Every year, loads of Valentine’s Day chocolate meets the same fate. The night of, you get a big box of truffles filled with ganaches, pralines, and fruity jams that you can’t wait to dive into. But by the third or fourth day, candy is the last thing you want to eat. So they sit there on your counter, day after day, and before you know it, it’s mid-March and the box still hasn’t been finished.
That’s where we come in. We consulted our test kitchen for their best tips to repurpose leftover chocolate. Some ideas are obvious, like throwing cut-up extras into brownies, but you can also use leftover chocolate to upgrade popcorn, ice cream sundaes, and more. Read on to find out how to pull it off and prevent those loving gifts from going to waste.
Cookies
One of the easiest ways to use up chocolate is by adding it to cookies. The decadent chocolate chip cookies Karen DeMasco makes at Gramercy Tavern don’t actually contain chips at all, but rather chopped white, milk, and bittersweet chocolate bars, so they’re a great choice if solid chocolate is what you have on hand.
Brownies
Brownies are a no-brainer. Pure chocolate can be chopped and either melted into the batter or stirred in as chunks (or both, like for Lee Lee’s Double Chocolate Chunk Brownies). You can also use brownie batter as a canvas for cut-up truffles or other kinds of chocolate candy, swirling it in for fun pockets of flavor in the baked bars.
Milkshakes
Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
If you’re a Dairy Queen Blizzard fan, this is for you. Classic vanilla or chocolate shakes are the perfect vehicle for your cut-up candy. Grab your favorite ice cream (or make your own), chop up your chocolate, and throw both into the blender with some milk. It saves you a car ride and money.
Popcorn
Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christine Keely
Instead of buying gourmet popcorn, make your own at home. Melt your leftover chocolate — either in the microwave or a double boiler — and drizzle it over the popped kernels in ribbons. Sprinkle on some toasted nuts if you’re feeling fancy.
Pastry decorating
Get creative and use your chocolate candy surplus to decorate cakes — a classic chocolate cake is an excellent canvas for arranging pieces in an artful shape like a crescent moon. You can also use them as design elements atop cupcakes.
Ice cream sundaes
Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christine Keely
Our six sundae recipes use a mix of homemade and store-bought flourishes to take a simple scoop (or three) of ice cream over the top. Any spare chocolate or truffle can shine here.
