Marshmallow Easter Eggs and…The Fragile Generation

Recently at Alfie’s primary school a boy was injured on the playground equipment.  He sustained quite a nasty cut to his face and I’m not sure of all the facts but I believe he did need a general anaesthetic with plastic surgery to repair the gash.  The playground was immediately closed ‘until further notice’.  An email was sent to all parents letting us know that over the years there has been a couple of other injuries and so it has been decided that the playground is unsafe and no one can play on it.  I am very sorry for the boy who was injured but I don’t think play equipment was ever invented with any notion that from time to time there would not be an injury.

Marshmallow Easter Eggs

A few days after the playground was closed I was walking Alfie to school and as we entered the school grounds there were a couple of girls doing handstands on the artificial grass.  The deputy principal walked past and told the girls they were not allowed to do handstands because ‘you could break your wrist’.  That’s a bit of a long-shot isn’t it?  My friends and I must have done a million handstands and cartwheels during our school years and that action of tipping ourselves upside down never resulted in a broken bone.


When I was going to primary school in New Zealand my sisters and I had to walk a fair distance to school and that included having to walk across an over-pass above a railway line.  We walked rain, hail (literally) or shine through every condition of every season.  In winter the over-pass would be covered in black ice.  I remember a boy slipping and falling down the stairs.  He broke his leg.  A few days later another student fell and broke her elbow.  There was no Royal Commission or investigation into the safety standards of the over-pass but I do remember that when conditions were icy the principal of the school would stand at the bottom of the stairs yelling out, ‘Be careful, grab hold of the railing’.  And the slipping on black ice that resulted in a couple of broken limbs didn’t cause our mothers to drive us to school, and not just because people movers and four-wheel drives hadn’t yet been invented.  They were quite happy to let us walk and just gave us a few common sense suggestions like, ‘Be careful you don’t slip’.

I don’t like seeing children injured but I hate the idea of children having to sit still, not run around and have nothing to play on for fear that every few years, someone might hurt themselves.  Couldn’t we perhaps return to common sense and acknowledge that a childhood without the occasional band-aid would be a very dull childhood indeed.

And it’s not as if I’ve not experienced that awful moment when the phone rings and I’m told my child has had an accident and is in an ambulance and is being rushed to the nearest hospital.  Archie clocked up 17 admissions to Accident and Emergency (two in an ambulance) before his 14th birthday.  Alfie has had a few admissions with one trip in an ambulance but Arabella has managed to stay pretty much in one piece.  And they’re all fine.  Whatever happened to them has been treated, repaired and fixed.

My concern is that in an effort to ensure no one receives as much as a scratch, we are robbing our children of a childhood.

Decorated Marshmallow Eggs

Back in the day when I used to slide across black ice in an effort to get to school we had Easter Eggs that were filled with  marshmallow and coated in chocolate.  When I was aged just 11, Home Economics was a compulsory subject and at Easter time, we had to make marshmallow Easter Eggs.  They were a huge success.  If only I had kept the recipe!  But I have done my best to recreate what we made.  These Easter Eggs don’t look as ‘perfect’ as they should, but what they lack in appearance they make up for in flavour.  As Carl said to me tonight, ‘One bite of these and I never want a manufactured Easter Egg ever again’.

Marshmallow Easter Eggs

Makes:  16

Marshmallow Interior

Degree of Difficulty:  I’m giving these 5/5 if you want to persevere until they are perfect looking.  If you’re happy for them to have that ‘home-made’ look about them (like mine!) I’ll give them a 4/5.

Cost:  All relatively inexpensive except for covering the marshmallow in chocolate – I used couveture chocolate and that is not inexpensive.

  • 1 large square cake tin
  • plain flour (about 6kgs)
  • 1 1/2 tbspns gelatine
  • 1/2 cup water
  • egg
  • 1 3/4 cup sugar
  • 160g light corn syrup
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 tbspn vanilla extract
  • 500g dark chocolate

Place flour in cake tin (or roasting dish or similar) and pour in flour.  Flatten and smooth.  Using an egg, press egg half-way into flour to make an impression.  Remove egg and continue until you have 32 impressions.

In a mixer bowl place gelatin and water and mix until well combined.  Leave for about 5 mins to congeal.

In a medium sized saucepan combine sugar, corn syrup and extra water and stir over high heat until sugar has dissolved.  Allow to boil until syrup reaches 120C (use a sugar thermometer).  Remove from heat and carefully add vanilla extract.

Turn on mixer bowl to a slow setting.  In a slow and steady stream pour in syrup.  When all syrup has been added, increase speed to high and beat for about 5 mins until marshmallow has volumised and become cool.

Using dessert spoons, spoon marshmallow into egg molds.  Allow to set but do not refrigerate (about 2 hours).

In a mixer bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, melt chocolate.  Remove from heat.  Take two marshmallow half-eggs and join the non-floured sides together.  Dip in chocolate and allow to set in the refrigerator on baking paper.

Decorate as desired.

Happy Easter!

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Comments

  1. Those home made marshmallow Easter eggs were REDICULOUSLY good. Easter eggs devoured before Easter…… What hope have I !!

  2. I agree that children are being robbed of their childhoods by rules and regulations. I am so glad that I do not have neighbors to keep tabs on whether my children are running around in the woods too much – heavens, a tick might bite them or something! Here in the States, if your children need to visit the Emergency Room more than a few times, you might find yourself being investigated for child abuse. Ridiculous. Nice eggs.

  3. The cotton-wool generation. It makes me want to weep. Schools are turning into the most boring place or kds. So many rule s an not much fun. Sad!

    On a brighter note – yummy eggs! x

  4. Ridiculous re the handstands. I spent the majority of Senior Primary upside down. I think if someone did a study they would find we are programmed to get the blood to our heads for some developmental reason.

  5. Please inform me when the house next to you is for sale because I want to be a benefactor of your culinary treats.

  6. We used to swing as high as we could on the swings and then jump out. We also stood up on the swings after wrapping them up to shorten them, swung high and then dropped down through the straps. We called this parachuting. It was great fun. Would be banned today, of course.

    I agree with Lisa about overzealous doctors and child abuse. I understand some vigilance is needed, but it can go overboard. When my son was young, he was on a gymnastics team. Therefore he was always somewhat bruised from the bars, etc. There was one doctor at our clinic that made both of us nervous. Every time we saw him, he would very seriously ask the kid how he got those bruises. It creeped my son out.

    The eggs look pretty perfect to me. You wouldn’t really want them looking store bought, would you?

  7. This is an excellent post and I absolutely agree with you that we, as a society, have gone overboard in the restrictions we impose upon our children. Certainly, these are different times than when I grew up. But, seriously, we all need to start relaxing and, as you say, practice some common sense.

  8. I can’t believe you made those and I also agree that we go overboard with regulation and restriction.

  9. How cool is that, Charlie? I love it. I wonder, can you use plain egg molds or do you have to use the flour technique. Also, can the flour be reused? It seems like a waste to have to toss. And one last question, my far-away friend, is that I’ve never made marshmallows and I wondered how difficult it is to make?
    And yours look immensely better than the store bought kind, because they are made by hand and love. What a great idea! Thanks

    • hotlyspiced says:

      I’m sure you could use egg molds if you could find a way to remove the sticky marshmallow from the mold. The good thing about using flour is that the little half-eggs are so easy to handle with that flour coating on them. You can definitely re-use the flour. Marshmallow isn’t that difficult to make. You really just make a sugar syrup that you slowly pour into gelatin mixed with water while being beaten. Although easy to make, marshmallow is hard to handle because of it’s stickiness and it does seem to end up EVERYWHERE. I gave these a 4/5 for difficulty just because it’s hard to handle and because of the time involved to make the finished product. xx

      • Thanks Charlie. I made the marshmallows because I couldn’t find the little peeps I needed for cupcakes. I followed a Martha Stewart recipe because it made less, but it’s still too much. Pretty easy but as you said that marshmallow cream gets EVERYWHERE! Thank you kindly for the inspiration.

  10. I admire your creativity, as always. Very cute indeed. I can see why Carl said he didn’t want a commercial Easter egg ever again!

  11. How wonderful your chocolate marshmallows are! It appears children and not allowed to be children anymore.

  12. I do see what you mean, and I can even see the difference between my generation and the youngest ones, sometimes parents are just over protecting their kids!!

    The recipe looks great!!!

  13. It is really too bad that we are so over protective of children these days, but the bigger shame must surely be that everyone is not making marshmallow eggs at school come Easter!

  14. I totally agree. This obsessive protection doesn’t only concern children, but adults too…
    I was already happy to see a recipe with marshmallows, but I have just noticed you make the marshmallow yourself! I am impressed! I don’t feel brave enough to try it now, but I’m happy to admire your beautiful and perfectly shaped eggs.

  15. gggrrr. “sit down, dont move and play ‘safe’ video games for hours on end, you wont get hurt”. The only thing that will be injured is their fragile minds. Give me plaster any day.

  16. I love those marshmallow filled eggs! And the method you shaped marshmallow is just fun.

  17. I love the irony. We treat our kids with white gloves like they are a bunch of marshmallows. Let them be kids! Let them be brave, take risks, fall down and learn how to get back up. I dread the next generation being in charge of our countries. If they cannot be brave as kids, what will they be like as leaders?

  18. Did you just post marshmallows with chocolate? Oh I am so in Charlie.. lol. I am so into making this as soon as I get home. I don’t care if Easter is over lol.

  19. The ways school rules are going, you are definitely robbing your kids of a childhood – preposterous!
    Loving your marshmallow eggs – awesome!
    🙂 Mandy

  20. Yummy! They look very tasty. And, I like the “homemade” look. That’s why we make things at home, isn’t it? 😉

    I hear you about the playground equipment. The U.S. is terrible when it comes to things like that. Kids get suspended from school for playing “Army” on the playground, bringing a toy that even slightly resembles a gun to school, no more dodge ball, and “everyone’s a winner” – even if they lost. Very young boys are getting suspended for flirting and flipping a girl’s skirt or making remarks…sexual “harassment” you know. Sad. We’re raising a generation of children that don’t know how to pick themselves up and dust themselves off.

  21. Candy making is not one of my strengths so I have to buy my marshmallow eggs or hope that kind friends who CAN make them will share. (bats eyes and smiles winsomely).

    Can’t really comment on the playground issues. I was one of those geeky kids who stayed inside during recess and read my library book. 😉

  22. I’ve got to try making those easter eggs. What a fabulous idea. Your home economics lessons were obviously much more inventive than mine! I agree about the whole safety first thing. We climbed and fell out of trees. went off into the woods for hours on end and played on very high slides, swings and swinging ropes over rivers. I loved it and yes I did have a few scrapes, some needed a stitch but I learnt to stretch myself and try new things not to be afraid of the unknown. My son isn’t allowed to play snowballs at school if it snows, in fact if it snows the school is closed as it is considered unsafe! GG

  23. Perfection? Haven’t we all been enticed into trying some fantastic looking confection, only to discover its taste didn’t live up to its appeal. Give me a delicious homemade-looking treat — you know, like one of your marshmallow eggs — any day and I’ll be very happy. 🙂

  24. Philippa says:

    Have to agree about this silly obsession to ‘care’ for our children. Given the amazing response you have got here Charlie, perhaps you should show the comments to the school principal!

    There is a kindergarten in NZ that has taken a stand against this PC nonsense. Kids whizz around on bikes, climb trees and walk on elevated planks. They have a huge waiting list to get in!!!

  25. My favourite easter egg. I love them. I wish I had the energy to make them. Maybe after I finish chemo i can have a late Easter.

    I enjoyed a childhood similar to yours and I tried to give the same freedom to our children. Their broken bones, both broke collarbones, were earned on the rugby field.

  26. OMG I spelled their incorrectly.

    • hotlyspiced says:

      Not to worry Barbara, I corrected it for you. I do hope you’re coming to the end of the chemo. If there was a way, I would deliver some of my marshmallow eggs to you! Happy Easter xx

  27. I forgot about marshmallow Easter eggs until now. Easter eggs here are packed with praline etc.
    Totally agree that over protectiveness is no good in the long run. You learn from your mistakes but if you don’t make mistakes you don’t learn???:)

  28. I agree totally with what you say. We are raising an over-protected generation. When I went to school in Taranaki we walked in all conditions, from ice to rainstorms to sunshine. We climbed trees, did flips and handstands, stood on rusty nails because of being barefooted, and regularly got beestings – but we learned to have confidence in our bodies. The trip to school meant crossing a railway line, with no gates but just a bell. Our parents impressed on us how to freeze when we heard the bell, and wait till it was all clear before we crossed.

  29. Hi,
    I totally agree it is ridiculous the way a lot of society is treating kids today, they are not allowed to do so much, in turn of course they are not learning, we learn so much by making mistakes I feel, this is all part of life.

    I love your marshmallow Easter eggs, they look delicious. 🙂

  30. Yummy eggs indeed, they look so nice and definitely handmade with love. When I worked making hundreds if individual cakes every day, my boss would check to make sure there were small differences so the customers would know they were made in house, not in some factory!
    Kids need to bumble about the yard getting dirty, stubbing toes, sharing an ice cream with the dog. It makes them healthy, strong and gets them using their imagination. Things have certainly gotten out of hand somewhere!

  31. While I don’t have children myself so can hardly be an authority on these things, I am appalled at the cotton wool our generation is placing around kids these days. I can’t help but wonder if the future generation will be riddled with fear from germs to breaking a nail. I exaggerate of course but I think our good intentions have definitely breached the barriers of common sense. Run, play and be kids and if that means a dose of Detol or a visit to emergency then so be it. Gee never thought I’d have such a strong opinion to this 🙂

  32. ….and the Easter eggs look both pretty and delicious with the marshmallow insides!

  33. Can I just say how hard it was to pay attention to your story while those little chocolate goodies were sliding by my screen screaming “eat me”?! Lol!! I think the proliferation of law suits may have something to do with school’s new found caution.. it reminds me of one that banned kicking balls at recess because someone got one in the face! Ok, that’s out of the way.. back to those treats!! Wooww!! I love the look of these and I adore a homemade marshmallow.. nothing beats it!! xo Happy Easter!!

  34. Bah, damn nanny-state. I remember being scolded while driving the dodgems one day because I dared to actually be bumping in to people. I was told that I had to “follow the rest of the people round and round in a circle”. Come on for God’s sake… they’re dodgems… you’re supposed to ram other cars with them, not go around and around in an orderly circle!!!

  35. I cannot believe the school closed the playground! Wow. I couldn’t agree with you more on this one. I mean we all have to expect playground injuries from time to time. In fact, just having kids we have to expect injuries from time to time. We’ll never be able to protect them from everything, but like you said, if we give them common sense and teach them the best we can, it’s better than limiting their freedom. As for the eggs…my kids would LOVE these!

  36. how true! we used to climb our backyard trees and once or twice have fallen and broken a bone or two but my parents never told us not to climb again… just be more careful next time! u made marsmallow from scratch, wow! been wanting to try that.. egg looks pretty 🙂

  37. Oh my gosh yes. I am so sick of children not being allowed to do anything much at all! On the one hand, there’s a moral panic about obesity and how kids need to play outside, on the other hand we have things like this happening. Did I fall off the monkey bars sometimes while spinning around and doing stupid flips? Yes. Did I survive? Yes. AND IT WAS FUN. The end. 😀

  38. Wow that’s really reactionary about the playground and handstands. We really did survive quite fine with playing outdoors like this.

  39. Wow, these look amazing, I’m definitely giving them a go. Do you think you can reuse the flour afterwards?
    ps, I love my childhood scars!

  40. That’s ridiculous. Kids should be allowed to play, explore, walk down stairs. Better not give them these delicious eggs–what if they bite their tongue?

  41. your easter eggs look great! I never tried marshmallow filled choco coated easter eggs, I d love to. i was always wondering how to make homemade marshmallow, glad about your recipe.

    The reason I guesse why all that safety fuss is because sueing has become a trend. Its sad to know that nowadays kids dont enjoy their childhood how we did. Seriously I remember playing dangerous games, nothing bad ever happend luckily, but if I wouldnt have donne all these things I wouldnt have learned a thing in life! To explore and try is part of our developement, how are kids suppose to grow up right if they are only allowed to sit on one place?

    Happy easter to u and your family! =)

  42. I completely agree that this generation is too “protected.” We did stupid things all the time and made it through just fine. 😉

    Love these eggs – there’s nothing more delicious that fresh marshmallows!

  43. Wow. Your marshmallow-y interior looks light and fluffy! Yum!

  44. I also agree that the younger generations are overall protected. At least in the US, so much has to do with the threat of litigation and people not taking responsibility for their own actions. Perhaps humanity will come to its sense one of these days. 🙂

  45. Brilliant post – love the recpipe and agree so much with what you say! We all seemed to have survived childhood despite a few knocks, breaks and stitches!

  46. This is so creative and fun to make easter eggs of marshmallows and chocolate. Love the little decoration too.

  47. It really is sad isnt it that kids cant just play. We do seem to wrap them in cotton wool these days but then some people are a little overzealous on the suing too

  48. I had Avery similar conversation with my Dad today, kids are so overprotected these days and litigation is a lot of the reason behind it. These eggs look fabulous hun xx

  49. I agree Charlie that kids these days are WAY too protected… I mean kids are kids…they are meant to be ‘hurt, break and mend’ sighh my nephew is nearly 2 years old and already he’s so protected…especially because my sister has a full time helper helping her out…he doesn’t do anything by himself and once a spoon has fallen onto the floor it is immediately taken away…instead of giving it a good wipe. I really hope he doesn’t grow up to be too dependant 🙁

    But wow….17 admissions that’s a lot! But so glad Archie is a big and healthier teenager now hehe 😀

    HAPPY EASTER!

  50. I don’t have kids, but I whole heartedly agree with you Charlie Louie…we’ve robbed kids of their childhood, and how will they ever actually learn to be careful and take responsibility for themselves if they don’t have the change to be kids…dings and all?

    Love, love, love the look of these eggs…the only reason I might not make them is that I’d eat them all!

  51. Those eggs are so beautiful! And I agree with you, they just came out with some study or whatever in the U.S. that less than half of kids even play outside anymore! How freaking sad!

  52. The situation on the school playground would be laughable if it were not so serious, but I feel it is the parents of those children who got hurt that are to blame.

    And there it is BLAME. They blame the teachers and proctors for not watching closely enough, they blame the manufacturer of the equipment that their child was injured on, they blame the principal, the school board and everyone else… and then they sue! We live in a litigious society wherein anyone, and everyone has an equal chance at being sued into poverty.

    Meanwhile, the children who are kept from running and playing and suffering the little bumps, knocks, and maybe a stitch or two in growing up will never know the thrill of the games children play. The games that teach them balance and agility, and to know their own limits. They will be stunted physically, and I believe on some level, emotionally. It is a crime.

    I watched my best friend go through months of turmoil and worry over the possibility of being sued by a parent. Their child was playing a team game with their classmates, dodge ball I think, and he fell breaking his arm. Blame was cast on her for being negligent, district retained attorneys were called in, and when it was all over she didn’t get sued (thankfully!) and as you can guess, dodge ball was banned. I don’t like it, but sometimes it is easier to get rid of the “offending game/equipment” than to pay out the price demanded by an angry parent. In this case my friend may have lost a few nights sleep, but at least she was able to keep her job!

    Sorry, this is more than my usual 2 cents worth…
    ~ Lynda
    (retired school teacher)

    • Oh dear! I got on my soapbox and neglected to mention that I loved your recipe! ~ L

    • hotlyspiced says:

      That is a horrendous story about your friend and such a shame that the end result was that dodge ball (a great game that teaches skills and teamwork and gives children necessary exercise) ended up being banned for fear of a legal wrangle. Definitely, all those who are so quick to phone the lawyers after their child has had a scrape are definitely to blame that children can no longer experience the kind of childhood their parents enjoyed. What a disgrace!

  53. I so agree with you on this topic! And as for the recipe…I’ve never tried making marshmallows…but I totally am going to try this!!!!!!!!!

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