dark chocolate-cornflake marshmallow treats.

You guys, Easter is upon us. I don’t know about you, but I’m bound by some age-old, preschool-centric law which requires me to fill easter eggs with something and hide them strategically around my home. If I don’t? who knows what could happen.

Confession: I don’t love Easter candy. I’d attribute this to my getting older and being unable to eat so much as a miniature Twix bar without my stomach going into processed food-related shock, but it’s not that: I’ve just never been into the onslaught of foil-wrapped candy in the springtime. To me, springtime is about fresh things and green stuff and extra workouts so my legs look somewhat decent in skirts and shorts, not overloading my body with mediocre drugstore chocolate.

Here’s what: if you’re going to indulge in Easter sweets, you should have something you really like. This year, I’m passing on the aisles and aisles of bagged candy in favor of fancy cereal treats. Because I love cereal treats forever and ever, amen, especially when they’re finished with a little quality chocolate.

Inspiration: Momofuku’s cornfkale chocolate chip marshmallow cookie + Rice Krispies Treats + these dark chocolate-dipped triple coconut macaroons I made a few years back and still think about.

These treats are perfect for Easter: easy to make, so you can prep your Easter dinner uninterrupted, only a few ingredients, and they fit right into those little plastic eggs, just like the store-bought candy. My Wee One can’t handle solid chocolate in more than very small doses, so these ensure I don’t have a sick kid on my hands by mid-afternoon. Plus, the recipe makes 60 little squares, so stuff a few in some eggs and set out the rest for kid dessert (and watch the adults steal them away.)

You know I’ve really liked working with Chocoley in the past, and it’s my go-to chocolate for projects like this. Their chocolate couldn’t be easier to work with, and it tastes great (my favorites are the dark and extra dark flavors, which should come as no surprise to you), but they have a huge selection of chocolate to suit whatever project you’re into. And they don’t pay me to do these posts: they send me some chocolate and I make something up. I dig their company: they’re family-owned in Georgia, and they’re super nice to work with: chocolate projects have always been more than a little annoying to me, but since I’ve started using their chocolate, it’s been easy as pie.

So go order yourself some chocolate from them: you still have time to grab some before Easter is here, and they’ll work with you if you have questions about which type of chocolate will work best for your project. For these cereal treats, I used the Extra Dark Candy and Molding Formula chocolate, but the Dark would work as well. I like the heft and coverage of the Candy and Molding formula; it’s a little thicker than the Dipping and Coating Formula, which is what I was going for with these.

Cornflake Marshmallow Chocolate Cereal Treats [for Easter Eggs]

• 7 cups cornflakes, uncrushed (just be gentle)
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• pinch or two kosher salt
• 1 10-oz package miniature marshmallows
• 1 lb Chocoley Dark or Extra Dark Candy & Molding Formula Chocolate
• 2-3 teaspoons multicolored nonpareils (ball sprinkles, in English)

Set out a 9 x 13 pan since I know you don’t want to go digging for one as your mixture firms up. You’re welcome.

Pour cornflakes into a large mixing bowl. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add salt and marshmallows and stir with a rubber spatula until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and pour over cornflakes, folding the marshmallow mixture into the cereal using a gentle folding motion(up and over!); work quickly, but try not to crush the cornflakes too much in the process.

Pour into 9 x 13 pan and use your hands or the spatula to press the mixture into the pan: a little crushing is fine here, as it condenses the mixture so it cuts cleanly into squares. Place in refrigerator to set up, about 1 hour or so.

Remove from refrigerator and cut into 15 even squares (that’s 3 squares by 5 squares for the Mathletes like me) with a thin, sharp knife; lift out of the pan and onto a cutting board. Cut each square into 4 tiny squares. Place back in the refrigerator to firm back up while you melt the chocolate (which just makes them easier to dip.)

A note on size: it’s totally up to you what size you make these. leaving them as/is will give you 15 pretty standard-sized treats that you could dip and bundle up into little treat bags if you want, or even extend that to 18 slightly smaller ones if you wish. I made them this way in order to fill eggs, but i’ll leave the cutting decisions up to you.

Melt chocolate in a double boiler using Chocoley’s instructions: basically you heat the water to a simmer, set the chocolate over top of the water, and remove from heat to let sit and gently melt for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Once it gets melted and cooled slightly, it’s ready to go.

Prepare a workspace with your melted chocolate, your treats, a rubber spatula in case your chocolate needs a stir, and the sprinkles. Line a sheet pan with parchment, which will be where you’ll place your finished squares.

One by one, dip your squares in the chocolate; I dip, lift, and dip again, then set it onto the parchment to firm up. Repeat with the other squares, setting them maybe 1/2 inch apart from each other. Once all the squares are dipped, take your spatula, dip it in the remaining melted chocolate, and swing it quickly back and forth over top the treats to give it a little decorative drizzle. Sprinkle with, you guessed it, sprinkles. Set aside to firm up: I like to do this in the refrigerator, but these will harden at room temperature as well. Store in an airtight container layered between sheets of parchment until ready to use.