The Easter Bunny could learn a thing or two from the Central Christian Church crew when it comes to making candy eggs.

For the past couple of decades a tireless group of church women and equally industrious bunch of menfolk have been making handmade and hand-dipped chocolate Easter eggs with various fillings. Last year’s production topped 1,000 eggs, and the project seems to keep growing, said Barbara Lawrence.

Lawrence is the last of the original egg-making crew, but both older and newer church members pitch in to help.

“We thought it would be a good fundraiser to support different charities,” she remembered about the initial mission of their candy-making endeavor.

Proceeds from Central Christian Church’s chocolate-covered egg sales benefit A Ray of Hope, Samaritan House, Neighbors in Need, Abbie Shelter and The Sparrow’s Nest.

“We’ve got a really good crew this year,” Lawrence said last week on the final production day as she surveyed the busy bunch in the church basement.

Lois Dawson and Lois Lyford were manning their stations at the stove, painstakingly covering the eggs with a chocolate coating. Dawson dips her candy eggs in the melted chocolate, while Lyford prefers hand-painting them. Carol White learned to dip eggs last year and was assisting Dawson.

The egg production is a well-oiled machine at this point. Church members divvy up the duties, which include mixing, shaping, dipping and then wrapping each egg.

“They couldn’t do it without us,” Dennis Bartolini said with pride, referring to his male counterparts as he carefully measured out quarter-cup portions of peanut butter filling.

The peanut butter eggs, reminiscent of a Reese’s peanut butter cup but creamier and tastier, are the biggest crowd-pleaser, church member Pat Tinseth pointed out.

“That’s our best-seller,” she said while whipping up a batch of peanut butter filling.

Other fillings are mint, butter cream and coconut.

The church crew declares their chocolate-covered eggs are “world famous,” and few would dispute that. They’re wildly popular in the Flathead Valley.

The recipe is top-secret.

Mary Smith, a longtime church member, got the recipe from her daughter-in-law, who is part of an even bigger church egg-making project in Pennsylvania that turns out 20,000 candy eggs a year.

Smith and her husband Bob were part of the local crew for many years until they moved to San Diego in 2006. The Smiths moved back to Kalispell this year, but their stay is short-lived, and they’re now relocating to Bob’s hometown in Kansas.

Most of Central Christian Church’s eggs are pre-sold at $1.50 each, but there’s still an opportunity to get some of the popular candies. Lyford will be selling chocolate-covered eggs from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday and Saturday, March 23-24, at Sykes Market in Kalispell.

Orders also can be placed by calling Lyford at 752-4298 or Barbara Lawrence at 755-4029.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.