Chocolate bunnies on clearance...kinda long

[frugal.lass]

Right after Easter, I stopped in at my grocer's and found that they still had a few small chocolate bunnies so I picked up 6. I got home, smashed up 1.5 bunnies for cookies and decided that what I had bought wouldn't go very far. I went back the next day and find that they had brought out more stock and now have larger bunnies. I bought 6 of the larger ones (they had discounted their Easter stuff further). While putting everything away, I realized I could make my mom a batch of her favourite cookies for Mother's Day if I went back and bought some of the white chocolate bunnies they had. I went to the store AGAIN today to see if they still had white chocolate bunnies...once again, the Easter stuff has been discounted further but is getting pretty picked over. I dig through the leftovers, find some white bunnies, grab 3 more chocolate bunnies (because at this point I've developed a compulsion about clearance chocolate) and head to the checkout line.

As I go to pay for my purchases I realize that it's been the same cashier every day. Today, she half-smiles when she sees what I'm buying. I explained that I use them in baking because its cheaper than buying chocolate chips (which I guess had never occurred to her because she said that was a good idea and asked if there were more on the shelf) but I realized it must have looked a bit funny to have me rush in, 3 days in a row, and get NOTHING but bunnies in bulk.

At least my chocolate needs for quite some time have been covered for just under $10 (as opposed to the $3/bag I used to spend on choc chips).

[tamiky]

That's a great idea. I had never thought beyond munching it all down myself!

[Landscape25]

A chocolate side note, although the bunnies are a good idea

If you sign up you can print a coupon for .50 off of two bags of Nestle morsels, not a great deal but if you need them...

http://www.verybestbaking.com/promotions/default.aspx

[zakity]

I did that after Halloween. I bought two of those chocolate tombstones and the boys and I smashed them up. We have been using the chunks for chocolate banana muffins.

[Must-Stash]

I used to always take advantage of holiday clearance chocolates for the children when they were at home. Now I do it for the grandchildren, brother and DH.

I especially like the mini bite size bars that come in holiday specific wrappers and then go on clearance immediately after just because of the wrapper. Snickers, Butterfinger, different flavored or colored Hershey Kisses and M & M's work super well in the blender for making your own blizzards. I also make the mini PB muffin cookies and put those in the centers. Just about any chocolate goes well in a chocolate chip cookie. And the clearance price is, well..........priceless!

[angelbumpkin]

I do this too. I use mine for baking, shakes, blizzards, and occassional snack. Or any other project the comes to mind.

[phoeny_moonstar]

Chocolate always seems to taste better when it is dirt cheap. IMO!

[ladytoysdream]

One of our dollar stores had a display of 9 ounce hollow chocolate eggs that had a few nuts centered on the face of them.
ALL of the eggs were broke, so I am assuming the pallet got dropped or some other damage that caused all of them to be broke.
So this is a all $ 1.00 or less store. Before Easter , I checked them out but did not buy any. After the holiday now, they get marked down to 2/$1 so I did get 2 boxes. We just been eating them plain but I was thinking they would work neat in some recipe that called for chocolate pieces. When I chatted with the manager about something else I wanted to buy, the subject of the eggs came up. She said she bought some , melted them and used it for homemade Easter eggs.

[Momto2Boyz]

That is a great idea! And that is hilarious about it being the same cashier!

I probably would have made some sort of ridiculous comment though, something to the effect of "I had bloodwork done the other day, and the doctor said my chocolate count was dangerously low!"

[frugalwarrior]

I do it all the time for the kids but they usually don't make it for baking. The kids eat it frozen! The u-scan cashier at the store runs to the sale table when she sees I'm coming in. She loves to tell me what I missed when I wasn't in. (kinda weird). I wonder if you could use a double boiler/microwave it and make choc. syrup.

[frugal.lass]

I found something online that said to mix some cream in with melted chocolate to make "ganache" which the author used as fudge on her sundaes. Of course, I didn't bookmark it so I'll have to look it up again but that's another good idea...I'll have to wait for ice cream to go on sale though since I'm out. lol.

And Landscape, thanks for the link to the coupon! My regular grocery store won't take coupons that are printed off the internet at home but if I ever make it through my bunny stockpile I will check with other stores to see if anyone here will take the internet coupon.

[MomToTwoBoys]

We still have about 20lbs of the milk chocolate nuggets and we gave away 44lbs of it when we went to my inlaws at Easter. The kids weren't getting any chocolate this year and I found that the milk chocolate pieces also make a really great chocolate pudding:

Chocolate Pudding

Ingredients:

3 cups milk (750 ml)

3/4 cup milk chocolate Callebaut 'buds' (you can substitute in the bunny pieces here)

2 eggs

1/3 cup sugar (75 ml)

2 tbsp cornstarch (45 ml)

3/4 tsp salt (3 ml)

Whipped cream, for garnish


Directions:

1) Scald milk in a saucepan over medium low heat. Add chocolate and stir until it has melted.
2) In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, cornstarch, and salt.
3) Add the warm chocolate milk mixture in a slow stream, whisking constantly and then pour back into pot.
4) Cook gently over medium heat, stirring constantly with wooden spoon for 5 to 10 minutes or until mixture thickens.
5) Divide pudding among six small bowls, lay plastic wrap on the surface of the pudding and chill for at least 3 hours (and up to 2 days). If desired, serve puddings topped with whipped cream.

You can eat it warm or cold, depending on your tastes.

I saw all those chocolate bunnies on clearance and thought "You know, after eating Bernard Callebaut for the last year or so, I can't eat any other chocolate".

[karone]

i will probbably go to one of the 4 dollar stores around here sometime this week and see about getting some of those bunnies and other sale candy. we just got a nice blender the other nite.