Cascarones

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So, the process begins. The beginning of the Easter Egg madness. I am starting early this year because I will be making cascarones, or Confetti Easter Eggs.

Cascarones are a Hispanic tradition where the kids get to crush hollowed out eggs (usually filled with confetti and glitter) onto the heads of sitting adults. The adults are supposed to be surprised and many of them take the hits with glee and mock surprise--much to the delight of the kids.

At the orphanage, the nuns used to hate Good Friday because they would have to sit idly at their desks and wait for each kid to walk by and crush a cascaron (the singluar) on top of their heads. As the boys got older, there would be a little more force added to the egg crushing so the nuns had to put an age limit on the boys participating.

I haven't made cascarones in a long time mainly due to the time invested in the process. I will share that process with you next week since I now have tools and shortcuts that allow me to speed up the process. Traditionally, here are the steps (there are numerous YouTube videos that show the process, as well).

Step One: Hollow out the eggs. My grandmother used to punch holes in both ends of the eggs and would blow out the egg yolks and white. Most people simply cut a larger hole in one end and pour out the guts.

Step Two: Rinse out the interiors of the egg shells. I simply use running water until the water runs clear. Some people use a water/bleach solution.

Step Three: Air dry the eggs. I have known some people to bake their emptied egg shells in a low oven but most people simply air dry them. This is important because the interior needs to be dry so that the confetti does not get wet and moldy.

Step Four: Make confetti. Traditionally, the confetti is made from cut tissue paper. Others have used a hole punch. Modern interpretations use a paper shredder although this has to be finessed as well.

Step Five: Dye the eggs. You can use whatever methods you choose to dye the eggs but you should keep in mind that the eggs float and sink once the liquid gets inside the egg shell. Many people like to hand dye/color them because the shells are delicate without the inside keeping them together.Also be mindful that many of the more difficult dying techniques (rubber bands, strings, etc) are more challenging because you are only using shells and that the shells are already compromised.

Step Five: Fill the eggs. In the old days, people would fill these with paper confetti and glitter. As many of you already know, glitter is so intrusive that people today don't put glitter on the inside of the eggs. Many people use glitter glue on the outside for decoration but some people even frown on this.

Step Six: Close the egg. Most people cut a square of tissue paper larger than the opening and glue the tissue in place so the confetti does not escape.

Step Seven: Crack the eggs on someone's head.

Safety note: As some people have warned--cracked egg shells can be sharp(ish) and caution should be used when cracking eggs directly on someone's head (especially young children). Some people will crack the eggs between their palms and then sprinkle over the heads of the recipient. I have never had this problem. Also, if you crack the egg on the side of the egg rather than the tissue covered opening (where there might be sharp edges) you have a better chance of not hurting someone.