Easter Candy
Traditionally Easter baskets were filled with candies of spring colors and reminiscent of eggs. Jelly beans are the most common of the Easter candies, but chocolate is the mainstay.
Chocolate bunnies are the favorite and many an Easter basket have been built around this holiday staple, but with the evolution of specialty chocolates, the shape of the candy is no longer as important as the add-ins and the quality.
BUNNIES and BEANS
Some high end chocolate companies are now offering their treats in bunny shapes. This is great news for the Easter loving chocolate purist as the previous candy makers seemed more interested in getting the bunny mold right than in the quality of the chocolate itself.
Along with the upgrade in chocolate bunnies, there have been extreme improvements in jelly beans. In fact, the old school jelly beans are making a resurgence for their gooey sugary centers that have been replaced by the high end jelly bellies.
The original jelly beans were sold by the color and it was nearly impossible to find a candy retailer willing to mix and match. Today, it would be nearly impossible to find a company that ONLY sold one color at a time.
JELLY BEANS
The standard flavors for the old school jelly beans are basic and recognizable, loosely based on their colors. Jelly bellies on the other hand are wonderfully complicated to some and just plain confusing to others.
Some think that jelly bellies are aimed at the parents while the fat and sugary solid colored jelly beans are for the kids. Either way, there is no reason your basket cant mix and match.
A fun idea for the “tween” generation (not quite teenagers) is to mix some childhood favorites with some more mature gifts in the Easter basket. This mix allows them to have the familiarity of their childhood baskets without the embarrassment of getting the same gift as younger siblings.
FINDING THE BASKET BALANCE
To achieve this delicate balance, throw in some CD’s, or iTunes gift cards next to the milk chocolate bunny rabbits and jelly beans. Children of all ages love Easter baskets, find small tokens to make them age appropriate, but don’t forget the traditional candies!