Got too much chocolate this Valentine’s day?

Have you been lucky in love and received more chocolate than any one person can (or should) eat this year?

Don’t worry! Here are some recipe inspirations to use up your leftover choccies.

Wasting chocolate is, in our opinion, a capital crime and should be punishable by, if not exactly hard labour, then a life lived without spell checker and caffeine.

So, instead of letting your valentines sweets get mouldy on the shelf, use it in your everyday cooking and spread the love if you will.

The brekkie booster

The “problem”: You have an oversupply of flavoured and filled sweet chocolates? Caramel hearts, strawberry creams and marshmallow fluff choccie pies?

The solution: Bake it, stir it, love it!

Add some of your chocolate to your favourite breakfast recipes and indulge in a sweet treat before work or school.

Chocolate banana muffins, Choc chip flapjacks , Chocolate on toast (not just for kids), Chocolate oats…use chocolate anywhere and everywhere!

Handy hint: A piece of chocolate stirred into a mug of piping hot coffee instantly makes it a super fancy DIY Café Mocha…Ooh la la!

The savoury game changer

The “problem”: You have leftover dark or spiced chocolate (For example sea salt or chilli).

The solution: Treat your meat!

Cocoa has long been used in South America as a flavour enhancer and spice. Long before Europeans found it and started adding milk and sugar, the dark, rich spiced powder of the cocoa bean was used in all manner of savoury cooking.

A favourite flavour combination is chocolate and chilli, which pair wonderfully with chicken, pork and red meat.

Start off slowly by simply dropping a couple of cubes of left over chocolate into a beef stew and taste the subtle richness it adds. If you’re doing a roast chicken or pork chop, make a rub with grated dark chocolate, black pepper and salt…or add crushed chilli and lemon.

Get saucy…

Most commercial chocolate has a high fat content and low melting point, making it ideal as a finisher for cream-based sauces. Instead of just adding butter or cream to give your sauce that glossy sheen, add chocolate and stun your guests with your ingenuity.

Not convinced? That’s also fine.

Another really good way to deal with an excess of chocolate is to simply stuff your face…while you’re deciding what to watch, waiting for the kettle to boil, messaging your mom, doomscrolling or even just driving to work…

Don’t let anyone shame you! Just enjoy the glorious sweetness and feel the love you deserve.