Create your own chocolate bunnies -- it's not that difficult

The idea of the Easter Bunny was imported to America by the Pennsylvania Dutch. Sometime after World War II when automated mass production made the confection readily available, Americans began to include molded chocolate bunnies in their children's Easter baskets.

Instead of purchasing chocolate bunnies for Easter baskets this year, create and decorate your own molded bunnies by following the quick and easy steps provided by Chef Peter Greweling of the Culinary Institute of America.

"Make sure to use tempered chocolate when you pour it into the molds. When chocolate is optimally tempered, it contracts the most when it sets. If it is either untempered, or is tempered but cold and thick, it will not shrink sufficiently and will not release from the mold."

Until recently, chocolate molds were always made of steel and lined with tin to provide a smooth surface. These metal molds are no longer made but are still widely available. Today's molds are made from plastics and range from flimsy inexpensive molds to rigid polycarbonate molds that should last for generations. The inexpensive molds work, but will not last as long as the polycarbonate molds. A variety of chocolate molds are available in specialty stores. The crucial thing to remember is that chocolate makes a mirror image of whatever it sets on, so take care to keep your mold shiny and smooth. If it is scratched, dented, or pitted, then every chocolate that comes out of that mold will exhibit those same defects.

As far as cleaning molds, chef Greweling cautions that you never use anything abrasive on the interior of the molds, and never put them in the dishwasher. His rule of thumb: if you would not use it on your skin, do not use it on the molds.

You can paint white or milk chocolate into sections of the bunny molds to enhance the appearance of a specific part such as the eyes or a backpack. You can also decorate your bunnies with royal icing and novelty candies, and tie a brightly colored ribbon bow around the neck.