Easter Confetti Eggs
Making Cascarones
When my kids were still in preschool, I planned a party for my oldest 2, whose birthdays are only 2 weeks apart. Easter fell right before the party and when buying party supplies, I found something I had never seen before. Packaged in an egg carton were a dozen real eggs filled with confetti and they were labeled, Confetti Eggs.
The idea is to throw these and smash them, allowing the confetti to fly. This sounded like it could be fun and the eggs were reduced from $7 a dozen (yikes) to just $1 a dozen. So, I grabbed several dozen and the kids had a blast busting the eggs. Of course, clean-up wasn’t the easiest, but it wasn’t that bad either.
Confetti Eggs Are NOT New
When the next Easter started approaching, I knew I wanted to get some of these eggs for the kids, but didn’t want to pay $7 a carton, so I sat out to make them. I learned that these confetti eggs are actually called Cascarones, which is the plural term meaning hallowed out chicken egg, filled with something. That something can be candy, small trinkets, confetti, or many other things.
There are several myths about Cascarones.
- Marco Polo supposedly brought perfume-filled eggs to Europe from China as gifts
- An Emperor and Empress brought the eggs from Europe to Mexico
- Girls as far back as the 1820s in California used these type of eggs to get the attention of boys, presumably by throwing the egg at the boys 🙂
Wherever they came from, they became a tradition for several holidays in Mexico. Along the US and Mexico border, the Cascarones began to merge with Easter and spread throughout the US.
Making Confetti Eggs
Before you begin, figure out if you are going to use the egg innards (yolk and whites) at the time of cracking the eggs or freeze them. If freezing you can freeze eggs in ice cube trays and then put them in a freezer-safe container to store for later. If handled properly, you could probably just keep eggs as you used them, but that would require dedication depending on how many you are going to make.
I started with a dozen eggs and decided to make quiche with them, one to eat and one to freeze. Check out a basic but tasty quiche recipe here!
So, I had a dozen eggshells that I would have thrown away anyway but I needed a few more things…
- egg dye
- matching tissue paper or white tissue paper with dye-matching markers (I used Sharpies)
- glue stick
- filler (glitter, stickers, confetti, money, and so on)
Instructions:
Making these is actually pretty easy and once you get the hang of it, making many won’t be a problem.
- Take a spoon and lightly crack the bottom of an egg until it cracks slightly
- Use a toothpick to push a small hole through the crack, carefully make the hole big enough to allow the egg to pass through
- Turn the egg over and pour the innards into a bowl (or pan)
- Once you have your eggs emptied, gently wash the eggs in hot, soapy water and allow them to dry.
- While your eggs are drying, set up your egg dyeing area (box, food coloring, or however you normally dye eggs)
- Once your eggs are dried and your dye is ready, place an eggshell into the dye. The dye should fill up the egg, holding it under water, but might need a little help with a spoon
- Allow the egg to dye like you might a boiled egg, pull out of the dye, and allow it to dry
- While your egg is drying, take correlating colored tissue paper and cut a piece big enough to cover the whole in the egg. Another option is to use a white piece of tissue paper and color it with a similar colored marker like I did above
- Once you are sure your eggs are dry on the inside, start filling them with confetti, stickers, money, glitter (can you say glitter bomb!), or a mix of these.
- Take your glue stick, glue around the hole on the bottom of the egg, place the cut tissue paper over the hole, pressing lightly, and set egg bottoms up in an egg carton to allow the glue to dry
- Enjoy your Confetti Eggs or Cascarones!
Last Thoughts
Making these really are easy and cost-effective, but recently I saw them at a big box store for about $3 a dozen, so they have come down in price. If you only need a dozen, maybe buying them would be more convenient, though the act of making them could be a fun family project. However, if you want many dozens, even at just $3 a dozen, that can add up. Making them might then be more effective.
On Amazon, Confetti Eggs range from about $5-$12 a dozen, so I guess… don’t get them there, but check the link as prices on Amazon often fluctuate like the stock market.
Though these aren’t new, most haven’t seen them so they will be a fun addition to any Easter party! I think filling them with money for teens or even adult children would be a great time!
If you are filling these with confetti, try to do the environmentally safe confetti. You want stuff that will biodegrade not stuff that lasts 100 years. I like to use Fiesta Confetti it is paper and made for all celebrations but with Cascarones in mind too.
While these eggs are becoming popular in the United States at Easter, they can be seen at other holidays in Mexico. New Year and Cinco de Mayo are just a couple, so you really could make them any time of the year.
Happy Easter
If you make these I would love to hear what you think! Comment below and share or head over to Instagram or Facebook and tag me @bemandfam to share pics… I’d love to see them!
Don’t forget to pin this for later and if you like Pinterest, I am there too!
I hope you have a wonderful Easter and for other Easter ideas, including treats, head to my Easter page!
BEM + fam 🙂
PS. This post has some affiliate links, read more about those here.
