Milk Chocolate Easter Bunny with Vanilla Marshmallow

To make this milk chocolate bunny with vanilla marshmallow, begin by preparing the ingredients for the milk chocolate shells. We will temper the chocolate using the seeding method. To do this, finely chop the smaller quantity of milk chocolate with a knife.

Melt the larger quantity of chocolate in the microwave in 20 to 30-second intervals, stirring every time, so that it does not burn and without exceeding 45°C.

Once the milk chocolate is entirely melted and reaches a maximum of 45°C, add the freshly chopped chocolate all at once...

...and mix to incorporate the chopped chocolate into the melted chocolate.

The chocolate mass will cool down quickly and should reach a temperature of 29/30°C (the ideal working temperature for tempered milk chocolate).

If any unmelted chocolate lumps remain, you can use a hair dryer or a heat gun to melt them.
Note: If you reheat the chocolate, make sure the temperature increases by 1 to 2°C maximum.

When the milk chocolate is completely melted...

...and reaches 29/30°C, it is tempered and ready to use.

Immediately pour the milk chocolate at 29/30°C into the 8-cavity silicone mould, filling the cavities up to 3/4.

Using a mini cranked spatula, spread the tempered milk chocolate up the sides of the cavities.

Place a wire rack over a baking tray lined with a sheet of baking parchment...

...and flip the silicone mould over in a quick motion...

...onto the rack, so that the excess chocolate drains into the tray.

Tap the assembly lightly on the work surface to thoroughly hollow out the mould cavities, leaving only a thin layer of chocolate. Keep the excess tempered milk chocolate in a container in a fan oven preheated to 35°C so you can seal the rabbits later without having to temper the chocolate again.

Then flip the mould over...

...and scrape the surface using a chocolate spatula to obtain a clean, sharp edge.

Leave the milk chocolate to crystallise at room temperature, preferably in a cool room (18/19°C)...

...until the chocolate crystallises, as shown here in the photo. The crystallisation time may vary depending on the ambient temperature of the room.

Vanilla marshmallow: Prepare all the ingredients. The large quantity of invert sugar will be weighed directly into the stand mixer bowl, and the small quantity will be weighed separately in a container. Then mix the powdered gelatine with the hydration water (tap water or mineral water) and leave to hydrate for 15 minutes.

Pour the caster sugar and water into a saucepan.

Add the small quantity of invert sugar...

...and bring the mixture to the boil.

While cooking, mix these elements together with a spatula.

Once boiling, check the temperature of the preparation using an electronic probe thermometer. It must reach 110°C.

When the syrup reaches 110°C, stop the cooking and remove the saucepan from the heat.

Place the hydrated gelatine into the mixer bowl, directly onto the invert sugar...

...and pour the sugar cooked to 110°C over the mass while mixing with the whisk attachment at low speed.

Once all the syrup is incorporated, gradually increase the mixer speed according to the texture obtained. The mass will gradually transform into marshmallow.

While mixing, add the vanilla powder. The amount depends on the flavour intensity you wish to achieve.

Continue whisking the preparation until it is lukewarm, around 35°C, as a mass that is too cold will be difficult to pipe.

We obtain our vanilla marshmallow...

...which should be transferred into a piping bag. The use of a nozzle will not be necessary here.

Pipe this vanilla marshmallow into the milk chocolate shells, which must be crystallised. The marshmallow should not exceed 33/34°C, or it may melt the chocolate shells.

The cavities should be filled up to 3/4.

Crunchy milk chocolate filling: Here we are using the crunchy milk chocolate praline filling by Unipatis.

Soften the crunchy filling in the microwave for a few seconds to make it easier to use. Then transfer it into a piping bag (without a nozzle).

Pipe the crunchy milk chocolate praline filling into the chocolate shells, directly onto the vanilla marshmallow.

Smooth the surface of the filling using the mini cranked spatula.

There should only be 2 to 3mm of empty space left to seal the cavities.

Finish: Remove the remaining tempered milk chocolate (kept warm in step 14) from the oven. Mix the chocolate to bring it back to a temperature of 29/30°C and place it in a piping bag (without a nozzle) to pipe it over the crunchy filling to seal the rabbits.

Smooth the surface with the chocolate spatula.

It is normal to have a lot of chocolate on the edges of the mould, as each cavity is surrounded by a small raised border that prevents the mould surface from being scraped perfectly clean.

Leave the milk chocolate to crystallise at room temperature in a cool room.

After crystallisation, place the silicone mould in the fridge for 10 minutes just before turning out; this will make it easier to remove them. After this cooling time, remove the mould from the fridge...

...and gently extract the rabbits from the silicone cavities.

Our milk chocolate bunnies with vanilla marshmallow are now done. Enjoy!