Aren't these just the cutest little bunnies? Can you imagine being a child and waking up to these tucked into your basket? Or how about sitting down to Easter dinner and finding one on your plate, with your name written across an ear like a place card?
The amazing part is they are stuffed with yummy nibbles instead of egg. The good part is they are really easy to make. The best part is the second half can be made by a child. After all, Easter Egg decorating is much more fun when it is shared by everyone, right?
Stuffed Bunny Eggs
You will need:
Eggs shells are porous.
Please be sure that the glue, markers, crayons, or anything else you are using are non-toxic!- Pre-dyed raw eggs. I, for the life of me, cannot find Easter Egg dye this year. So I am pretending I dyed all my eggs a lovely shade of brown.
- Crayons, markers, or pencils
- White glue (also called school glue or PVA glue)
- Scraps of fabric. 100% cotton is best, but a cotton blend of at least 55% cotton will also work
- Scissors
- Quilting pin, thick embroidery needle, or thumb-tack
- Paint brush
- Beaker
- Something edible to stuff inside the egg. I am using gummy bears. M&M's, Smarties, trail mix, or any other nibbles of a similar size that does not require refrigeration are also perfect to use.
- Cotton balls (not pictured)
- Aluminum foil (not pictured)
- Recipe calling for plenty of scrambled eggs such as quiche, frittata, or a Joe's Special.
Part One: Egg Preparation (For the Adults)
This part is rather fiddly. Most small children do not have the coordination to hold the egg firmly yet gently in one hand while applying pressure needed to poke the holes in it with the other. If you have small children, I recommend doing this part before hand. The egg shells can sit out for several weeks so you can make them as far in advance as you wish. Don't forget you can click on the pictures to see a larger view.
Step One: Take the quilting pin (or needle or tack) and poke a hole in the bottom of the egg, between a quarter and a half an inch (0.75 - 1 cm) from the center point. You do not have to measure for accuracy. You should be able to press the pin straight in to make the hole. If not, try twisting the pin a bit as you press, much like a drill.
Step Two: Repeat this step making a ring of holes equidistant from the center point, each hole being about 1/8" (0.4 cm) apart from each other.
Step Three: Now make a set of holes in between the ones you just made in the step before. The reason you didn't make them this close to start with is that the egg shell would be more likely to crush due to uneven pressures. I bet my physics teacher never dreamed "using physics in real life" would ever apply to poking holes in bunny eggs!
Step Four: Carefully poke the edge along the side of one hole making it a wider, more oval shape. Keep poking the side making it wider and wider until eventually it connects to the hole next to it. Repeat this step for about 3-4 holes in a row. Twist the egg around and repeat this process on the opposite side. The shell should crack evenly along the rest of the holes all the way around, making it easy to lift off the bottom like a lid. You may have to gently push the pin in through a hole and pry the egg lid off- kind of like using a crowbar to lift a man hole cover. If you have a bit of a chip beyond the circle, it is fine. It doesn't need to be a
perfect circle.
Step Five: Hold the egg over a bowl, with the bottom down. Eventually gravity will take over and pull the white and yolk out, but who has time for that?
Step Six: Poke one hole in what looks to you to be the center of the top of the egg. Remove the pin. Place your mouth over the egg and blow- just like you are blowing up a balloon. The white and yolk will plop right out!
Step Seven: Repeat this step for as many eggs as you have. Use the white and yolk in your recipe so you don't waste it. My family will be eating Joe's Special for days.....
Step Eight: Carefully rinse the inside of the egg shell with plain water to remove any eggy residue, and let it air dry. Take care! Most egg dyes will come off if they get wet- don't splash the outsides!
Part Two: Stuffing and Decorating (child friendly)
Step One: In the beaker, mix one part water to two parts glue. I used the paint brush as a stir stick.
Step Two: Cut the pieces of fabric into ear shapes. They should be roughly oval-shaped with a straight bottom, about the width and size of your finger (from the tip to the middle knuckle). You need two ears for each bunny.
Using the paint brush, coat both sides of each ear with the water/glue mixture. The fabric should be thoroughly soaked. Let dry on a piece of foil. About half way through the drying process, bend the squared-off side up no more than half an inch (1 cm) at about a 90 degree angle.
Step Four: The single pin-prick you made earlier in the egg (the one you blew into) will be the bunny nose. Using this as a point of reference, turn the egg on its side and glue the ears about 1/3 of the way down the egg (starting at the nose). Use the water/glue mixture to glue the folded part of the fabric only onto the egg. Let the glue try thoroughly. (I got a bit anxious and didn't let my ears dry all the way. This is why they are curling. I personally like the effect- if you do to then be sure to lift them off the foil when they are just damp, and lay them on their side. They will curl themselves as they finish drying.)
Step Five: Using the crayons, pencils, or markers, make two circle eyes positioned over the nose, and draw 3 lines on either side to represent whiskers.
Aaaaaah. Just how cute is that face?
Step Six: Carefully fill the egg with the snacks. Fill it almost full, but not to the rim. You need a bit of space left behind for the cotton. I like to fill mine about 7/8 full. I also like to nibble on the snacks as I fill the egg.
Step Seven: Stuff the cotton ball into the end to plug up the hole. The rough edges of the egg shell will help to hold it in place. About 1/2 - 3/4 of the cotton should be on the outside, and the rest tucked inside.
All done! To enjoy your stuffed bunnies, simply remove the cotton ball and gently shake out the yummy insides.
