What to do with Leftover Easter Bunnies

Happy Monday everyone! After stuffing our faces with delicious greasy pizza last night, my husband and I have agreed to pull back on the heavy foods this week. So obviously I'm thinking about chocolate. Milk chocolate, to be specific. I don't keep many temptations in the house, but as a pastry chef, I always have chocolate chips, and as it turns out this month, leftover Easter bunny. So you know what I love to do with too much chocolate? Turn it into a different delicious dessert! Here are a few recipes for those leftover bunnies hidden in the back of your pantry!

Milk Chocolate-Banana Pudding
Melissa Clark, NYT

Ingredients

• 5 ounces milk chocolate, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• Pinch salt
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 ½ cups whole milk
• ½ cup heavy cream, plus 1 cup whipped
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large bananas, thinly sliced
• 14 whole chocolate wafer cookies, plus 4 crushed, for garnish (see note)

Directions

1. Place chocolate in a bowl. In a separate large bowl, sift together sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt; whisk in egg yolks and 1/2 cup milk until smooth.
2. In a large saucepan over high heat, bring remaining 1 cup milk and 1/2 cup cream to a simmer. Pour over chopped chocolate and whisk until smooth. Whisking constantly, slowly pour hot chocolate mixture into egg mixture until completely incorporated and cocoa is dissolved.
3. Return custard to saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat, until thickened, about 10 minutes. Do not let mixture reach a simmer. If custard begins to steam heavily, stir it, off the heat, a moment before returning it to stove top. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Stir in vanilla.
4. Spread several tablespoons pudding evenly into an 8-inch square pan (or a glass bowl). Top with an even layer of bananas; arrange whole cookies on top of bananas. Cover with remaining pudding. Top with whipped cream and sprinkle with crushed cookies. Chill at least 3 hours or overnight before serving.

Tip: Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers work perfectly. If you can’t find them or want to paint the lily, try using chocolate sandwich cookies like Newman-O’s.

Milk Chocolate Brownies

Gourmet, February 2007

Ingredients

• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
• 8 ounces fine-quality milk chocolate, chopped
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Directions

1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 9-inch square baking pan.
2. Melt butter and half of chocolate in a 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring, until smooth. Remove from heat and cool to lukewarm. Stir in brown sugar and vanilla. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, until mixture is glossy and smooth.
3. Whisk together remaining ingredients, then stir into chocolate mixture. Stir in remaining chocolate.
4. Spread batter in pan and bake until a wooden pick or skewer comes out with a few moist crumbs adhering, 25 to 30 minutes.

Silky Chocolate Mousse with Peanut Butter Crunch

Rachel Lansang-Hidalgo, Food & Wine, February 2009

Ingredients

Peanut-Cream:

• 3/4 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 1/3 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 cup salted roasted peanuts, chopped
• 3 ounces white chocolate, chopped

Mousse:

• 2 3/4 cups heavy cream
• 1 1/2 pounds milk chocolate, chopped
• 3 1/2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons water
• 9 large egg yolks

Crunch:

• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
• 2 1/2 cups cornflakes, lightly crushed
• 1/4 cup salted roasted peanuts, chopped

Directions

1. In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the water and let stand until softened, about 5 minutes. In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a simmer with the chopped peanuts. Let the peanut cream stand off the heat for 15 minutes. Strain the peanut cream into a medium bowl; discard the chopped peanuts. Wipe out the saucepan, add back the cream and bring to a simmer. Off the heat, whisk in the gelatin and chopped white chocolate until melted. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate the peanut cream until it is set, about 2 hours.
2. In a small saucepan, heat the cream until steaming. Put the milk chocolate and unsweetened chocolate in a medium bowl and add the hot cream. Let stand until melted, then whisk until smooth; let cool. In another small saucepan, combine the sugar and water and bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.
3. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks at high speed until smooth. Slowly pour in the hot sugar syrup while beating at high speed; be careful not to pour the syrup directly onto the beaters. Beat until the mixture is cool, pale and thick, about 5 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the chocolate mixture until no streaks remain. Cover the mousse with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 1/2 hours.
4. Line a medium baking sheet with wax paper. In a medium, microwave-safe bowl, melt the peanut butter and chocolate at high power at 30-second intervals, stirring until smooth. Stir in the cornflakes and peanuts and spread the crunch on the baking sheet in a 1/2-inch layer. Freeze until firm, about 1 1/2 hours. Chop into small pieces.
5. Spoon the mousse into 8 glasses or bowls and top each with a scoop of the peanut cream. Sprinkle with the peanut crunch and serve.

MAKE AHEAD: The chocolate mousse and peanut cream can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. The peanut crunch can be frozen for up to 5 days.

Happy baking!