Creme egg brownies are the ultimate fun Easter bake bound to appeal to adults and children alike. Let's be honest, rich and fudgy Cadbury brownies topped with white chocolate drizzle and plenty of creme egg chunks are always going to be hard to resist.
Take a look at my Mini Egg cookies too.
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A gooey fondant-filled Cadbury creme egg was such a treat to devour as a child and it's something I still enjoy occasionally to this day. For this reason, I decided to put them to good use in an Easter-themed bake. So, here are my Cadbury creme egg brownies.
There are quite a few creme egg brownies recipes knocking around, but what makes this bake stand out from the crowd is that the creme eggs are not baked into the batter. Instead, they are used as a finishing touch only. This means that the texture of the chocolate shell and the fondant filling are not compromised by being baked.
Expect these Cadbury brownies to deliver a fudgy chocolate brownie base adorned with chunks of sweet, sticky and delectably gooey creme egg. Utter bliss.
Creme Egg brownies go well with a straightforward cup of tea or coffee but for pure extravagance they could also be served with a white chocolate mocha, white chocolate hot chocolate, chocolate milkshake or even a boozy milkshake.
Why you'll love this recipe
This Cadbury creme egg brownies recipe is a wonderful treat to bake at Easter for quite a few reasons:
- A little goes a long way - small portions are the way to go for these rich Cadbury brownies.
- It's quick and easy - get them into the oven in around 15 minutes.
- These brownies are fun and eye-catching.
- They incorporate our favourite Easter symbol - the chocolate egg.
- And they are extremely fudgy.
- They are made with proper chocolate and cocoa powder.
- However, these Cadbury brownies are not over-the-top sweet because I decided against piling the creme eggs into the batter as well as on top. Brownies are already rich in chocolate, flavour & sugar and creme eggs are particularly sweet so I was careful not to overdo the sweetness level.
- Instead, I plumped for using a mini creme eggs garnish. And I couldn't be happier with the result.
What are Cadbury Creme Eggs?
- A Cadbury Creme Egg is a chocolate confection produced in the shape of an egg, made by Cadbury for Easter. It's essentially two chocolate half-shells, each one filled with both white and yellow fondant to mimic the appearance of a soft-boiled egg. These two half shells are sealed to create a complete chocolate egg and wrapped in iconic and colourful foil.
- They were first introduced to the market as Fry's Creme Eggs in 1963 before Cadbury took them over in 1971. Over 500 million creme eggs are sold every year.
- Mini creme eggs are a newer concept and are basically small versions of the original Cadbury Creme Egg.
- Oh and hats off to any reader able to remember the 'How do you eat yours?' advertising campaign from 1985... I'm in this camp!
Love incorporating creme eggs in your baking? Don't miss my Easter egg cheesecake - you can top it with creme eggs or mini eggs. I've also go recipes for Mini Egg brownies and a white chocolate mousse topped with Mini Eggs.
Ingredients notes
Creme Eggs: Rather unsurprisingly, the star ingredient in this creme egg brownies recipe are the Cadbury creme eggs themselves. I used mini creme eggs which are available in packs of 5-6.
I chopped 6 in half to ensure each brownie square was topped with a full half (excuse my contradiction in terms). Then I chopped an additional 3 eggs into small chunks to scatter more freely over the brownies to give a less uniform look.
Sugar: I've used a blend of white and muscovado sugar to help achieve a luscious fudgy texture.
Eggs: Talking of that fudgy texture, I've added a couple of extra egg yolks in alongside 2 whole eggs to help out in this department too.
Chocolate: You'll need quality dark chocolate (ideally 70% cocoa solids) for melting and mixing into the brownie batter to give a decidedly rich yet not cloyingly sweet brownie base.
I added white chocolate chips to the batter to tie in with the drizzle on top. But it's fine to use milk, dark, a mixture of all three chocolates or to leave them out altogether.
Cocoa powder: this boosts that robust chocolate flavour, so please don't leave it out. As these are Cadburys brownies, opt for Bourneville cocoa powder (made by Cadburys) if possible.
Step by step instructions
The hardest part of this creme egg brownies recipe is waiting for them to cool:
- Weigh out the sugars. Rub the muscovado sugar between your fingers to remove any lumps.
- Melt the butter and chocolate together over a bain-marie or in short 30-second bursts in a microwave. Stir until smooth.
- Use a balloon whisk to mix in the sugars.
- Next, add the eggs & yolks, beating until just combined, then mix in the vanilla extract.
- Sieve the flour, cocoa and salt into the batter and mix until just combined and no streaks of dry ingredients remain.
- Fold through the chocolate chips (if using).
- Pour into a lined baking tin and bake for 20 minutes. At this point test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the centre of the brownie - if raw batter is evident on the stick continue to bake for another 2-3 minutes and test again. Continue until the toothpick comes out with no raw batter but a few crumbs clinging to it.
- Let the brownie cool completely in the tin.
- When cool melt the remaining white chocolate and chop the mini creme eggs (cut 6 in half and 3 into small chunks). Drizzle the chocolate over the uncut brownies.
- Mentally mark out the squares for cutting. Stick half an egg to each square then scatter the creme egg chunks over the top. Cut into squares and leave to set.
Expert tips
- I highly recommend weighing out the ingredients using digital scales rather than using cup measurements. It's so much more accurate and consequently gives much better results.
- Use the right-sized tin when making these mini creme egg brownies (approx 8 x 7 inches). Using a tin that is noticeably bigger or smaller will affect the depth of the brownies and the baking times.
- Never use a glass pan - the heat-absorbing properties of glass mean that brownies are more likely to burn in such pans.
- Always grease the tin with butter and line it with baking parchment. Not only does this help protect the bottom of the brownies from burning it will also be so much easier to get them out of the tin.
- This recipe creates rich fudgy brownies - please be aware before baking. If your preference is for a more cakey style of brownie this recipe is perhaps not for you. Try this brownie recipe instead.
- Spend a few minutes breaking up any lumps in the muscovado sugar for superior brownies.
- Take care not to over-mix the batter - blending until ingredients are only just combined is the trick to achieving the best brownies.
- Keep a close eye on the time when the brownies are baking and begin testing as soon as 20 minutes have passed. It's very easy to over-bake them.
- Wait until the brownie is fully cooled before decorating and cutting.
- To encourage the creme egg halves to stick to the brownie dip them in any melted chocolate left in the bowl after drizzling the white chocolate over the brownies.
- Don't be too precise where the smaller chunks of creme egg land - random is very appealing on this style of bake.
Frequently Asked Questions
I decided against baking the creme eggs into the brownies because I did not want the texture of the chocolate shell or the fondant to be compromised by baking them and I felt that including chunks in the batter as well as on top would create a bake that was far too sweet.
Chill the creme eggs in the fridge for one hour then unwrap and carefully poke the edge of a sharp knife into the seam of each egg and gently saw until they fall apart (a serrated knife is a good option for this).
Keep a few spare eggs in supply as it's inevitable that one or two won't cut perfectly. (Top tip: Quickly hide the evidence of those little fails by eating them. Nobody will be any the wiser).
Although it's possible to use milk chocolate in some brownie recipes, it's not advisable for these Cadbury creme egg brownies. Milk chocolate is sweeter than dark chocolate, which affects the sugar level in the batter. This recipe has been developed using dark chocolate and may give quite different results if milk chocolate is used instead.
Aside from that, the fondant in the creme eggs is very sweet, so the dark chocolate-based brownie batter is a sensible move.
If you fancy milk chocolate brownies, take a look at this recipe - you could still customise with the creme egg garnish if you have a particularly sweet tooth. But you have been warned...
Poke a cocktail stick into the centre of the brownies when they have baked for 20 minutes. If there is a smear of brown colour on the toothpick plus a few crumbs sticking to it then the brownies are done. If wet batter is evident cook for another few minutes and test again. Be careful not to overbake the brownies - if the cocktail stick comes out clean then they are overbaked.
These Cadbury brownies keep well for up to 3 days when stored at room temperature in an airtight container.
They can also be made in advance and frozen (prior to adding the toppings). Just allow to cool completely then wrap and freeze them. When ready to use, defrost fully then proceed to decorate them with the white chocolate drizzle and creme eggs.
Variations
- Creme egg pieces in the batter: if you think you can handle the additional sweetness then feel free to include some roughly chopped eggs in the batter before baking - again, chilling them prior to chopping and mixing in will help.
- Mini eggs in the batter: a neat alternative is to combine two Easter treats for the ultimate Cadbury brownies recipe - roughly chop an 85g bag of Cadburys Mini Eggs and fold into the batter before baking (leave out the white chocolate chips in this instance).
- Caramel creme egg brownies: not such a fan of the classic Creme Egg? Swap for the caramel version and sigh some gooey happy sighs after all.
- Other options: replace the mini creme eggs with one of the plethora of alternative chocolate eggs that hit the supermarket shelves for Easter such as Kinder mini Eggs, Lindt Lindor Mini Eggs, After Eight Eggs or Aero Mini Eggs. Have some fun!
- Add bunnies not eggs: pick up some Malteser Mini Bunnies and use those to grace the top of your brownies.
More brownies recipes
Have you made this Cadbury creme egg brownies recipe? Let me know how you got along by leaving a comment or rating below - it would mean so much to me if you do. You can also show me your creation on Instagram by tagging me @jane_littlesugarsnaps.
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Creme Egg Brownies
Ingredients
For the Fudgy Brownies
- 120 g Butter unsalted
- 170 g Dark chocolate
- 100 g Caster sugar
- 110 g Dark muscovado sugar
- 2 Eggs large, free-range
- 2 Egg yolks large, free-range
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 30 g Cocoa powder
- 85 g Plain flour all-purpose
- 60 g White chocolate chips or milk, dark or a mixture
Decoration
- 30 g White chocolate
- 9 Mini creme eggs or more if desired
Instructions
Make the Fudgy Brownies
- Preheat (fan) oven to 180C/ 350F/ GM4 and line a baking tin with butter and parchment
- Weigh out the sugars. Rub the muscovado sugar between your fingers to remove any lumps
- Melt the butter and chocolate together over a bain-marie or in short 30 second bursts in a microwave. Stir until smooth
- Use a balloon whisk to mix in the sugars
- Next, add the eggs & yolks, beating until just combined, then mix in the vanilla extract
- Sieve the flour, cocoa and salt into the batter and mix until just combined and no streaks of dry ingredients remain
- Fold through the chocolate chips (if using)
- Pour into the tin and bake for 20 minutes. At this point test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the centre of the brownie. If raw batter is evident on the stick continue to bake for another 2-3 minutes and test again. Continue until the toothpick comes out with no raw batter clinging to it (all ovens vary slightly so exact cooking time will also vary)
- Take the tin out of the oven and let the brownie cool completely in the tin
- When the brownie is cold proceed to melt the remaining white chocolate and chop the mini eggs - cut 6 in half and 3 into small chunks
- Drizzle the chocolate over the uncut brownies and (mentally) mark out the squares for cutting. Stick half an egg to each square (dip the bottom into any remaining melted white chocolate in the bowl - this will help secure the egg) then scatter the chunks of mini eggs over the top, cut into squares and leave to set
Notes
Cooking Tips
- I highly recommend weighing out the ingredients using digital scales rather than using cup measurements. It's so much more accurate and consequently gives much better results
- Use the right sized tin (approx 8 x 7 inches). Using a tin that is noticeably bigger or smaller will affect the depth of the brownies and the baking times
- Never use a glass pan - the heat-absorbing properties of glass mean that brownies are more likely to burn in such pans
- Always grease the tin with butter and line it with baking parchment - even if the tin is non-stick. Not only does this help protect the bottom of the brownies from burning it will also be so much easier to get out of the tin
- This recipe creates rich fudgy brownies - please be aware before baking. If your preference is for a more cakey style of brownie this recipe is perhaps not for you. Try this one instead
- Don't be tempted to swap the dark chocolate for milk. This recipe has been developed on the basis of dark chocolate being used and success cannot be guaranteed if an alternative chocolate is used
- Spend a few minutes removing any lumps in the muscovado sugar for superior brownies
- Take care not to over-mix the batter - blending until ingredients are only just combined is the trick to achieving the best brownies
- Keep a close eye on the time when the brownies are baking and begin testing as soon as 20 minutes have passed. It's very easy to over-bake them
- To encourage the creme egg halves to stick to the brownie dip them in any melted chocolate left in the bowl after drizzling the white chocolate over the brownies
- Don't be too precise where the smaller chunks of creme egg land - random is very appealing on this style of bake
- Wait until the brownie is fully cooled before decorating and cutting
Jane Coupland says
These are such a fun Easter bake but you can adapt them for any season by switching the creme eggs for other gooey chocolates - try Lindt Lindor balls (especially the caramel ones).