Easter ‘chocolate salami’ breaks out of bunny rut

Chocolate bunnies for Easter are so predictable. You gnaw off their ears, then quickly work your way down to their toes. Where’s the excitement in that?

Consider something a bit more daring with your chocolate this year, such as chocolate salami. But no animals – chocolate or otherwise – are harmed in the making of this “salami.”

The gist of this Italian treat is that you blend together honey, melted butter, sugar, cocoa powder and crushed cookies.

You then form the mixture into a log, roll it in powdered sugar, then slice and eat.

It’s delicious and easily doctored according to your tastes.

This recipe, adapted from Aurora Baccheschi Berti’s “My Tuscan Kitchen” (Rizzoli, 2011), is pretty basic.

But consider adding dried fruit or toasted and chopped nuts.

Chocolate Salami

Recipe adapted from Aurora Baccheschi Berti’s “My Tuscan Kitchen,” Rizzoli, 2011. Traditional versions of this recipe use 2 eggs as the binder. But since many people distrust raw eggs, we adapted the recipe to use honey.

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted, plus extra

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 cup cocoa powder

7 ounces sweet, dry cookies (such as vanilla wafers), crushed

1/2 cup powdered sugar

In a large bowl, mix together the honey, butter, granulated sugar and cocoa powder. Stir in the crushed cookies.

Coat a sheet of parchment paper with extra butter.

Transfer the cookie mixture to the center of the paper.

Use your hands to form it into a log about 14 inches long and about 1 1/2 to 2 inches around. Wrap the edges of the paper tightly around the log.

Refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours. Unwrap the log, then roll it in the powdered sugar. Slice and serve.

Yield: 10 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: 131 calories, 7 grams fat (4 grams saturated, 46 percent fat calories), 1 gram protein, 19 grams carbohydrate, 14 milligrams cholesterol, 1 gram dietary fiber, 37 milligrams sodium.