Beyond the Easter Basket: 5 Ways to Use Mini Egg Treats

Try adding these classic Easter egg candies to sweet treats such as brownies, cheesecake bars, doughnuts, milkshakes and homemade ice cream. They'll add a festive touch to your Easter dessert table — and you won't mind having leftovers.

Start by coating the top of each milkshake glass with chocolate frosting, then place the glasses in the freezer for 10 minutes. Once the frosting has hardened slightly, press some chopped Easter egg candy into it. Return the glasses to the freezer to finish setting.

In the meantime, prepare the milkshake by combining vanilla ice cream, milk and chopped Easter egg candy in your blender. Blend on high. Remove the glasses from the freezer, drizzle the insides with chocolate syrup, pour the milkshake, then top with whipped cream and more Easter candy eggs.

Finish with a straw and a chocolate cream Easter candy egg on the side.

These mini Easter egg candy brownies are easy to make and great for serving a crowd. Simply take your favorite brownie recipe (or two boxed brownie mixes) and 1 cup chopped Easter egg candy. Add 2/3 cup chopped Easter egg candy to the batter and sprinkle the remaining 1/3 cup on top. Bake and serve!

To make these casual bars, you can deconstruct your favorite cheesecake recipe by preparing the dessert in a sheet pan or baking dish as opposed to a springform pan. Once they've cooled, drizzle the bars with caramel sauce, add small "nests" of toasted coconut flakes, then top them off with miniature chocolate Easter egg candy.

Using your ice cream maker, prepare your favorite vanilla ice cream recipe, then add 1 1/2 cups chopped Easter egg candy to the mixture during the last 5 minutes of churning. Scoop the ice cream into a freezer-safe container and let it harden for 4 to 6 hours before serving.