How to Make the World’s Brightest Easter Eggs

My Name is Deanna. And my mother is a retired cake decorator and this is how you make the prettiest Easter eggs in all the land.

I’ve never had an Easter egg that was pastel.

I’ve never had an Easter egg from a kit and I’ve never had an Easter egg that was dull. While other kids were using the barely-there coloring kits, I was at home whining because I didn’t realize how amazing my own home was. For it was bright.

“How?” you ask. Well, my mother was a cake decorator. She had the magical potion for bright, jewel-toned eggs right in her cake decorating kit…. er, closet. Yeah. Cake decorating closet.

Steps for brightly colored Easter eggs

1. Place eggs in a pot of water. When water begins to boil, time the boiling for up to 8 minutes.
2. When eggs are finished boiling, drain hot water Anders eggs aside.
3. Bring some hot water to a boil. As soon as it reaches boiling point, remove from heat and carefully pour into containers that will hold about 1 cup of water and still have enough room for the weight of an egg.
4. Using your favorite cake decorating food colorings (not liquid!), place about 1 teaspoon of food coloring into each cup of hot water. Wilton food colors are the very best food colors. They can be purchased at Michael’s Craft Supply and other craft stores.
5. Pour one cap full (or one teaspoon) of vinegar into cups of water as well.
6. Stir food colors into each cup of water until well mixed. Remove any clumps that might be left over. This might happen if the food coloring has been around too long. It will still work but if you leave the clumps in, you’ll get little blotches of color.
7. Using a spoon, gently place one egg into each color. Soak and occasionally give a little stir to get the best coloring. Soak as long as you like – the longer, the brighter.
8. Remove eggs when you’re happy with the brightness of your eggs and allow to dry on a few layers of paper towels.
9. Use your hands to coat with butter or shortening for the amazing shine. Why? Because that’s what grandma always did. Also, just think of it as car wax.

I always got the purpleiest of the purple eggs in my basket.

The Wilton brand food colorings I used for the eggs pictured here: Purple, pink, orange, yellow, royal blue, teal and leaf green.

P.S. Juniper green is fun if you have boys who like army guys. Just don’t soak it very long.

Thank you, mom. You have given me an undying love for jewel tones and helped me to see why being me is special; and, indeed, butter goes on everything.