In terms of treats, feasts and new goodies, Easter is a festival that can really give Christmas a run for its money. Easter means spices, chocolate, roast lamb and egg hunts in the garden with your kids. It's a feast, a proper long weekend and (if we're lucky with the weather) the last camping trip of the year. This week we have all the treats that will make your long Easter weekend even sweeter.
Coffee-filled chocolate eggs
Calling all coffee lovers, this one is for you. Delightfully presented, these half dozen Bennetts of Mangawhai chocolate eggs come in a miniature cardboard egg tray, and are filled with Aotearoa's own Allpress coffee. There are two flavours in each pack - three flat whites (milk chocolate) and three double espresso (dark chocolate), both filled with Allpress espresso. $18, from Farro Fresh
Chocolate box of dreams
Those wizards of ice cream and chocolate, Auckland's cult Giapo are at it again, with their Easter Treat Box. The box has been launched in collaboration with DeLonghi, which is launching a new coffee machine to the market - the Magnifica Evo, which sells for $1449. The box contains a lush range of treats to spoil yourself with - hot cross buns (infused with orange), carrot cake ice cream with ginger and cinnamon, an espresso- and hazelnut-infused chocolate eggs, and the finishing touches to create a cinnamon s'mores coffee. Buy a box and you'll automatically be taking part in their Golden Easter Egg Hunt - one lucky box contains a golden egg, which can be exchanged for the new machine. Good luck! $60, available from Giapo until April 17, 2022.
Whisky to sip with chocolate
The Macallan Rich Cacao, part of its Harmony Collection (whiskies that have been casked in both European and American oak) was created to air with chocolate. Macallan's whisky maker Polly Logan joined forces with the Spanish Michelin-starred pastry chef Jordi Roca (you'll find him on Netflix's Chef's Table) to learn all about the chocolate-making process and flavour profiles, and to create a whisky that works perfectly with rich dark chocolate flavours. The packaging of this whisky is special as well - the box your whisky comes in is made from discarded cacao pods. $299.99, from liquor stores nationwide
Egg-stra special Easter eggs
Dutch-owned Tony's Chocolonely exists to put an end to child slavery and unfairness in the chocolate industry. Each pack supports this mission by making ethically produced chocolate – Fairtrade, with cocoa sourced directly from farmers in West Africa. Worthy, yes, and also delicious and always charming with its thoughtful packaging and flavours. For Easter, a miniature egg carton that contains 12 eggs in five flavours (caramel, dark almond, sea salt – all the good stuff). $10.99 from Farro Fresh and cookandnelson.com
A chocolate and ice cream collab
There's kids chocolate, there's adult chocolate, and then there's that difficult crossover product that will have the whole household fighting over it. Duck Island's Ambrosia ice cream is legendary. Packed full of handmade marshmallows and cherry jelly, the ice cream luminary has now paired with Wellington Chocolate Factory to turn Ambrosia into a chocolate bar. A milk chocolate bar made with cocoa beans from Vanuatu and laden with marshmallows, with hints of cherry and yoghurt throughout. $12.50 available from Duck Island and WCF
Chocolate oat milk
Made with New Zealand oats, Otis oat milk is so creamy, it's a winner in your daily coffee. And now it's offering those who'd rather forgo dairy a happy alternative in time for Easter. Their new choc version is as creamy and delicious as the original, but with added Fairtrade cocoa. All oat milks tend to settle, so give it a shake before pouring, (or if you're heating it into a hot chocolate, do a quick stir before drinking), and you're good to go. Oat farming is far kinder on the environment than dairy farming, so both the planet and your taste buds will thank you for this. $6, from New World and Moore Wilson
A classic hot cross bun
Grey Lynn's Bread & Butter are a more traditional route into festive baking, but this year they've given in and released two versions of their hot cross buns – a fruit and spices version (with raisins, cranberries, currants and apricots, plus cinnamon, clove, coriander and ginger), and a chocolate lovers (goodbye fruits, hello dark Belgian chocolate). Bread & Butter reminds us that Easter was originally held during the European spring equinox, a feast at the end of winter, and a celebration of Eostre, the goddess of the dawn, new light and life. Put them under the grill for a few minutes before eating and wait till the kitchen fills with the scents of spices and chocolate. breadandbutter.nz
A twisted hot cross bun
This one could be divisive. A brioche hot cross bun, full of warming Easter spices and then a molten (and controversial) seam of Pic's peanut butter and caramel through the middle. Yes, it's a lot. That's what Easter is about. If you really want to go crazy, we dare you to visit eatwell.co.nz and whip up a divine hot cross bun puddings with a packet of these. In New Worlds nationwide
A sweet egg for two
Executive Pastry Chef Callum Liddicoat has created a dessert that feels both retro and contemporary – the "egg for two", a fine dining twist on a certain creme-filled sweet egg, but made for sharing. This divine dessert is surrounded by chocolate mousse, with a molten salted mango caramel and Chantilly cream core. A delight for the eyes as well as the tum. $25 from The Pantry, order at hyattpantry.co.nz
The hot cross bunny
Made with dry gin, lemon oil, white cacao, a homemade Easter spicy syrup, plus a hot cross bunny to adorn your glass. Shake it up, then for the final touches, grate the sacrificial spare chocolate bunny in your pack across the top of your creation - Easter perfection.
From $69, from blackpineapple.co.nz
