New Spring and Easter Candies To Add to Your Basket
Make this season a sweet one.
The spring flowers are peeking up from the ground. The temperature is ticking upward. Soon enough — Sunday, April 9 — it will be Easter! That means it’s time to start thinking about Easter candy. (It’s never too early to start thinking about holiday candy.)
Sure, you can fill your baskets with tried-and-true favorites. (Last year’s adorable Jet-Puffed Bunnymallows are returning for Easter 2023, and Nestlé Toll House is bringing back its fan-favorite Easter Cookie Dough nationwide for a limited time this season as well.) But why not also toss in something new? For instance, the recently spotted Jell-O Jelly Beans might just jiggle things up a bit.
We’ve hunted down some egg-citing (sorry, couldn’t resist) new candies, chocolates and other sweet treats for you to consider this year.
Some people love Peeps. Others are opposed. But no matter where you stand on Peeps (a brand that is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year), you have to admit: These colorful marshmallow chicks and bunnies are Easter-candy classics. This year, in addition to bringing back all the old favorites, Peeps is introducing new Dr Pepper-Flavored Peeps Chicks exclusively at Walmart, Peeps Kettle-Corn-Flavored Marshmallow Chicks exclusively at Kroger stores, Peeps Easter Essentials Item Mix exclusively at Sam’s Club and Peeps Sour Watermelon Flavored Marshmallow Chicks in an Exclusive Pack Size at Dollar General and Dollar Tree. The candy brand is also launching a new Peeps Mike and Ike Flavored Pop at retailers nationwide.
Photo courtesy of The Hershey Company
Cadbury Rainbow Mini Eggs
Cadbury Rainbow Mini Eggs feature Cadbury Milk Chocolate and a crisp sugar shell. They come in a rainbow of vibrant colors: red, orange, yellow, green and blue. The seasonal candies are available in seven- or eight-ounce bags for a limited time only.
Photo courtesy of The Hershey Company
Hershey’s Solid Milk Chocolate Eggs Easter Egg-Shaped Gift Box
The seasonal Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Eggs Egg-Shaped Gift Box, available for a limited time only, features milk chocolate wrapped in a variety of pastel shades. The pretty chocolate eggs are tucked inside a gift-ready 6.5-ounce box that is itself shaped like a giant egg.
Photo courtesy of The Hershey Company
Cadbury Dairy Milk, Milk Chocolate XL Bar
What better to put in your basket than a Cadbury Dairy Milk, Milk Chocolate bar? An oversized version with pretty spring flowers and the Cadbury Bunny on the label — that’s what. For milk chocolate lovers, this rich extra-large 3.5-ounce bar will definitely hit the sweet spot.
Photo courtesy of Ferrero
Ferrero Treats
The company behind Ferrero Rocher, Kinder, Fannie May, Butterfinger and other sweet brands is unveiling a slate of new seasonal offerings, along with returning favorites. Making their debut for Easter this year are Ferrero Rocher Easter Milk Hollow Eggs (available at retail stores nationwide for $4.99), Ferrero Rocher Golden Eggs (available in Milk, Dark and White Chocolate at Walgreens and grocery stores nationwide for $4.49), Kinder Bueno Eggs (at Target.com and retail stores nationwide for $3.49), Kinder Bueno Mini Share Pack (at Target and grocery stores nationwide for $4.99), Butterfinger Minis Basket Filler Pack (at Target and grocery stores nationwide for $2), Butterfinger Minis Bag (at Walmart and grocery stores nationwide for $4.49) and Crunch Minis Bag (at Target and grocery stores nationwide for $4.49).
Photo courtesy of Frankford Candy Group
Frankford Candy Treats
Frankford Candy, which makes co-branded confections like the recent super-cute limited-edition Gummy Lunchables, is launching five new candy treats, along with a host of returning favorites, this Easter. Peeps fans can choose from among three new treat sets: A Peeps Milkshake Kit, with everything needed to make a marshmallow-flavored milkshake, including the milkshake mix, sprinkles, a glass jar and a plastic straw, will be available at Walmart and Target stores nationwide. A Peeps Flower Power Bunny Gift Set, featuring a plush rainbow bunny with a flower headband and four pink Peeps Marshmallow Bunnies, can be found at Target, Walgreens, Meijer and CVS stores nationwide, as well as online at Amazon and FrankfordCandy.com. And the Peeps Race Car Driver Bunny Gift Set, a race-car-themed plush gift set that includes a yellow bunny with racing goggles and four blue Peeps Marshmallow Bunnies, will be available at Walmart stores nationwide.
You can also add some snap (along with some crackle and pop) to your basket with two new Kellogg’s Rice Krispies candy items. Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Candy Eggs are crispy, crunchy half-inch milk chocolate flavored candy eggs made with popular Kellogg's Rice Krispies flavors: Marshmallow, Strawberry and Milk Chocolate. They’re available at Walmart stores nationwide. (You can also get a Marshmallow-only version at Target and CVS stores nationwide.)
The company will also release a Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Marshmallow Candy Rabbit, a crispy, crunchy rabbit-shaped treat that combines creamy marshmallow-flavored candy with original Rice Krispies cereal. It’s available at Target and Meijer stores nationwide and online at Amazon.
In addition to high-end Easter basket stalwarts like gorgeous solid milk chocolate bunnies and foil-wrapped chocolate eggs, the luxury chocolate maker is introducing a new and truly adorable Godiva Plush Bunny with Foil Wrapped Eggs ($40 on GODIVA.com). The soft, cuddly Easter bunny plush toy is holding a sack filled with seven foil-wrapped chocolate Easter eggs in a variety of flavors: two solid milk chocolate, two dark chocolate ganache, one dark chocolate with raspberry, one milk chocolate with almond butter and one milk chocolate caramel.
Icelandic bean-to-bar chocolate company Omnom, which first brought its delicacies to U.S. shelves in 2014, is introducing Americans to an Iceland Easter tradition this year for the first time. It has just made available a limited number of Mr. Carrots, a shiny, geometrically angular chocolate bunny it says sells out every year in Iceland. “This chocolate egg had to look and feel like a piece of art, something you would want to display in your living room next to your beautiful vase or statue,” Omnom explains on its website, where you can buy Mr. Carrots, described as “creamy caramelized chocolate spiced with raw Persian licorice,” while limited supplies last.
Perhaps the Easter Bunny would like to leave a sweet message in those baskets? Jelly Belly is facilitating that with two new jelly-bean filled cards: The Jelly Belly Carrot Easter Greeting Card is filled with Tangerine jelly beans, and the Jelly Belly Easter Bunny Greeting Card contains a Cotton Candy “surprise.” Jelly Belly’s Spring Mix bags of pastel-colored jelly beans and Baby Carrot bags (carrot-shaped bag filled with Tangerine jelly beans) will also be returning for the season.
This Easter, Brach’s is debuting a globally inspired jelly bean collection, including five new limited-edition flavors — Chocolate Macaron, Strawberry Mochi, Churro, Apple Pie and Lemon Sorbet – inspired by signature treats from different locations and cultures around the world. “More than ever, consumers are focused on making memories together over adventurous flavors and experiences and we’re excited for our new Desserts of the World Jelly Beans to help satisfy those international cravings in a stress-free way this season,” Lauren Holtz Pezza, director of Brach’s and seasonal marketing at Ferrara Candy Company, says in a press release. The new Desserts of the World Jelly Beans will be available alongside Brach’s Classic Jelly Beans for a limited time this spring at grocery stores, drug stores and mass-market retailers nationwide.
Reese’s milk chocolate and peanut butter eggs are returning for a limited time, and this year, they’re packaged in an Easter-basket-ready 6.5-ounce egg-shaped box. “Though the packaging may be perfect to delight loved ones …, the best hiding place for Reese’s eggs are in your mouth,” the brand says. Who will disagree?
Photo courtesy of Cadbury
Cadbury Dairy Milk Caramello XL Bar
The new Cadbury Dairy Milk Caramello Milk Chocolate and Creamy Caramel XL Bar boasts a creamy flavor in each bite of the large, 4-ounce bar and is available this season for a limited time only.
Coconut lovers, rejoice. The new Almond Joy snack-sized coconut and almond milk chocolate candy bars are individually wrapped in pretty pastel seasonal-graphic wrappers, perfect for your springtime candy dish. They’re available in 8.4-ounce and 10.2-ounce bags this season for a limited time only.
Why not add a savory treat to your kids’ Easter basket, along with some “magic” with this ramen noodle cup that changes color (red, blue or purple) when you add hot water? (It also colors their teeth, but the brand promises it “rinses away easily.”) While most basket items are about the eggs, this one is chicken flavored. Ramen Express by Chef Woo Ramen is available at Walmart stores nationwide and on Amazon.
This year, Target is unveiling a curated collection of affordable, chocolate, pastel-colored treats: ‘basket builders under $5’ under its food and beverage brand Favorite Day and is expanding the brand’s seasonal offerings with more than 30 new items for Easter and spring. New items include Easter Cookies N Cream Sitting Bunny ($2), Easter Bunny Paws Marshmallows ($3.99), White Chocolate Easter Hot Cocoa Bomb with Sprinkles ($2.99), Easter Bunny Bark with Belgian Milk Chocolate ($1.49) as well as Easter Caramel Milk Chocolate with Pastel Nonpareils ($3.99), Easter Pretzel Cruncher Milk Chocolate Caramel with Pink Drizzle and Pastel Nonpareils ($3.99) and many other products. For more options, visit Target’s Easter shop here.
Photo courtesy of ALDI
Benton’s Easter Bunny House Kit
Along with returning favorite Benton’s Easter Cookies, Aldi is offering a cute new build-your-own item – Benton's Easter Bunny House Kit ($8.99) – as an Aldi Find, with availability beginning on March 22. The “naturally flavored” kit includes pre-made vanilla-flavored cookies, pre-made icing and candy treats for decorating.
Creative marshmallow maker XO Marshmallow is releasing a new limited-edition chick-shaped, sugar-sprinkled marshmallow with a “cheeky surprise inside:” a milk chocolate creme egg! These Cheeky Chickies are available on the XO Marshmallow website and in its Chicago cafe for $6.95 per marshmallow chick. The company has also released a new line of cute, Easter-basket-ready, sugar-sprinkled-marshmallow Bunnies and Flowers; a bag of two bunnies and three flowers is $5.45.
Related Content:
