutes. Press a damp paper towel on the royal icing to prevent it from drying out, then set it aside.

Step 6: Assemble the shell

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Pipe or spread the stiff royal icing around the cut edge of the bottom shell (the egg shell half that wasn’t scored). Place the top window shell on the bottom shell, ensuring the edges align. Press the egg shell firmly but carefully to secure the two halves together. Allow the royal icing to set for one to two hours.

Step 7: Decorate!

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Before decorating, prop the egg securely in a cradle. For example, a roll of painters’ tape topped with a small piece of bubble wrap works great.

Using the royal icing, attach the candies and decorations to the interior, outer edge and seam of the egg, as desired. Let the decorations dry for about an hour.

If you made a tart mold, place the finished egg on the inverted sugar tart mold as a pedestal. Carefully add the Easter grass, figurine and additional candies, as desired.

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Recipe Variations

• Change up the colors: Dye the egg shell and royal icing as desired! Pastels are a must on Easter, but the sky is the limit.
• Try other figurines: There are so many fun decorations to use here. Peeps, plastic chicks or lambs, ceramic bunnies or these Easter bunny treats can be used as the figurines.
• Add more to the scene: Lay down green-dyed shredded coconut as the “grass,” or pipe green frosting inside using the grass piping tip. Paste candy sugar flowers in the scene or around the egg shell. Arrange jelly beans, candy Easter eggs (like our white chocolate Easter egg candies) or chocolate-covered eggs in the scene.
• Use a different shape for every holiday: Apply the same method from this sugar Easter egg recipe to different holidays and corresponding molds. Try pumpkins for Halloween, hearts for Valentine’s Day or Christmas trees for Christmas.

How to Store Decorated Sugar Easter Eggs

Store your sugar Easter egg at room temperature. Try to find a decorative spot for it in a cool, dry place away from sunlight. Once the Easter season is over, wrap it carefully in storage wrap, then close it in a box and find a secure place for it. Whatever you do, don’t put it in the fridge!

How long does the sugar Easter egg last?

If stored properly, your panoramic Easter sugar egg can last for years! Just make sure it’s securely wrapped and closed in a box so it doesn’t dry out or attract insects.

Decorated Sugar Easter Egg Tips

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Where can you buy the egg mold?

The egg mold used for our Easter sugar eggs was purchased from Amazon. However, you can buy a 5-1/2-inch-long egg-shape candy mold at other retailers too. Feel free to buy a smaller or bigger egg shape, as desired. Just make sure you have enough of the sugar mixture and royal icing for bigger eggs.

Where did decorated sugar Easter eggs originate?

While the exact origins are unknown, it’s speculated that decorated sugar Easter eggs were originally created by Victorians in the 1800s. However, other sources sight countries like Italy, Spain and Russia as the originators.

Is this decorated sugar egg edible?

I do not recommend eating this decorated sugar egg. Like a gingerbread house, the ingredients are technically food safe. However, it looks better as a decoration than how it tastes as a snack. Save these sugar eggs as annual Easter decorations, and enjoy Easter desserts instead!