Cooking with Easter Candy

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Did you buy too much Easter candy to fit in a basket? Not sure you can stomach eating it all straight? Well, in the foolish spirit of the day, here are some alternatives:

1. Melt down a chocolate bunny and whaddaya know, you've got molten chocolate—perfect for fondue. You could also use bits of bunny in place of chocolate chips for cookies.

2. I think peppers taste good in stir-fry, and peeps sound kind of like peppers, therefore...I am amazed that someone has already gone there, with a side of "peeps and sour sauce." The same brilliant mind conceived a "crunchy Peeps salad" which I would have loved back in my college days, when marshmallows and ramen noodles were my two favorite food groups. (These days, having a much more sophisticated palate and better knowledge of nutrition, of course I prefer lightly poached Peeps.)

3. Crack open those Cadbury Creme Eggs in the kitchen. Got milk? And flour, and a real egg? Then you can make chocolate pancakes with "goo" sauce (that would be what's inside the candy egg). From chocolate tarts to goo-filled hearts, these recipes are truly...er...special.

4. Jelly beans can be a fun way to decorate a batch of cupcakes with spring flowers. And in the "candy with candy" category (also known as the "dia-what?" category), there's also jelly bean bark , jelly bean fudge, and jelly bean egg nests. When you've eaten so many you can no longer bear the sight of them, disguise the rest in oatmeal and jelly bean cookies or snack mix and dump them at a party.

5. Finally, a perfect recipe for the unfortunate kids whose candy melted into a big, mixed-up mess before they found their basket: Leftover Easter candy cake.

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