A DIY Speckled Egg Tutorial on Hearth Magazine - Shannon Von Eschen Photography

Chocolate specks. Freshly gathered eggs. A burlap work-space. Two sweetly, perfect ducklings. A hybrid of digital AND film photography. …Yes, Please.

I’m thrilled and honored to finally be sharing a personal project I took on this month…because egg decorating never lasts long enough. And because I hardly think anything is prettier than a naturally speckled egg.

♥ to Hearth Magazine for featuring this tutorial on this glorious Easter weekend! Happy Speckling!

Supplies:

-cocoa powder

-vanilla

-small, soft paintbrush (brand new)

-small bowl or ramekin

-hard-boiled eggs (I used fresh, brown & green eggs harvested that morning)

-cardboard, burlap, or wax paper

-wire baking rack

Instructions for Chocolate Speckled Eggs:

In a small bowl, mix equal parts cocoa powder and vanilla—I used one tablespoon of cocoa powder with one tablespoon of vanilla—to make a liquidy chocolate sauce for your speckles. You might need to add just a tad more vanilla to make it less pasty depending on the type of cocoa powder you’re using.

2. Set up your work area for speckling. I used burlap over our table to protect it, however you can use cardboard to make a small “paint-booth” or wax paper laid out as well. Yes, you will be speckling not only your eggs, but possibly your hands a bit too. 😉

You might consider practicing the following technique a few times on one or two eggs before attempting to speckle your whole batch as you will get better as you observe how your mixture is working.

3. Place one egg onto your work surface and then dip your brand new paintbrush into the cocoa mixture and hold it over your head. With your other hand, firmly tap the paintbrush to splatter the mixture onto the egg. You can also flick the brush using your thumb and middle finger to disperse it.