You've Been Missing Out On Dessert Deviled Eggs

Deviled eggs spiced with mustard, curry powder, and even hot sauce are savory powerhouses that are perfect for serving at parties. Moreover, they can be prepared in advance and kept chilled in the fridge until you're ready to serve them, making them a low-effort but high impact hors d'oeuvres. However, have you ever considered transforming these delicate piquant appetizers into a cute little sweet treat? According to Nelson Serrano-Bahri, chef and Director of Innovation at the American Egg Board, we've been missing out on dessert deviled eggs. 

"Deviled eggs don't have to just be savory!" Serrano-Bahri explains. He confesses that he loves making sweet deviled eggs which serve as a bite-size serving of your favorite dessert. He suggests, "Try making Tiramisu Deviled Eggs by combining mascarpone with egg yolks, vanilla extract and sugar for the filling. For the topping, pulverize lady fingers and mix with a teaspoon of instant espresso. You could also add a teaspoon of your favorite rum or liquor to the yolk mixture, but make sure it doesn't get too watery."

This clever recipe works so well because you're simply switching the traditional creamy elements of the filling (mayo and mustard) for mascarpone and sugar. This ensures that the stuffing has enough body and structure to be piped back into the eggs, while the coffee and liquor lend it a spike of intense flavor. The crunchy addition of crushed lady fingers brings much-needed texture against the soft consistency of the cooked whites and the luscious filling.

Nelson Serrano-Bahri also offers up a couple more inventive ideas for dessert deviled eggs. The first is a chocolate-based recipe, where the cooked yolks are mashed with cream, cream cheese, cocoa, sugar, and vanilla. Topped with chocolate shavings or a sprinkle of sea salt, the filling for these chocolatey bites can be whipped up in the food processor to save time. Second is a crème brûlée deviled egg made with the fixings for a classic custard: Heavy cream, sugar and egg yolks. You could even sprinkle the top with sugar and blowtorch it with a light touch to recreate the crunchy top of a classic crème brûlée that boasts that characteristic snap when you bite into it. (You can get a decent Sondiko Butane Torch for $17 on Amazon.)

While it might sound unusual to make a dessert with boiled eggs, they provide an awesome way to boost the amount of protein in sweet dishes. In fact, if deviled-egg-style dessert is too much of a stretch for your taste buds, you can simply whizz up whole boiled eggs with cocoa powder, milk, and a sweetener of choice to make a high-protein chocolate mousse. And this mixture could even be piped back into boiled egg white halves.