6 Ways to Use Up Leftover Valentine's Day Chocolate

Every year, loads of Valentine's Day chocolate meets the same fate. You get a big box of truffles the night of, filled with ganaches, pralines, and fruity jams that you can't wait to dive into. But by the third or fourth day, candy is the last thing you want to eat. So they sit there on your counter, day after day, and before you know it, it's mid-March and the box still hasn't been finished.

That's where we come in. We consulted our test kitchen for their best tips to repurpose leftover chocolate. Some ideas are obvious, like throwing cut-up extras into brownies, but you can also use chocolate to upgrade popcorn, milkshakes, and more. Read on to find out how to pull it off.

Cookies

One of the easiest ways to use up chocolate is by adding it to cookies. We have several recipes that would work, from Candy Cookies — made with bittersweet chocolate, white chocolate, mini peanut butter cups, and Mounds bars, so you can easily swap in truffles — to different riffs on chocolate chip cookies. Jacques Torres' Cherry-Nut Mudslides might also be a nice choice if you're saddled with dark chocolate.

Brownies

Brownies are a no-brainer. You can chop the chocolate up, like in these Chewy Black Licorice Chocolate Brownies, or melt it for our Fudgy Chocolate Brownies. Adding flavored truffles to the latter would be a fun way to mix up a classic.

Milkshakes

If you're a Dairy Queen Blizzard fan, this is for you. Grab your favorite ice cream, chop up your chocolate, and throw it into the blender with some milk. It saves you a car ride and money.

Popcorn

Instead of buying gourmet popcorn, leftover chocolate is a great excuse to make your own at home. Melt it — either in the microwave or over a double boiler — and drizzle it on top in ribbons. Add in nuts for even more texture and flavor.

Pastry decorating

If all else fails, cut up any chocolates or truffles that you have and use them as a decoration. You can arrange them in a crescent moon shape on top of a cake for texture — like this classic chocolate one — or use them to top cupcakes.

Ice cream sundaes

See our six sundae recipes that use a mix of homemade and store-bought flourishes to take a simple scoop (or several) of ice cream over the top. Any chocolate or truffle can shine here.