Easter Sunday is less than a week away, so bring on the plastic eggs, chocolate bunnies and jellybeans! I think I love Easter candy even more than Halloween candy – maybe it's because they can pack so much more peanut butter in a Reese's egg than a Reese's cup. Maybe it's because the speckled pastel candy coating on a malted milk egg is so much prettier than a plain old Whopper.
Either way, if you love these springtime treats as much as I do, several Triangle shops have you covered.
Here are our Five Faves:
The Chocolate Boutique in Raleigh is celebrating the Easter season with everyone's favorite confection – what else? Chocolate! They've got chocolate bunnies, chocolate crosses and chocolate-dipped Peeps marshmallows. I recommend using the following formula: one chocolate bunny for the kids, two truffles for you. Also, try the chocolate-covered bacon – it's crazy good. I love living in the South, where even the chocolate shops find a way to pay homage to the pig.
Another great stop for the chocolate lover is
Chocolate Smiles in Cary, which has 13 delicious flavors of handmade chocolate Easter eggs. Grab the Snapper (caramel and roasted pecans) and The "E" (peanut butter and banana, named for you know who) before they run out! New this year and definitely enticing me to make another trip soon is the Almond Toffee Cheesecake. The shop also has an assortment of chocolate bunnies in fun shapes, including tractor-driving and golfing bunnies.
If you prefer to celebrate Easter with a variety of pastel treats rather than chocolate, including that once-a-year standout the Peep, head over to
It's Sugar at the
Streets at Southpoint in Durham. They have Peeps of every color, plus Peeps plush toys, Cadbury cream eggs and an assortment of supersized candy. Warning: this place is sure to cause a sugar high in both adults or children.
If you're like me, sometimes it's hard to commit to just one candy treat, but
Parker & Otis in Durham is the perfect place to mix and match. They've got delicious caramel robins' eggs, jellybeans, gummy bears and chocolate-covered raisins. There's a chocolate case filled with truffles and chocolate covered pretzels and graham crackers. There are also a variety of unique gifts – books, stuffed animals, toys and apparel – to round that Easter basket. You'll find all kinds of goodies for baskets big and small.
Last but not least, you can't go wrong with shopping Southern Season in Chapel Hill, especially if you're trying to pick up a few things for Easter dinner as well. They have tons of pre-made baskets for the last-minute Easter bunnies out there, local Moravian sugar cookies in Easter shapes and an assortment of chocolate-dipped fruits.
Where do you get Easter candy this time of year?
