Overview
It's Easter; the time to stuff yourself silly with animal-shaped chocolates and cross-covered pastries while feeling absolutely zero shame. To help you make the most of it, here are the best holiday treats making up your Easter hunt this year — from indulgent chocolate cocktails, to hot cross bun-infused ice cream and handcrafted chocolate eggs from one of the Auckland's best pâtisseries.
Hot Cross Buns From Daily Bread
You'll be hard-pressed to find a month of the year where gluten-loving Aucklanders aren't lining up outside any of Daily Bread's central Auckland locations, ready to stock up on sourdough or ham and cheese croissants. But for about two months each year, things really go haywire when the bakery team start pumping out their mouthwatering hot cross buns. Heavy on spice, sweet with dried fruit and finished with a sticky glaze, a signature madre lievito sourdough starter and long fermentation process makes them some of the best in the game.
Find them at Daily Bread's Ponsonby, Point Chev or Federal Street stores, retailing at $20 for a pack of six.
Hot Cross Bun Vodka From The National Distillery Company
Sure, Jesus turned water into wine, but the National Distillery Company have turned hot cross buns into vodka — just as Jesus would have wanted (we expect). A limited-edition release from the National Distillery Company who are known for their often slightly kooky blends, this Easter spiced vodka with subtle vanilla notes is the perfect drink for this holiday season and will make the perfect Easter Espresso Martini to be enjoyed over the long weekend.
Available to buy online from the NDC's website for $59 for a 700ml bottle.
Island Gelato Company's Easter Scoop Flavours
Island Gelato Company has whipped up two creamy flavours for the Easter season — a dreamy white chocolate and raspberry combo and chocolate hazelnut with oat milk, a delicious dairy free option.
Get a scoop from any of Island Gelato Company's Auckland locations.
Fling Cocktails Easter Box
If you're looking to have the best of both worlds this Easter — as in, alcohol and chocolate — look no further than the Easter box from Fling Cocktails.
Whether you want to send some Easter love to a friend or family member, or keep it all for yourself, the Easter box is sure to be a crowd pleaser. Each box contains four Fling ready to drink cocktails and your choice of chocolate Lindt treats, either 12 mini chocolate eggs or four mini chocolate bunnies.
For the cocktails, choose from Fling's four tasty flavours: mojito, espresso martini, gin and tonic and margarita. If you simply can't make a decision, nab a sample box with one of each.
Each box is $26.99 plus shipping and can be ordered from Fling's online shop.
The Pantry's Luxurious Easter Eggs
The Park Hyatt's executive pastry chef Callum Liddicoat and his team are known for their sweet treats, meaning Easter is the holiday to spend in the hotel's elegant Pantry space.
This year, the Park Hyatt's sweet treat heaven The Pantry is offering not one, but three versions of their mouth-watering Easter eggs.
This year, there are three flavours on offer: dark chocolate passionfruit caramel mousse, hazelnut pecan milk chocolate mousse and white chocolate yuzu citrus jasmine tea.
The eggs can be purchased separately from The Pantry for $28 or $75 for a pack of three with one of each flavour.
Dr Rudi's Frozen Eggspresso Martini
If you're down in the dumps because you're not heading away this Easter holiday, we have a little something that might cheer you up. Waterfront rooftop bar Dr Rudi's have shaken up a special cocktail that's available for a very limited time — as in, only on Easter weekend.
The Frozen Eggspresso Martini does what it says on the box, with the ice cold coffee chocolatey drink served inside an Easter egg, and placed on top a velvety chocolate mousse.
Grab yourself a Frozen Eggspresso Martini from Dr Rudi's on Easter weekend for only $20.
Daily Bread and Duck Island's Hot Cross Bun Ice Cream
Duck Island is known for their speciality seasonal flavours and this Easter is no different. They've teamed up with another Auckland cult fave and launched a hot cross bun ice cream crafted with the sweet and spicy flavours of Daily Bread's award winning buns. With touches of cinnamon, cardamon, cloves and sprinkled with rum and orange zest soaked raisins, this is an Easter treat you won't want to miss.
Grab a scoop at either of Duck Island's Pononsby or Newmarket locations.
Coffee Spiked Easter Eggs From Farro
Of course, chocolate eggs are an acceptable breakfast food over Easter — and the month preceding it, in our humble opinion — but you can make it even more of a breakfast experience now that coffee roasters Allpress have teamed up with local chocolate house, Bennetts of Mangawhai, to re-release their famous coffee-spiked chocolate eggs.
These eggs are spiked with fresh, roasted Allpress coffee and hand-poured in Mangawhai, New Zealand. Each carton contains three Flat White eggs and three espresso eggs, which are then packaged up in a recyclable egg carton.
Find them at Farro for $18 a box.
Luna Bakehouse's Cream-Filled Hot Cross Buns
Luna Bakehouse is fast making a name for itself as a bakery with a point of difference, and their hot cross buns are no exception.
The bakery has produced traditional hot cross buns and filled them with three creamy flavours: classic buttercream, nutty biscoff and Nutella. To avoid any delicious mess, the hot cross cream bun is served in a cup.
Grab one — or three — of these before their gone, from the bakery's Takapuna, Newmarket and CBD locations.