Looking to fill a grown-up Easter basket? This high-end Easter candy is fantastic.
Quick, name your earliest memory of Easter. Probably it involves the “grape” flavor of purple jelly beans, peeling pastel-colored foil off chocolate eggs, or biting the ears from a hollow molded rabbit. But for all the nostalgia, the candy most of us scarfed down was sugary and low-grade, with fruit flavors that originated in the lab, not the Easter Bunny’s organic berry patch. Let’s not even mention the waxy texture of that “chocolate.” Now that you no longer believe in a six-foot rabbit who drops off baskets, though, you’re free to gather your own treats, ones that actually taste good (and look cool, too).
We still wouldn’t say no to a Reese’s egg or a Lindt chocolate bunny, but this Easter candy is way too good—and too rich—to give the kids.
Chocolate Easter Eggs
Easter eggs are always better when they’re edible, and chocolate ones definitely take the lead over hard boiled and dyed.
L.A. Burdick Crispy Eggs, $6 each at L.A Burdick Chocolate
L. A. Burdick
With centers like pear-cranberry and orange-pistachio, these eggs include what the confectioner calls a “secret crunch.” The only surprise you get from a Hershey’s mini chocolate egg is that painful jolt when a bit of the foil wrapper hits your fillings.Buy Now
Hedonist Farm Egg Truffles, 3 for $12
Hedonist Chocolate
Speckled just like real birds’ eggs, this classy trio has fillings—coconut-lime, peanut butter, and salted caramel—that would horrify a nesting wren. Humans, however, are likely to find them delightful.Buy Now
Knipschildt Pastel Easter Egg Truffles, $39.95 at Williams Sonoma
Williams Sonoma
If you want more, here’s an entire carton of adorable pastel eggs crafted from single origin chocolate; the pink ones are filled with pure dark chocolate ganache, the yellow ones add passion fruit to the equation, and the blue ones are white chocolate with coconut ganache. Buy Now
German Chocolate Egg Truffles, $8.97 at Williams Sonoma (normally $14.95)
Williams Sonoma
And if you prefer the crisp candy shell of Cadbury’s pastel eggs, these have it (plus a precious speckled appearance), but the rich chocolate truffle filling is a big step up.Buy Now
Maggie Louise Confections 6-Piece Brilliant Eggs, $34 at Nordstrom
Nordstrom
For those who find pastels too muted, these vibrant eggs look good enough not to eat—but that would be a shame, because these white chocolate treats have fillings like espresso cream and cacao nibs; salted caramel; and hazelnut mocha crunch.Buy Now
Neuhaus 27-Piece Chocolate Praline Eggs, $37 at Macy’s
Macy’s
Who needs a carton when you can have a whole canister? These foil-wrapped chocolate eggs combine creamy and crunchy in assorted flavors including dark chocolate almond hazelnut, milk chocolate caramel salt, and white gianduja (chocolate-hazelnut) puffed rice.Buy Now
Chocolate Bunnies
What’s an Easter basket without one?
Bridgewater Chubby Bunny, $49.95 at Bridgewater Chocolate
Bridgewater Chocolate
At one and a half pounds, and with a price tag of $50, this nine-inch-tall, semihollow rabbit puts form to the notion of living large. This is how the 1 percent parties down at Easter. (Actually, he’s middle class compared to Mr. Goodtimes down below.)Buy Now
Lake Champlain Chocolates Mr. Goodtimes Easter Bunny, $125 on Amazon — currently out of stock
Lake Champlain Chocolates
Nothing says Easter like a giant 16.5-inch tall bunny made of 3 pounds of organic milk chocolate. Just don’t let the kids see this one or you’ll have to share. Update: This is currently out of stock online, but if you’re truly desperate for a big chocolate bunny that might break the bank, try this jumbo 24-inch tall Li-Lac Chocolate Easter Bunny, handmade in Brooklyn (and $195).Buy Now
Compartes Gourmet Chocolate Panoramic Egg, $59.95 at Compartes
Compartes
Those rock-hard sugar diorama eggs are fascinating to look at, but not actually meant for eating. This handmade hollow chocolate egg is actually delicious, and a little luster from gold dust is enchanting even for adults.Buy Now
The Robert L. Strohecker Assorted Rabbit, $18.50 at Harbor Chocolates
Harbor Sweets
A more affordable yet still adult-appropriate dark chocolate bunny, this one has secrets: different sections of it are filled with various confections, including caramel-pecan patties and buttercrunch toffee. Eating it is like the least accurate but most delicious rabbit anatomy lesson ever.Buy Now
Maggie Louise Confections 6-Piece Cottontail Box, $32 at Nordstrom
Nordstrom
Some prefer hollow chocolate bunnies, some solid—and some will love these little filled bunnies most of all. There are three milk chocolate rabbits filled with peanut butter candy, two dark chocolate bunnies filled with salted caramel, and one white chocolate cottontail with a strawberry crisp center.Buy Now
Other Edible Emblems of Spring
Chicks, bees, and even…chocolate asparagus? Yep, we’d be glad to find any of these nestled in our Easter grass.
John & Kira’s Caramelized Honey Chocolate Bees, 9 for $39 on Goldbelly
John & Kira’s
Along with the birds’ eggs (and bunnies), these bees are a fitting springtime treat, filled with gooey honey caramel and hand-painted with black and yellow cocoa butter. No sting here, only sweetness.Buy Now
Black Dinah Chocolatiers Chocolate Peanut Butter Frogs, $12.50 on Mouth
Mouth
Spring into a hoppy Easter with these quirky and delicious dark chocolate frogs. They’re filled with creamy peanut butter and dusted with yellow, green, and purple crocus colors (appropriately enough). Plus, these sweets are vegan.Buy Now
Chocolate Asparagus Bundle, $20.40 at Woodhouse Chocolate
Woodhouse Chocolate
Feel free to eat these colored, white-chocolate-over-dark spears like Julia Child always said to eat real asparagus: with your fingers. As a bonus, they won’t make your pee smell funny. (If you prefer white asparagus, opt for the milk chocolate version.)Buy Now
Spring Lollipops, $7.77 at Williams Sonoma
Williams Sonoma
By all means, throw some jelly beans in the basket (as long as they’re Jelly Belly—and not the weird-flavored ones), but these millefiori-inspired, fruity lollipops are clearly a great upgrade.Buy Now
Jacques Torres Hens, $3.49 each at Mr. Chocolate
Jacques Torres
Available in milk chocolate or dark, these hollow molded birds are as cute as backyard chickens. But while their real counterparts might annoy your neighbors with their nonstop clucking, these fowl are silent. Even when losing their heads.Buy Now
Wondermade Carrot Cake Marshmallows, $12 at Mouth.com
Mouth.com
These fluffy carrot cake marshmallows may leave you missing the cream cheese frosting (the carrots, cane sugar, nutmeg, and allspice are all accounted for, though)—but they’re a hell of a lot better than Peeps.Buy Now
Jacques Torres Easter Bunny’s Surprise Gift Basket, $89 on Goldbelly
Jacques Torres
Having trouble choosing? This pre-filled Easter basket is chock-full of chocolate eggs, a happy chocolate bunny, a chocolate duck, a chocolate bar embossed with an Easter scene, and chocolate-covered Peeps (they get a pass enrobed in the good stuff).Buy Now
Visit our Easter headquarters for more holiday ideas and Easter recipes.
Related Video: How to Make DIY Peeps That Are Adorable and Delicious
This post was originally published by John Birdsall in 2012 and was updated by Chowhound Editors.
Header image courtesy of Shutterstock.
