Mystery toy chocolate eggs leave us with a surprisingly delicious dessert.
Japan has a love for mystery purchases that’s perhaps unmatched in this universe. The thrill of the unknown, the joy of a new discovery, the disappointment at a duplicate, and the satisfaction of completing a collection: the simple act of picking up and purchasing a product and not knowing what is inside can become intoxicating to the point of throwing hundreds of dollars into the proverbial drain. Even some of our reporters have been known to dabble, be it capsule machines or the annual lucky bag extravaganza for New Year’s. Our Japanese language reporter Takuya Inaba has a fondness for indulging in shokugan, which are snacks with a random accompanying toy.
Recently, when Takuya was out investigating the snack aisle at the supermarket, he happened to stumble across a chocolate egg starring the popular character Kirby.
Choco Egg is an egg-shaped chocolate that has bonus figures inside, often partnering with major franchises like Animal Crossing and Pokémon.
Being a big fan of Kirby’s cuteness, Takuya couldn’t resist and splurged on five boxes of them, which cost 330 yen each (US$2.23).
A total of 15 different figures make up the complete set, 14 of which can be seen on the packaging, and one mystery figure for that increased element of surprise.
Cracking open his first egg…
…out popped a pink capsule, which was very reminiscent of Kirby himself.
Heart pounding with excitement, he pried open the capsule to find…
▼ ...Waddle Doo, one of the common enemy characters found in the games.
The quality of Choco Egg’s figurines is amazing–just look at that incredible level of detail.
Unable to contain his excitement, he opened the rest of them in one go, leading to a result of…
▼ …Two Kirbys and two Waddle Dees
They’re all so ridiculously cute! Takuya felt he could stare at them forever. Kirby’s soft and bouncy quality seemed to be perfectly represented in the figure’s design.
Being this well-made, Takuya’s thoughts turned to that mystery character…
The idea of wanting to see it pervaded his every thought. So…
▼ …He bought five more!
▼ “Come on… please be the mystery figure…”
First was Kirby on a Warp Star (lying down). Such a classic scene.
Next, Parasol Kirby, with a beautifully captured floating sensation.
Then came Takuya’s first duplicate, another Waddle Doo.
Fourth was Bumping Kirby, which happens to be Takuya’s favorite pick of the lot due to how funny Kirby’s flattened look is.
And finally, the last one is…
▼ …Inhaling Kirby!
Showing off Kirby’s iconic inhale ability, it was an exciting addition to Takuya’s haul.
But alas! No mystery figure this time.
Even so, every one he got was insanely cute, so Takuya was more than satisfied with what he got.
After admiring them for some time, he really came to appreciate the sense of motion that was conveyed through them, seeming as if they had just jumped straight from one of the games.
While the quality of the figures was surprisingly high, and arguably worth the cost of purchasing the product, Takuya felt it would be such a shame to waste all of that chocolate he now found himself with.
He could have eaten it as is, but he recalled reading somewhere on the Internet that you could use them to make an unbelievably delicious chocolate tart. So, taking the opportunity, he decided to try it out.
All he needed were three simple things: store-bought tart shells, fresh cream, and chocolate eggs.
The first step was to crush the Choco Eggs into small pieces.
Next, heat the cream just until it’s about to boil. Takuya used one pack, which typically come in around 200-milliliter (6.75-fluid ounce) portions in Japan.
Mix the two together well.
Then pour the mixture into the tart shell.
Chill it in the fridge until it’s set, and then you’re done. Surprisingly simple!
The taste was amazing: very smooth and rich.
The milky sweetness of the Choco Eggs matches the tart crust perfectly, and honestly tasted like something you’d expect to find at a cafe.
Takuya thoroughly enjoyed his dessert, on top of some great additions to his house decorations. However, seeing as he still hasn’t seen that mystery figure, his hunt hasn’t finished just quite yet.
Photos ©SoraNews24
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[ Read in Japanese ]
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