Eggs are Easter food, no doubt about it. There’s the chicken egg, for painting and eating, and then the zillion candies that come in egg shapes this time of year. With the symbolism of the season in mind, we thought it would be nice to custom-design a great Easter basket of egg-shaped candy, one that adults would appreciate as well as kids.
Chocolate eggs and jelly beans are plentiful now, and in a sweep of drugstores, supermarkets and specialty shops, we gathered up quite a nest of goodies. Then, in the Tribune test kitchen, the Good Eating staff nibbled around, getting chocolate all over everything and generally eating so much candy that our appetites were spoiled for the rest of the day.
We did manage to pick out our favorites. These are the sweets we would choose if we were putting all our eggs in one basket.
– Dove Truffle eggs
The shell of fine, not overly sweet Dove chocolate, is filled with a creamy milk chocolate truffle. This is drugstore candy that could pass for something high-end. $1.79 for three eggs. Widely available.
– Jelly Belly jelly beans
They bill this as “the original gourmet jelly bean,” and although we can’t speak to that claim, it’s a fact that the 39 flavors in a half-pound bag are superior to any other. These are jelly beans with a PG-13 rating; not treacly enough for most kids, and we like it like that. $2 for a 7-ounce bag. Widely available.
– Reese’s Peanut Butter eggs
If you’ve forgotten how well two unlikely flavors go together, try this Easter-issue version of the peanut butter cup. Definitely an acquired taste, and if you didn’t acquire it at least 20 years ago, forget it. 50 cents apiece. Widely available.
– Fannie May cream eggs
Fannie fans will expect to be treated with chocolate from this chain. Fill your own box of eggs, or get selective and go for our favorite, the Trinidad. This yellow-shelled coconut candy wraps around a deep, dark truffle center that made everyone happy. $13 per pound. Fannie May stores.
– Smucker’s jelly beans:
Sure, these beans are made with real fruit; we expect no less from the jelly people. A nice surprise is the natural flavor we liked far above most of the super-sugary jelly beans sampled. $2 for a 14-ounce bag. Widely available.
– Frango Toffee Crunch
This 4-ounce egg in an individual box is one of several flavored eggs you’ll find from Frango this season. The toffee bits are chopped very fine, giving you more chocolate than crunch, but we like the taste and the sheer heftiness of this baby. $4.50. Marshall Field stores. Eggs can be personalized with names up to 10 letters.
– Nestle Crunch eggs
They can’t make enough versions of this chocolate-and-crisped-rice confection to keep us happy. This holiday take on the candy bar is yummy and has a satisfying crunch. $3.19 for an 11-ounce bag. Widely available.
