Nine Grown-Up Easter Treats To Hunt Down Around Melbourne

These days, Easter promises a whole lot more than just generic choccy eggs and old-school hot cross buns. Bakeries, chocolate brands and dessert shops across the city are getting more inventive with each passing year, whipping up all sorts of creative treats worthy of a spot in your own personal Easter hunt. Here, we've rounded up some of the coolest grown-up goodies to seek out, from decadent booze-filled Easter eggs to hot cross bun-inspired bao and a choc-forward Easter-themed beer. Which of these creations will the Easter bunny be bringing you this year?

DIY EASTER EGG COCKTAILS FROM COCKTAIL PORTER

Ready for the ultimate adult riff on the classic choccy egg? The dessert maestros at Gelato Messina have teamed up with drink delivery service Cocktail Porter to offer a new DIY cocktail kit with a very Easter twist — these boozy concoctions are served not in glasses, but in chocolate eggs. Each pack contains all the cocktail ingredients, including some of Messina's legendary dulce de leche, plus Baileys, cold-drip coffee and Mr Black Coffee Liqueur. You'll also score Easter eggs for serving and salted caramel popcorn for a garnish. The kits are available here for delivery Australia-wide, with two sizes to choose from — the smaller option has ingredients to make five drinks ($80), while the larger makes 12 ($140).

MORK X BUNS FROM MORK CHOCOLATE

These hot crossed creations from Mork Chocolate are fast becoming an annual favourite, reimagining the humble Easter bun as an orange-scented Swedish-style cinnamon roll. The Mörk X Buns are sticky and buttery, crammed full of the kitchen's secret spiced fruit blend, along with extra hits of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Best enjoyed warmed up, the signature treats are available now to pre-order and pick-up from the North Melbourne Brew House. But you'll want to be quick to nab yours — over 600 of the buns have been flying out the door each day and as soon as Easter wraps up, they'll be gone for another year.

HOT CROSS BAO FROM DIN TAI FUNG

The dumpling masters at Din Tai Fung are celebrating Easter with a multicultural mash-up that's sure to delight any sweet-toothed folk — these rather charming hot cross bun-inspired bao. A nod to the traditional Easter bun, the pillowy little beauties are made with steamed bread and filled with oozing molten chocolate, each one finished with a sweet white cross. Available for a limited time on the menu at Din Tai Fung's Emporium restaurant, they'll set you back $5.80 for a serve of two. Otherwise, you can extend the Easter vibes well into April by stocking up on a bag of three frozen hot cross bao, delivered to your door for $8.

HOT CROSS DOUGHNUT FROM SHORTSTOP

One of Shortstop's best-loved seasonal treats is the one that makes an appearance every Easter — the smash-hit hot cross doughnut. A hole-y riff on the traditional bun, it's made using a spiced dough that's spiked with plenty of brandy-soaked fruit, with each doughnut dunked in a sweet honey glaze and topped with the telltale cinnamon sugar cross. As always, these return favourites are here for a good time, but not a long time, with the ovens churning out fresh batches on the daily, only until Monday, April 5. Stock up in-store, or head to the website to pre-order a few for pick-up or home-delivery.

LOADED EASTER BROWNIE FROM BURCH & PURCHESE

Not surprisingly, Easter is a favourite time of year for the creative minds at Burch & Purchese Sweet Studio. And among the latest batch of limited-edition desserts they're whipping up, you'll find this stunner — a supersized, finish-at-home brownie. It's fudgy and indulgent, and can be delivered to your door (or picked up in-store), ready to pop straight in the oven. With it, you'll also score a whole stack of fun toppings, just waiting for you to unleash your inner cake-decorating genius and impress your Easter guests. We're talking lush chocolate sauce, free-dried berries, crispy pearls, bunny-shaped biscuits, honeycomb chunks, vanilla marshmallows, choc-coated choc chip cookies and more.

GELATO EASTER EGG FROM PICCOLINA

This Easter, Piccolina Gelateria is doing what it does best — marking the occasion with a new line of limited-edition gelato treats. Available now in-store and online, you'll find three varieties of the gelato Easter egg (Uova di Pasqua), each hand-crafted, hand-wrapped and presented in a cute Piccolina tin. Choose from the white chocolate and pistachio Colomba, featuring a gooey caramel centre; the Tiramisu, blending boozy Savoiardi sponge with mascarpone gelato and coffee crema; and the Ferrerolina — a decadent assembly of Nutella-inspired gelato, puffed rice crunch and gianduja ganache, encased in dark chocolate and roasted hazelnut. Each egg clocks in at $25 and is designed to feed two to three people. If you can manage to share, that is.

HOT CROSS BITES FROM KOKO BLACK

Renowned Aussie chocolate brand Koko Black has some serious game when it comes to dreaming up Easter treats, with a hefty assortment of sweet delights on offer each year. But one that's earned a particularly loyal following is its inventive riff on a classic — the signature hot cross bites. They're miniature bundles of cinnamon and Easter spice, double-coated in chocolate and loaded into a big jar to be enjoyed (read: scoffed) by the handful, no toasting necessary. And if you prefer a more indulgent kind of packaging, there's the pimped-out version, featuring 200g of these tasty morsels housed in a big milk chocolate half-egg.

B'EASTER EGG IMPERIAL CHOC ALE FROM DAINTON

Fancy a choccy fix you can sip by the glass? Melbourne-based craft brewery Dainton has taken those familiar Easter egg flavours and transformed them into a rich, full-bodied beer, with a big, sweet finish. The B'Easter Egg imperial choc ale is as hearty as the name suggests, clocking in at nine percent ABV, though the addition of lactose helps counteract that booziness with a creamy, silky finish. A can of this will more than satisfy your Easter chocolate cravings, though it's only around for a limited time — grab yours from Dainton's online store, sample it at the Carrum Downs taphouse, or keep an eye out at your local bottle shop.

HAPPY HOPPIN' CARAMEL POPCORN EGGS FROM HEY TIGER

The minds at Hey Tiger have a knack for whipping up fun and innovative chocolate bar recipes, their repertoire including crafty flavour combinations like caramel and cracker crumb, and the birthday cake-inspired Glitter Kitten. And you can bet they're throwing around plenty of sweet ingenuity this Easter. Right now, you can get your mitts on a range of mini eggs and specialty bars, housed in colourful cardboard packaging that's designed to be upcycled into your next craft project. For a supremely scoffable Easter fix, hit the online store to try the Happy Hoppin' eggs, featuring smooth milk choccy bites with puffs of caramel sea salt popcorn at their centre.