Incredible, Edible Hand-Decorated Easter Eggs: 2,000 of Them

For 26 years, the weeks leading up to Easter at in Catonsville have been a whirlwind. There's the solemnity of the Christian holiday to think about, of course. But there's also all those pounds of chocolate, coconut and peanut butter to buy, as well as butter cream to mix.

Church members have gotten together each year in a massive effort to make more than 2,000 chocolate butter cream eggs in time for Easter. There are no plastic eggs stuffed with jelly beans here; these are hand-decorated, edible works of art.

While the tools used to make the 7.5-ounce eggs have been upgraded—church members used to mix the batter by hand—the recipe has remained the same.

The church also still uses the same wooden molds but has added a large-volume mixer and a bit more freezer space.

“It did take a long time,” admitted Thelma Wess, whose husband Norman was one of the church members who started the idea.  Another church in Maryland shared the tradition and Wess thought it would be a good fund-raising opportunity.

“But it really seemed to take off,” said Thelma, who noted it was that first year that the standard was set when the group made 2,000 eggs.

The tradition has stayed alive all these years thanks to a dedicated group of volunteers who work for five to six days straight making the eggs. This year, a total of 26 volunteers made at least 2,134 eggs.

Church member Bobbie Bien is one of those who has taken over the project from older members like Thelma Wess. Still, many longtime church members stop by to lend a hand or offer encouragement even if they are not involved in the decorating.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity for people in the church to fellowship together and work together on a project,” said Bien.

Work together they do, even if it's not directly on egg-making. Some volunteers, for example, sign up to  make meals for other volunteers. There is also a system for keeping track of orders. Several men in the church also helped take the large pounds of sugar and sort them into smaller bags for the volunteers to lift.

Many people who order also request that the eggs be personalized, so volunteers keep track of those as well.

The eggs come in butter cream, peanut butter, coconut and chocolate butter cream.

The cream filling is mixed in large batches, formed with an egg-shaped mold and then frozen. Then the eggs are coated in a chocolate shell and allowed to harden before they are decorated by hand.

To make the eggs, volunteers use 650 pounds of confectioner’s sugar, 35 pats of butter and 10 eight-ounce blocks of unsweetened chocolate.

The eggs are often sold through word of mouth and order forms that are kept at local businesses. While most orders have already been taken, volunteers have been known to find a way to get an egg to a friend or an out-of-town relative visiting on Easter Sunday.

An unnamed source says they always make a few extra. To inquire about the eggs, visit the church's website.