chocolate Easter eggs Archives - Eat Out Eat Well

Chocolate Eggs And Bunny Ears

Penny Klatell, PhD, RN — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 16:03:20 +0000

It’s time for pretty chocolate eggs nesting in baskets, bunnies and ducks in all shades of chocolate, and brightly wrapped candy stuffed in plastic eggs for Easter egg hunts. Couple that with chocolate smeared over little kids’ faces and indestructible fluorescent peeps molded into weird shapes before they’re popped in your mouth.

It’s Easter candy time. Admit it – Easter candy is seductive. How can you not break off the chocolate bunny ears or eat your way through a basket of mini-chocolate Easter eggs?

If you’re going to indulge — and sometimes it’s worth it — you might as well know a little about your chocolate Easter candy.

Ninety million chocolate Easter bunnies are made every year. 76% of Americans think that chocolate bunnies should be eaten ears first, 5% think bunnies should be eaten feet first, and 4% like to eat the tail first. Despite the virtues of dark chocolate, 65% of adults prefer milk chocolate.

Easter Eggs – the Confectionary Type

Chocolate eggs can be found in all sizes and at every price point. Some are piped with flowers and others are wrapped in foil. You find them in chain stores, discount stores, and at high-end chocolatiers. Easter is ranked second for holiday for candy purchases in the US (just behind Halloween) and solid, hollow, and filled chocolate Easter eggs are one of the most popular choices.

Although John Cadbury made the first French Eating Chocolate in 1842, Cadbury Easter Eggs didn’t arrive until 1875. They’re a far cry from today’s Cadbury Crème egg (which now also comes with caramel, chocolate, and butterfinger fillings). Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate appeared on the market in 1905 and helped boost the sale of chocolate Easter eggs. Today’s chocolate Easter eggs are predominantly solid, hollow, decorated, and filled milk chocolate.

A Cheat Sheet For Popular Chocolate Easter Eggs (and a bunny)

As tough as it may be to admit, chocolate is a high calorie, high fat food. Hershey says that nearly all of its chocolate products have been certified Kosher by the OU (Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregation). Here’s a cheat sheet for some of the most popular chocolate eggs:

Hershey’s Cadbury Chocolate Crème Easter Egg: 1 egg (39g), 180 calories, 8g Fat (5g saturated), 25g carbs, 2g protein

Hershey’s Cadbury Crème Egg, original milk chocolate with soft fondant crème center: 1 egg (39g), 170 calories, 6g fat (3.5g saturated), 28g carbs, 2g protein

Hershey’s Cadbury Mini Egg: solid milk chocolate eggs with a crispy sugar shell: 12 eggs (40g), 200 calories, 9g fat(5g saturated), 28g carbs, 2g protein

Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Eggs: 7 pieces, 200 calories, 12g fat (7 saturated), 24g carbs, 3g protein

Dove Silky Smooth Milk Chocolate Eggs: 6 eggs, 240 calories, 14g fat (8g saturated), 26g carbs, 3g protein

Dove Rich Dark Chocolate Eggs: 6 eggs (43g), 220 calories, 14g fat (8 saturated), 26g carbs, 2g protein

Reese’s Milk Chocolate and Peanut Butter Eggs: 5 pieces (38g), 190 calories, 12g fat (6 saturated), 21g carbs, 4g protein

M & M’s Milk Chocolate Speck-Tacular Eggs: 1/4 cup (12 pieces): 210 calories, 10g fat (6 saturated), 29g carbs, 2g protein

Solid Milk Chocolate Easter Bunny: 2.5 oz, calories: average 370

But Isn’t Chocolate Good For Me?

The health benefits in chocolate come from cocoa. Dark chocolate has a greater concentration of cocoa than milk chocolate. White chocolate, without any cocoa in it, isn’t really chocolate.

Chocolate, especially dark chocolate, can be heart healthy if it replaces an unhealthy, high calorie snack, but there’s still no recommended amount to eat to get the health benefits.

The Bottom Chocolate Line

Chocolate, especially dark chocolate, contains flavonols which have antioxidant qualities and other positive influences on heart health. Just remember that those delicious, pastel wrapped chocolate Easter eggs are caloric and moderately high in fat, one-third of it the type of saturated fat that isn’t heart healthy.

Extra ingredients like crème and caramel fillings can add lots of extra fat and calories. There’s no recommended serving size of chocolate to help gain cardiovascular benefits. If you’re going to choose a sweet treat, chocolate — especially dark chocolate with a high cocoa concentration — might be a healthier choice than other types of sweets.

Easter Candy Tally

Eating 25 small jelly beans, 5 Peeps, a 1 3/4 ounce hollow chocolate bunny, and 1 Cadbury Creme Egg, which is not an unusual amount of Easter candy, tallies 730 calories.

You’d need to walk 7.3 miles, 11.77 kilometers, or 14600 steps, assuming you cover one mile in 2,000 steps to walk off that number of calories. Sounds like a lot, but very doable over a few days.

Up next: jelly beans and peeps. What’s your favorite?

The post Chocolate Eggs And Bunny Ears appeared first on Eat Out Eat Well.

Chocolate Eggs And Bunny Ears

Penny Klatell, PhD, RN — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 04:23:38 +0000

Oh, those pretty chocolate eggs nesting in baskets on beds of paper straw. Bunnies and ducks in all shades of chocolate. Brightly wrapped candy stuffed in plastic eggs for Easter egg hunts. Chocolate smeared over little kids’ faces and indestructible peeps molded into weird shapes before being popped in the mouth.

It’s Easter candy time. Face it – admit it – Easter candy is seductive. I dare you to eat one jelly bean or unwrap and savor just one brightly colored mini-chocolate Easter egg.

If you’re going to indulge — and sometimes it’s worth it — you might as well know a little about your chocolate Easter candy so you can factor their caloric punch into your eating plan.

Easter Eggs – the Confectionary Type

They’re everywhere and at every price point. Some are piped with flowers and others are wrapped in foil. You find them in chain stores, discount stores, and at high end chocolatiers. Easter is the second ranked holiday for candy purchases in the United States (just behind Halloween) and solid, hollow, and filled chocolate Easter eggs are one of the most popular choices.

John Cadbury make the first French Eating Chocolate in 1842 but the first Cadbury Easter Eggs didn’t arrive until 1875 and were a far cry from today’s Cadbury Crème egg (which now also comes with caramel, chocolate, and butterfinger filling). Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate appeared on the market in 1905 and helped boost the sale of chocolate Easter eggs. Today’s chocolate Easter eggs are predominantly milk chocolate and include solid, hollow, decorated, and filled eggs.

Calories in Popular Types of Chocolate Easter Eggs

Chocolate is a high calorie, high fat food. Some of the most popular chocolate eggs:

Hershey’s Cadbury Chocolate Crème Easter Egg: 1 egg (39g), 180 calories, 8g Fat (5g saturated), 25g Carbs, 2g Protein

Hershey’s Cadbury Crème Egg, original milk chocolate with soft fondant crème center: 1 egg (39g), 170 calories, 6g fat (3.5g saturated), 28g Carbs, 2g Protein

Hershey’s Cadbury Mini Egg: solid milk chocolate eggs with a crispy sugar shell: 12 eggs (40g), 200 calories, 9g fat(5g saturated), 28g carbs, 2g protein

Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Eggs: 7 pieces, 200 Calories, 12g Fat (7 saturated), 24g Carbs, 3g Protein

Dove Silky Smooth Milk Chocolate Eggs: 6 eggs, 240 Calories, 14g Fat (8g saturated), 26g Carbs, 3g Protein

Dove Rich Dark Chocolate Eggs: 6 eggs (43g), 220 calories, 14g Fat (8 saturated), 26g carbs, 2g Protein

Reese’s Milk Chocolate and Peanut Butter Eggs: 5 pieces (38g), 190 Calories, 12g Fat (6 saturated), 21g Carbs, 4g Protein

M & M’s Milk Chocolate Speck-Tacular Eggs: 1/4 Cup (12 pieces), Calories: 210 Calories, 10g Fat (6 saturated), 29g Carbs, 2g Protein

Solid Milk Chocolate Easter Bunny: 2.5 oz, Calories: average 370

But Isn’t Chocolate Good For Me?

The health benefits in chocolate come from cocoa. Dark chocolate has a greater concentration of cocoa than milk chocolate. White chocolate, without any cocoa in it, is not really chocolate. Chocolate, especially dark chocolate, can be heart healthy if it replaces an unhealthy, high calorie snack, but there’s still no recommendation for the amount to eat to get the health benefits.

The Bottom Chocolate Line

Chocolate, especially dark chocolate, contains flavonols which have antioxidant qualities and other positive influences on heart health. However, those delicious, pastel wrapped chocolate Easter eggs are caloric and moderately high in fat, one-third of it the type of saturated fat that isn’t heart healthy. Extra ingredients like crème and caramel fillings can add lots of extra fat and calories. There’s no recommended serving size of chocolate to help gain cardiovascular benefits. If you’re going to choose a sweet treat, chocolate, especially dark chocolate with a high cocoa concentration, might be a healthier choice than other types of sweets. With a lot of treats – particularly treats associated with a holiday or celebration — there’s often a perceived license to indulge. If you’re going to enjoy your chocolate, plan on how much you are going to eat, try to eat it in moderation, attempt to balance out the extra calories in the days before and after the celebration, and enjoy every bit of it.

Want to know more about jelly beans and peeps?

The post Chocolate Eggs And Bunny Ears appeared first on Eat Out Eat Well.

A Chicken Coop – or a Basket – of Chocolate Easter Eggs

Penny Klatell, PhD, RN — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 04:15:56 +0000

Easter Eggs – the Confectionary Type

Hollow and Solid Chocolate Easter Eggs

Today’s Easter eggs are mostly sweet chocolate made from cocoa solids, fat, sugar, and some form of milk. The first chocolate eggs were solid and made of a paste of ground roasted cacao beans. Hollow eggs didn’t come on the scene until sometime later when a type of “eating chocolate” was developed. By the turn of the 19^th century the improved process of making chocolate and newer manufacturing methods made chocolate Easter eggs an Easter gift of choice.

Decorated with Flowers and Wrapped in Shiny Foil

John Cadbury make the first French Eating Chocolate in 1842 but the first Cadbury Easter Eggs didn’t arrive until 1875 and were a far cry from today’s Cadbury Crème egg (which now also comes with caramel, chocolate, and butterfinger filling). Early Cadbury eggs were smooth surfaced dark chocolate filled with dragees. Early decorated eggs were plain shells piped with chocolate and marzipan flowers. Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate appeared on the market in 1905 and helped to boost the sale of chocolate Easter eggs. Today’s chocolate Easter eggs are predominantly milk chocolate and include solid, hollow, decorated, and filled eggs.