5 Delicious Ways To Use Leftover Selection Box Chocolates
Q4 has been immensely profitable for this Bounty lover.
Not only are my household’s selection tubs filled with leftover coconut treats that nobody else wants to touch, but I’ve also snapped up box after box of reduced Bounty-only chocolate trays in my local supermarket (the joys of being one of about three target customers, I suppose).
Still, don’t mistake me for a universal chocolate lover. I despise anything strawberry or orange goop-filled; I will not, and dentally cannot, touch a toffee. There is no place on my rarefied palette for a waxy, solid-chocolate sweet either.
Which begs the question: what to do with all these unwanted sweets?
Here are some of our favourite suggestions:
1) Rocky road
I do not play about my rocky road recipe, but I also know it’s an adaptable dish:n add honeycomb, fudge, or chopped-up selection box chocolates to your heart’s content.
I also think this could be a fab way to get the most out of any leftover dried fruit (I love cranberries in mine).
2) Brownies
In my experience, the best brownies have no melted chocolate in their batter: that makes them a little less fudgy than cocoa-based crumbs.
But I am no monster: I love chocolate chips in them. And, as Jamie Oliver suggests, there’s no reason not to replace those with selection box choccies.
3) Cookies
Legendary baking site Jane’s Patisserie recommended turning leftover sweets into deliciously doughy cookie bars (mmm).
Of course, you can make regular cookies with them too: just make sure to use inverted sugars, like Golden Syrup, to achieve bakery-level softness.
4) Fudge
I’ve long held that chocolate fudge, which can be made in minutes on the hob or even in the microwave, is a festive hack to both delicious sweets and last-minute, thoughtful-looking gifts.
Fuss Free Flavours points out that this “no mess” recipe can help to use up up to 30 leftover chocolates too, though it’s not ideal for those with gooey centres or those containing whole nuts.
5) Little cheesecake pots (or a whole cheesecake)
Cheesecake has the perfect effort-to-reward ratio, in my opinion: just mix some mushed-up biscuits with butter, whip some cream cheese and cream with sugar, and whack them in the fridge.
Waitrose points out that you can “use up any leftover chocolate” with their little pots, while I’m half tempted to chop some into my favourite Nutella version.