Easter 2014: What To Do With Leftover Easter Eggs

Here are 7 ideas for using up your leftover chocolate…

Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding

Bread pudding is easy to make and - as an added bonus - uses up any stale bread, too. Just chop some leftover chocolate and sprinkle it into the bread pudding mixture before scraping into the tin and baking. You could also add the broken up chocolate to bread and butter puddings, tucking the pieces in between the bread slices before pouring the custard on top and baking. Don’t forget other desserts - swirl broken up pieces of chocolate into warm, vanilla-speckled rice pudding for a luxurious touch. Lovely.

Ganache Cake Topping

Made a cake and don’t know what to top it with? Indulge in a glossy ganache topping made from your leftover Easter eggs. To cover the top of a cake that’s 21cm wide, break 120g leftover chocolate into a bowl and add 100ml double cream. Heat gently, in a bowl placed over a pan of simmering water, until the chocolate has melted. Make sure the bowl containing the chocolate and the spoon you use for stirring is completely dry (if water gets into your melted chocolate it can seize). Stir until smooth and glossy and pour over your cooled cake. The ganache will start to set as it cools.

Chocolate Brownies

Brownies are so versatile, and you can experiment with different flavours and textures. The good thing about making them from leftover Easter chocolate is that not only can you melt down the regular chocolate and whip it into the batter, but you can also use the little chocolates that came inside the egg to add texture. Make your basic brownie mixture, scrape it into the square tin and just before you slide it into the oven, push in some chocolates, like chocolate-covered caramels, fudge, cookies, or chocolate buttons. Bake as usual and then cool.

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Make Hot Chocolate

Put down that jar of instant hot chocolate. If you have leftover chocolate you can make the proper stuff. Measure out a mugful of milk and pour it into a small saucepan. Warm the milk gently, and then drop in a few pieces of chocolate - about 40g. You can also add a little vanilla extract or ground cinnamon if you like. Sprinkle liberally with mini marshmallows before drinking.

Posh Chocolate Pies

A cross between a chocolate ganache and a cheesecake (surely that can’t be bad) these little pies make a rich and luxurious dessert. Crush 60g chocolate digestive biscuits to a sandy texture in a food processor and stir in 2 tsp melted butter. Press the damp, sandy crumbs into 4 holes of a loose-based mini cake tin. Refrigerate for 10 minutes. Next, gently melt 100g broken up chocolate (we used half plain and half milk chocolate) along with 50ml double cream, in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Add a quarter teaspoon of vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract) and once smooth and glossy, pour on top of the biscuit crumbs. Refrigerate again until set, popping them out of the tin, and removing the loose base before serving. You could also sprinkle over some finely-grated orange zest or a little sea salt for a salty-sweet flavour.

Swirly Chocolate Bark

This is a good one to make if you have different types of chocolate to use up. Very gently, melt your chocolate (white, plain, milk - we used 40g of each) in separate bowls. One by one, pour the chocolate into a small, cling-film lined plastic tub about 11cm x 17cm in size. Using a spoon, lift the chocolate from the bottom of the tub to the surface, swirling it to create a contrasting effect. Refrigerate until set completely and then break into shards before eating.

Rocky Road Chocolate Loaf

Marshmallows, choccies and crushed biscuits all set in chocolate. Easy. This recipe makes about 8 thin slices or 12 chunky squares. Just melt 100g dark chocolate, 80g milk chocolate, 100g butter and 2 tbsp golden syrup in a saucepan, on a very low heat. In a bowl, slightly crush 150g biscuits and add a handful of mini marshmallows, along with a few chocolates - miniature chocolate eggs or caramels work well. Pour the melted chocolate mixture over the top and stir well. Press into a loaf tin lined with cling film and cover and refrigerate until set. Once completely set, release from the tin, unwrap the cling film and cut into slices or squares. This is also good with slightly salted peanuts thrown in, or some leftover popped popcorn.

Do you think you’ll have any leftover Easter eggs? Will you be making any recipes with them to use them up? Let us know on Twitter.