The best supermarket Easter eggs include Waitrose's dark chocolate orange egg, which is Fairtrade-certified and features a sophisticated 65% dark chocolate, flavored with aromatic Valencian orange oil.
What we're seeing in the U.S., including higher prices, smaller sizes and less cocoa in some products, reflects longer-term adjustments. Prices are likely to stay high through 2026 and could climb further if supply expectations don't hold.
Easter desserts are the crown jewel of the holiday meal. And no, we're not talking about chocolate bunnies, Peeps, or mini eggs from a kid's basket-though those are welcome too. We mean shortcakes gilded with cream and fresh berries, tart lemon meringue pie, a tower of chocolate and praline, and stunning layer cakes fit for a celebration.
Brad Reese expressed his disappointment over Hershey's decision to replace milk chocolate with 'compound coatings' and real peanut butter with 'peanut-butter-style crème' in various products, leading to widespread public outcry.
Reese's Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Crème Eggs offer the same chocolate and peanut butter combination as other Reese's offerings. The chocolate and PB are flavorful, with an emphasis on the soft peanut butter-filled center. These are a good pick if you want something more peanut buttery than chocolatey, with colorful wrappers that are eye-catching and ideal for setting out Easter candies.
Quality chocolate delivers better flavor, texture, and overall experience. Higher-quality cacao has more complexity, with notes that can be fruity, nutty, floral, or earthy instead of simply sweet or bitter. It also melts more cleanly because it relies on cocoa butter rather than cheaper fats.
Brad Reese bought a bag of Reese's Mini Hearts and realized those little hearts weren't made with the classic combo of milk chocolate and peanut butter that Reese's is known for. Instead, these mini hearts were made with "chocolate candy" and "peanut butter creme," cheaper concoctions that he felt were far inferior to the real deal.
Founded in 1894 by Milton Hershey, The Hershey Company owns many more brands than just its signature chocolate bar brand, and Heshey is the brand of chocolate most eaten in the United States. The chocolate and candy company began with selling a simple bar of milk chocolate, followed a few years later by foil-wrapped dollops of chocolates, and then almost two decades later came the debut of the peanut-studded Mr. Goodbar.
I took two bites and I had to spit it out, Reese says. I've never had that happen to me, ever, in the 70 years of my life. There was no taste. It was inedible. Reese took a closer look at the packaging, specifically the ingredients. He noticed that instead of milk chocolate, the mini hearts were covered in a chocolate-flavored coating that was mostly sugar and vegetable oil; the list of ingredients contained a disclaimer that the candy contained less than 2% cocoa.
For nearly a century, Primrose Candy Company has produced a wide variety of sweets in Chicago, Illinois. Unfortunately, the company is currently facing financial uncertainty after the loss of two of its major contracts, as well as recently establishing a settlement fund in response to a biometric privacy lawsuit. These contracts amounted to approximately $1 million in annual revenue, and the settlement fund sapped an additional $125,000.
Tony's Chocolonely and Cj Hendry have opened an immersive Valentine's popup in New York, transforming a cast iron storefront into a fully red environment that pairs chocolate retail with interactive installation art and a $1 mystery box concept. From the snow-covered sidewalks, the address reads as a glowing block of color. Windows gleam crimson behind heavy curtains and the brand's logotype floats in white across the glass.
The pastel-colored conversation hearts stay relevant year over year because their embossed messages can be easily and quickly updated, transforming a generic shape into a crunchy candy canvas that's adaptable to the moment. That makes the face of these tiny hearts some of the most valuable real estate in the Valentine's Day candy landscape, because the right quip could convert a passerby into a sale.
A chocolate box is not a substitute for true love. But sometimes it's close enough. The best chocolate boxes can offer all the complexity and intensity of a brief love affair, and more variety than some lives. Sometimes, only the best will do. And these days, the best chocolates in existence are a mere mouse-click away, able to be ordered online and sent to your favorite human being on earth (even if it's you).
Brad Reese used to eat a Reese's product every day. Not anymore. The 70-year-old grandson of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups inventor H.B. Reese wrote a scathing open letter to Hershey accusing the candy giant of replacing milk chocolate with compound coatings and peanut butter with peanut crème in multiple products. He recently threw out a bag of Reese's Mini Hearts. "It was not edible," he told the Associated Press.
Chocolate artist Chris Ford's whimsical creations - once available exclusively online and to celebrities - are now accessible at his West Hollywood pop-up shop. The Butter, Love & Hardwork space features themed, seasonal chocolate designs inspired by holidays and special occasions, from Valentine's roses to Easter eggs. Beyond chocolates, the shop now offers pastries, coffee drinks and a chocolate vending machine, with plans for a dessert tasting menu.