1. Bake It

One of the best ways to use leftover Easter chocolate is to bake it into brownies, cookies, baked goods, or cakes. You can use chocolate chips or chop up the chocolate into small pieces and mix it into your batter. The melted chocolate will add an extra richness to your baked goods, making them even more decadent and delicious. Plus, you can share your baked goods with friends and family, which will help you get rid of the leftover chocolate faster.

2. Melt It

Another way to use leftover Easter chocolate is to melt it down and create a fun chocolate fondue. You can dip fruit, pretzels, cookies, or any other treat that you like into the melted chocolate. It’s an excellent way to use up your chocolate while also creating a fun and interactive dessert. Plus, it’s a great activity to do with your family or friends.

To make the fondue, simply melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pot of simmering water or in the microwave, stirring occasionally. You can also add a little bit of heavy cream to the melted chocolate to make it smoother and creamier.

3. Arrange It as a “Chocolate Platter”

A fun and unique way to use leftover Easter chocolate is to arrange it as a “chocolate platter” – just like a charcuterie board but with chocolate. You can use a variety of chocolates, such as dark, milk, and white, and pair them with different treats, such as fruits, nuts, and crackers.

Arrange the chocolates on a large platter and add the treats around them. You can also add some decorative elements, such as fresh flowers or greenery, to make the platter look even more impressive.

4. Shave It Off into Your Coffee

Finally, you can use your leftover Easter chocolate to make delicious mochas at home. Simply shave some of the chocolate off with a grater or a sharp knife and add it to your coffee. You can also add a little bit of whipped cream and sprinkle some chocolate shavings on top.

There are many ways to use leftover Easter chocolate creatively. Whether you bake it, melt it, arrange it as a “chocolate platter,” or shave it off into your coffee, you can turn your leftover chocolate into something delicious and fun. So, don’t let your Easter chocolate go to waste – get creative and enjoy it in a new and exciting way!

Ingredients:

• Easter chocolates (such as Cadbury eggs, chocolate bunnies, and Reese’s eggs)
• Easter candy (such as jelly beans, Peeps, and malted milk eggs)
• Various nuts (such as almonds, pecans, and walnuts)
• Dried fruit (such as apricots, cranberries, and raisins)
• Fresh fruit (such as strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries)
• Crackers or pretzels (for some savory options)

Instructions:

1. Start by selecting a board or platter. A wooden cutting board or slate platter work great for this. Make sure it’s large enough to fit all of your ingredients.
2. Arrange your chocolates and candy in small piles around the board. Mix and match different types of candy for a colorful display.
3. Fill in any gaps between the candy piles with nuts, dried fruit, and fresh fruit. This adds some texture and variety to the board.
4. If you want to add some savory options, place some crackers or pretzels on the board. This can be a nice contrast to all the sweetness.
5. Don’t be afraid to get creative with your display. You can arrange the candy and fruit in patterns or shapes to make it even more fun.

Tips and Tricks:

• Make sure to include a variety of candy and chocolate. This will make the board more interesting and ensure there’s something for everyone.
• If you’re worried about the candy melting or getting too soft, keep the board in a cool, dry place until it’s time to serve.
• Don’t be afraid to mix and match different types of candy. For example, you can combine jelly beans with malted milk eggs for a colorful display.
• If you have any leftover candy, use it to decorate cupcakes or cookies for an extra special Easter treat.

Overall, an Easter candy board is a fun and festive way to add some sweetness to your holiday celebration. With a little bit of creativity, you can create a beautiful display that everyone will enjoy.

This decadent cake is truly something special. It may seem like a lot of steps but once you find your rhythm, you’ll find that you’ve made something so indulgent and delicious. Here’s how to make a german chocolate cake:

Ingredients:

Cake:

2 cups granulated sugar

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup oil (vegetable or canola oil)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup boiling water

Coconut Frosting:

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup butter

3 large egg yolks

3/4 cup evaporated milk

1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup shredded sweetened coconut

Chocolate Frosting:

1/2 cup butter

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup evaporated milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation:

Begin by heating your oven to 375°F. Grease two 8 or 9-inch round baking pans. 

Cake:
Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl combine the eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla and mix well. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix to combine. Stir in boiling water (batter will be very thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake for 25 – 35 minutes (depending on your cake pan size) or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then place onto onto wire racks to cool completely.

Coconut Frosting:
In a medium saucepan add brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, egg yolks, and evaporated milk. Stir to combine and bring the mixture to a low boil over medium heat. Stir constantly for several minutes until the mixture begins to thicken. 

Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, nuts and coconut. Allow to cool completely before layering it on the cake.

Chocolate Frosting:

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa powder. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spread consistency. Add a small amount additional milk, if needed to thin the frosting, or a little extra powder, until you reach your desired consistency. Stir in vanilla.

Let’s assemble the cake:
Place one of the cake rounds on your serving stand or plate. 

Smooth a thin layer of chocolate frosting over the cake layer, and then spoon half of the coconut frosting on top, spreading it into a smooth layer. Leave about ½ inch between the filling and edge of the cake. 

Stack the second cake round on top. Smooth chocolate frosting over the entire cake.

Spoon remaining coconut frosting on top of the cake. 

Now you have a work of art! This is sure to make anyone smile at first sight.

Here is what you need for your chocolate pizza:

Ingredients:

Pizza dough

2 tablespoons melted butter

1/4 cup chocolate-hazelnut spread (such as Nutella)

1/2 cup chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate

2 tablespoons chopped white chocolate

2 tablespoons chopped toasted hazelnuts

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to 11-inch round. Transfer dough to your pizza stone. Make indentations all over dough with fingertips. Brush melted butter over. Bake until pale golden, about 20 minutes.

Smooth chocolate-hazelnut spread over hot crust. Sprinkle chopped bittersweet chocolate and white chocolate over. Bake until chocolate begins to melt, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle chopped hazelnuts over, cut into wedges, and serve on the pizza stone itself. 
Save a slice for us! This fun dessert is so fun because once you’ve added your chocolate base, you can really have fun and add all sorts of sweet and indulgent toppings! We like ours topped with whipped cream!

If you make this recipe and want to share it with us, please tag us on Instagram @stokesstores and use the hashtag #StokesMoments.

#1: Homemade Happiness

Restaurants are buzzing on Valentine’s Day. This year, ditch the stuffy formal wear and crowds for something more relaxing, at your own pace. Spending quality time together is one of the best ways to say “I love you”. Tonight, trade-in your fancy clothes for an apron and get comfy – it’s time to get cooking! Cooking together is fun and interactive; the best part is that you get to eat the fruits of your labour (not actual fruits, we’re cooking something more challenging this time around).

On the menu tonight? Homemade pasta. Don’t be intimidated! It may sound ambitious but with the right tools, making pasta from scratch will seem easy-peasy-fusili! There are little variations everywhere, but the most standard way to make pasta dough is to mix eggs, all-purpose flour, olive oil and salt and then knead it with a stand mixer until the dough is smooth and elastic and ready to rest.

As your dough rests, it’s time to let your creativity do the work – ravioli or linguine? The ravioli route is the best way to go when you have a filling you’re dying to try! It could be a classic ricotta spinach filling or something with an umami punch. To ensure that your filling stays in and doesn’t spill out, it’s essential to get the right shape for your pasta. Here’s where you’ll thank yourself for having a ravioli maker and rolling pin handy! Your ravioli will come out with perfectly crimped edges and the mould is deep enough to hold a good amount of filling.

Not really feeling the fillings? Don’t worry!  Here is where you finally whip out that impressive pasta machine you got as a gift a year ago but kept on the counter untouched as “decoration”. Use the machine to make noodles, whichever way you prefer: tagliatelle, linguine, pappardelle, etc. As one of you is drying the pasta, the other can get started on the sauce – teamwork makes the dream work! Once you’ve served up your homemade pasta, take a moment to marvel at what you’ve made together!

What is dinner without dessert? It’s not Valentine’s Day without a bit of chocolate! Ditch the heart-shaped box of chocolates (get that on clearance the next day) and make your own little chocolate hearts instead. You just made homemade pasta, homemade chocolate is going to be a breeze!

One of the simplest and most foolproof recipes you can use for homemade chocolates is mixing melted coconut oil, raw cocoa powder, maple syrup and sea salt together. Once smooth and perfectly incorporated, pour your chocolate mix into the heart-shaped moulds you’ve been saving for Valentine’s Day and leave in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to let it set. When they’re ready, gently pop them out of their moulds and sprinkle with a bit of pink Himalayan sea salt and candied rose petals if you’re feeling extra fancy. Just like that, look at what you accomplished! Homemade pasta, made from scratch with chocolates to end on a sweet note. Sure, there might be flour everywhere, but as long as the drinks are flowing and you’re enjoying each other’s company, isn’t that what the spirit of Valentine’s Day is really about?

#2: Wine & Cheese

Valentine’s Day falls on a Friday this year. We can’t think of a better way to end the workweek than to unwind with someone you love over some good wine and cheese. Bring the 5-7 vibe home and make it romantic. The first thing is to ensure that wine, cheese and accoutrements are plentiful. The next step is really what brings it to life: the setup.

Here is where you absolutely forego the solo cups and upgrade your glassware. A good set of wine glasses is a staple in any home. Want to feel extra classy? Decant your wine. It makes a world of a difference and makes your Valentine’s Day wine and cheese setup look even more thoughtful. Also – pouring wine straight out of a decanter instead of the bottle really adds a Tuscan charm to your date.

While we’re confident in your wine guzzling abilities, this isn’t one of those kinds of nights. Take cheese breaks! We eat with our eyes and plating makes all the difference. We recommend going with a marble finish to ensure both durability and style but a wood tray is a timeless choice. A cheese board is naked without cheese – mix up a variety of textures and flavours when choosing cheeses, ranging from soft, firm, hard and blues if you dare. Break it up with accompaniments like semi-sweet or tart fruits for palate cleansers, and of course crackers and breads.

This Valentine’s date relies on the presentation as much as it does on the wine and cheese – make sure you’re well-equipped!

#3: Raclette Night

If you’re not spending Valentine’s Day in the Maldives (join the club), don’t stress about it. How about a private little indoor getaway? While February is mostly about being cold and wet, bring the warmth inside and pretend you’re in a cozy cabin getaway for Valentine’s Day.

Hot chocolate and mulled wines are never too far from reach at a cabin getaway – now you just need the right food to set the mood. If you live in a small space, you may not have the cupboard space to store a whole raclette and grill – but for a cozy cabin themed Valentine’s Date, we would recommend getting a mini raclette for 2. Just by the simple gesture of going out and getting one will make such a difference, your date will definitely be touched! Melt that ooey gooey raclette cheese onto delicious herby potatoes and use the grill to sizzle up some vegetables, meat and/or seafood to enjoy a hearty and warm meal together.

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any cozier – it does! As you may have gathered from our other Valentines ideas, we’re huge fans of chocolate. We couldn’t let you end your night without something sweet. Staying true to our cabin themed surprise, here is when we would have you bring out your pièce de resistance: chocolate fondue!

Let’s keep it real, a chocolate fondue set can be wonderful on its own for one person, but it is infinitely better when shared. As your chocolate is melting, cut up some fruits like strawberries and bananas to dip. We also like to add wafers and bite sized waffle pieces to our fondue – but we would probably eat anything if it was dipped in chocolate.

Cozy, casual and fun – this indoor cabin getaway date is sure to warm your heart, even on the coldest days.

#4: Breakfast In Bed

This Valentine’s Surprise may be one that is the most difficult. You may be wondering what could seem more difficult than making pasta from scratch…this date requires you waking up early – very early. Everyone loves breakfast in bed, no matter what day it is.

Being able to have coffee or mimosas in bed without ever getting up once is a real luxury that anyone would appreciate. Since this is Valentine’s Day, we’re going beyond basic breakfasts and taking it up a notch. We’re making waffles!  The hardest part is the batter since there are so many varying recipes these days – but once you feel like you’ve chosen the right one and you’re confident in your flour to egg ratio – it’s time to make the actual waffles. French toast has been done before and pancakes would have been too predictable, which is why we went with waffles as they seem way harder to make. The perfect honeycomb texture of a waffle may seem daunting, but nothing is impossible with the right waffle maker. Trust us, when you open up the waffle maker to reveal symmetrical, fluffy waffles – they will be sure to be the best surprise and start off Valentine’s morning on a syrupy sweet note.

These were 4 ways to do something out of the ordinary this Valentine’s Day. Let us know if you have other ideas for Valentine’s Day surprises. Enjoy!