Easter chocolate hen

Why is the chocolate hen an Easter essential?

This tradition has the same roots as that of Easter eggs. In ancient civilizations, among the Persians, Egyptians, Romans, and even Gauls, the egg was a symbol of life that people used to give as gifts in spring. Later, among Christians observing the forty days of Lent, eggs accumulated because they were not allowed to eat them. They were decorated, given as gifts, and eaten on Easter Day, which marked the end of this lean period. This meaning associated with renewal naturally extended to the hen (because after all, she is the one who lays it!) in Easter symbols. In the 19th century, as chocolate became part of the gourmet pleasures of high society, every chocolatier amused themselves by inventing their own increasingly elaborate molds, allowing them to make eggs entirely out of chocolate, but also Easter hens. Depending on the region of the world and traditions, different animals hide the eggs on Easter Day, from the fox to the rabbit, and even the cuckoo: that is why the chocolate bestiary is so varied, to the greatest pleasure of gourmands!

Filled chocolate hens: what do they hide?

They tenderly hatch an assortment of chocolate and homemade praline candies (absolutely delicious, we guarantee it). Once you break their shiny and crunchy shell, you will delight in our dark chocolate or milk chocolate dry friandise, or filled with a soft praline heart. A parade of praline eggs wrapped in beautiful iridescent colors also nestles inside.

Discover all our    here

Our different filled chocolate hens

A la Mère de Famille has designed two hens with very different looks to meet all your gourmet cravings. Our recipes are made from our signature À la Mère de famille couverture. Our chocolatiers craft our cocoa paste in our workshop, from a unique blend of beans, to create flavors that you will not find anywhere else. Under their rounded faces and mischievous eyes, our bite-sized hens come in intense dark chocolate or creamy milk chocolate: it is up to you to choose the hen that matches your gourmet cravings. In our opinion (which is our own), they are both equally delicious. And good news, you can eat everything in our hens, from their cute beak to the decoration they are sitting on! Their adorable silhouettes, designed by us, joyfully bring together fish, shellfish, and crustaceans, to be picked out with your fingertips with renewed pleasure! Fans of traditional Easter molds will love the elegant plumage of our  Julia hen , dressed in a ribbon in the Maison's colors. It comes in dark, milk, or ivory white chocolate versions, and also contains treasures to discover once its shell is broken.

Black is black, with our 65% dark chocolate hen

The enticing shine of our dark chocolate hens houses an assortment of equally dark chocolates. Our signature 65% dark chocolate with woody and earthy notes will delight you, before you enjoy the chocolate candies hidden inside at your own pace. Pick one of the wrapped eggs with a praline heart, where the sweetness of the caramel contrasts with the intense aroma of its shell. Let yourself be surprised by the different praline recipes, our homemade specialty, where almond, gianduja, or nougatine blend brilliantly with the power of dark chocolate. Our dry friandises melt in the mouth thanks to cocoa butter, enhanced by a touch of vanilla powder and salt. When necessary, to ensure the recipe holds up well, our artisans add a touch of soy lecithin.

Sweetness and creaminess with our 36% milk chocolate hen

Loved by young gourmands, our signature milk chocolate hen will make you melt with its bite-sized look, and its pronounced taste of milk and caramel.

Under its shell, it hides our milk chocolate dry friandises, and an assortment of milk chocolate praline eggs, with recipes as varied as your cravings: salt-fleur hazelnuts, nougatine almond, gianduja, almond-hazelnut (a classic not to be missed!), or even almond-hazelnut crispy feuilleté. By the way, who is talking about resisting? Certainly not us!

Chocolate figurines: rabbits, eggs, and other animal fantasies

Because we never tire of imagining new creations, we expand the chocolate animal bestiary every year to keep our Easter hens company! From rabbits (obviously) to hens, and the traditional eggs and bells, the collection is enriched with adorable (and very big!) bears, new fish molds (also filled with sweets), but also boxes featuring a joyful band of lobsters, scallops, salmon, squirrels, dogs, cats... to delight young and old! In total, nearly 100 models are crafted with rare attention by our chocolatiers, who hand-paint the eyes and decorate the molds of the thousands of pieces that come out of our workshop.

Show me your  Easter rabbits  and their friends

And let's not forget, of course, an unbeatable classic, our large-format Easter egg in dark, milk, or ivory white chocolate, inspired by the decor of our historic boutique. Its great height is adorned with the iconic cement tile that covers the floor of 35 rue du Faubourg Montmartre. This mold hides under its shiny and crunchy shell a delicious assortment of dry friandises, praline friandises, and small praline eggs.

Yum, a giant  Easter egg  to give or give yourself

How far in advance can you buy a chocolate hen?

Are you the type to anticipate the Easter celebrations and buy your chocolate hen in advance to avoid any risk of running out of stock? No problem! Kept at a temperature close to 18°C, in their original packaging, away from moisture, air, and light, our chocolates retain all their freshness for up to four months after your purchase. This answers another existential question for gourmands. Whether presented in a bag, a box, or a pretty box, you can also eat your Easter chocolates for up to four months after hunting them in the garden or behind the living room curtains. Phew

Has this reading given you a huge craving for bite-sized hens and little praline eggs? À la Mère de Famille offers several ways to buy your Easter chocolates.

Visit one of our boutiques

Step through the door of one of the Maison's boutiques, where our team will be happy to advise you in choosing your sweets. Our lobsters, salmon, scallops, squirrels, dogs, and cats are more fragile due to their elaborate mold, so they are reserved for in store sales to ensure they arrive whole to you... before being broken into a thousand delicious pieces! While you are there, take the opportunity to buy a bar (or two, or even three) of dark or milk chocolate, whose subtle aromas will make the magic of Easter last even longer.

Find an À la Mère de Famille boutique

Order your chocolates online on our website

Do you live far from Paris or an À la Mère de Famille boutique? Do you want to give a cute Easter hen to your company employees or loved ones? By placing an order on our website, we ship your chocolates throughout mainland France and Europe, including express shipping if time is short! Any order placed before 2:30 p.m. can also be shipped the same day. Of course, each one is wrapped in a container suitable for travel. Are you worried about the availability of a product? Choose free in-store pickup to ensure you find your dream assortment in stock.

We explain our chocolate  delivery terms

Rest assured, all our packages are carefully wrapped so that your chocolates arrive in the best conditions. Despite everything, it happens that some carriers are not gentle, especially during major periods like Easter or Christmas. In that case, don't panic, as soon as you receive the package, quickly send us a message to our customer service team, who will respond to you as soon as possible. Customer satisfaction is our priority!