A look at Michigan-made chocolate Easter bunnies at MGM Grand Detroit
(CBS DETROIT) - Candy aisles across the nation have been stocked for weeks with chocolate Easter bunnies in honor of the upcoming holiday.
To understand what it takes to make those delicious treats, CBS News Detroit shadowed the chief executive chef at the MGM Grand Detroit and found out it's much more shaking than stirring.
"This is how is starts. First, we make sure the molds are nice and clean and polished, so when we finish the Easter bunny, it comes out it will be nice and shiny," said Monica Alvarez, executive pastry chef at MGM Grand Detroit.
"Start the machine. Just pure chocolate, 36% chocolate made from Ghana beans and they have a hint of caramel in it. Make sure we clean this up, lock him in. Then, we make sure it goes all over. We're making sure all the air bubbles, you see these air bubbles, we've got to make sure that we break them. See, they disappear.
"Let them sit for a few minutes and then we turn them. So this will go to the cooler to help it set up faster. We have made close to 500 bunnies already. It will sit there for a bit. Most popular one is the Thumper, everyone loves Thumper. And floppy ears."
To make custom chocolate bunnies, MGM Grand Detroit uses a new chocolate tempering machine that holds up to 24 pounds of chocolate. The company also uses milk chocolate made with cocoa beans from Ghana.
Pastry chefs have produced 500-plus bunnies for sale at Detroit Central Market and The Roasted Bean inside MGM Grand Detroit.
For more on other chocolate shops in Metro Detroit, click here.