So many eggs, not enough time. The post-Easter chocolate egg dregs can be used in all manner of snacks and desserts. And not just the throw-an-Easter-egg-at-it-and-be-done variety, but the kind worthy of any dinner table or lunchbox.

Ice-cream sundaes with Easter egg chocolate sauce

Make an Easter egg chocolate sauce for the ages. Layer cups with ice-cream and broken bits of waffle cone and the odd chopped chunk of Easter egg. Throw in some berries for the necessary tartness and sweet relief.

For the sauce, melt 125g Easter eggs*, combine with 100g coconut oil and 2 tablespoons of golden syrup.

Drizzle the sauce over the ice-cream and watch it harden like Easter egg Ice Magic. Wait for the applause.

Makes enough sauce for 8−10 serves

* Note: Depending on the quality of your Easter chocolate, you may need to add a little plain chocolate to help it melt evenly because some Easter chocolate can clump.

Easter egg puffed rice slice

Solve snack o’clock by throwing one cup of chopped Easter eggs, 2 cups of puffed rice and ½ cup of chopped salted peanuts into a bowl. Warm 3 tablespoons of date syrup* and ½−¾ cup of smooth peanut butter in a saucepan before pouring over the rice puffs and stirring to combine. Press the mixture firmly into a brownie tin lined with baking paper and pour over some melted milk chocolate (another way to use up extra eggs) to finish. Set in fridge for at least four hours, preferably overnight, before slicing into squares and demolishing.

*Or agave nectar or 2 tablespoons of honey

Easter blondies

You could also try an Easter egg blondie by adding 125g browned and cooled butter to a mixing bowl with 1 egg, 1 cup of brown sugar, 1 cup of plain flour, and 1 teaspoon of baking powder, stirring to combine. Add 100g of chopped white chocolate, 2 teaspoons of vanilla bean paste and a 125g punnet of raspberries. Gently stir to combine. Scoop into a brownie tin lined with baking paper (allow overhang for easy removal), top with 1 cup chopped Easter chocolate. Bake in a preheated 180C fan-forced (200C conventional) oven for about 25 minutes. Cool completely in the tin before cutting into pieces.

Stuffed dates

For a need-it-now kind of fix, shove a solid mini Easter egg into a fresh, pitted date – bonus points if it’s filled with caramel. Dip in melted dark chocolate then salt luxuriously. You could even add a little swipe of peanut butter to coat the insides of the date for a “hello there” moment. Place in the fridge to allow the chocolate to set before devouring.

Easter chocolate burnt Basque cheesecake

Save your judgment at my messing with perfection and trust me when I say an Easter egg burnt Basque is worthy of your time.

Pull out a large blender (or use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment) and blend 180g of caster sugar and 800g of room-temperature chopped cream cheese.

Pour 1 cup of hot (not boiling) thickened cream over 200g of milk or dark chocolate (I used a mix of both) in a heatproof bowl. Stir to melt the chocolate and create a uniform mixture. Allow this to cool to room temperature (don’t rush this bit) and add to the blender/mixer mixture with 6 large eggs. Blend until fully incorporated. Sift over 2 tablespoons of cornflour and 1 tablespoon of dark, unprocessed cocoa powder. Blend again until the mixture is a uniform colour and fully incorporated.

Generously line a 25cm springform tin with baking paper so that it overhangs on all sides. Pour the batter into the tin and bake in a 220C fan-forced (240C conventional) oven for 45-50 minutes. The edges will be puffy and set, the middle will have a lovely jiggle to it. It may even have a hint or whiff of burnt chocolate with dark spots – this is exactly what you want.

Allow to cool, overnight in the fridge is best, if you have the patience for dessert glory. To serve, you could also scatter a few wayward bits of Easter egg on top.

Serves 12