Six Grown-Up Easter Treats to Hunt Down Around Auckland

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 Creme Egg cookie dough and hot cross bun cocktails to indulgent carrot cake and Easter egg sundaes.

HOT CROSS BUNS AT IMA

For one month every year Fort Street's Ima puts the brakes on Middle Eastern cuisine to pump out mouthwatering hot cross buns. Ima's version of the classic Easter treat are undoubtably the most popular in Auckland, selling out via pre-order well in advance. To keep up with the massive volume of bun baking, the kitchen even limits some of its services. But what makes them so special? The buns are made with ground spices and topped with a rich custard cross.

CREME EGG COOKIE DOUGH AT COOKIE DOUGH COLLECTIVE

Is it really Easter if you didn't devour a Creme Egg? The creamy treats from global chocolate conglomerate Cadbury are an institution. So much so that the recipe has been transformed into everything from Creme Egg-flavoured mayonnaise to rum. In Auckland, you can pick up Creme Egg cookie dough from the Cookie Dough Collective. Each tub of the Easter-themed dough is packed with its own egg as well as crushed Whittaker's chocolate. Eat it straight from the tub pop it in the oven for Easter cookies in less than ten minutes.

THE GIAPO-EGG AT GIAPO

Inventive ice cream makers Giapo have previously created hot cross bun hybrids and edible stacking stones for Easter. This year, the Gore Street outfit took up the challenge of avoiding chocolate as the main ingredient for its festive creation. The end result is half waffle, half ice cream egg covered in chocolate. The Giapo-egg comes with the 'Nothing Else Matter' flavour, a chocolate hazelnut ice cream with swirls of hazelnut spread and crunchy rice crisps.

LOADED EASTER GELATO AT LITTLE LATO

Little Lato is a pint-sized gelateria serving up authentic Italian gelato and dreamy desserts. Founder Hannah Wood is well-versed in the creation of ice-cool treats; before bringing the concept to Auckland she received a scholarship to study at the Carpigiani Gelato University in Italy. In addition to its spiced hot cross bun gelato, this year Little Lato is scooping two Easter-themed flavours in collaboration with Remarkable Chocolate Company. Head to parlours at Kohimarama, Orewa and Wynyard Quarter for a ginger gelato loaded with salted caramel and ginger pieces and a vegan raspberry and coconut gelato with freeze-dried raspberry. Both come with smashed Easter bunnies.

THE HOT CROSS BUNNY COCKTAIL AT BLACK PINEAPPLE

There's a lot of 'hot cross' things happening around the city, and Black Pineapple's latest experimental release is the traditional sweet and spicy bun in liquid form. The 'Hot Cross Bunny' is a twist on a classic '20th Century' cocktail. Building on the base of gin, lemon and chocolate, Black Pineapple takes the festive theme one step further by adding hot cross bun flavours with spice and richness from PX sherry. It's all tied together with a dark chocolate bunny garnish from Devonport Chocolates. The 'Hot Cross Bunny' cocktail kits are available in three variations, with a shipping deadline of March 28.

ICE CREAM CARROT CAKE AT PARK HYATT AUCKLAND

Park Hyatt Auckland has created an afternoon tea menu embracing traditional Easter delicacies. There's a toasted hot cross bun, milk chocolate and confit pear choux, spiced butternut and bitter honeycomb tart, and a collaboration with Giapo. Inspired by festive childhood memories, executive chef Brent Martin has created a carrot and walnut cake with burnt vanilla ice cream and caramelised white chocolate ganache courtesy of the inventive ice cream makers. It's only available during the Easter week and will be served as part of the afternoon tea in the Living Room.

EASTER EGG SUNDAE AT MIANN CHOCOLATE FACTORY

Craft chocolate makers Miann are pumping out all manner of sweet treats for Easter. There's ridiculously cute animal macarons, bunny-dusted hot chocolate and little eggs made from four kinds of chocolate. The Easter egg sundaes are available from the Morningside Chocolate Factory and Fort Street locations until Easter Sunday. Inside a half egg shell you can dig into a decadent serving of dark chocolate with salted caramel, sticky toffee sponge, roasted hazelnuts, pecans and walnuts, caramel popcorn and chocolate cream. The fruitier option lines up passionfruit with banana, coconut sago and raspberry.