Easter is upon us.  Whether you celebrate with Mass, multicolored eggs or both, all of the superstores in town are stocking their shelves with assorted spring-related goodies.  So I thought I’d sit down with my best friend DeAuna to taste-test some of these sweets.  But not just any sweets.  Classic, milk chocolate easter bunnies.  Target’s easter isle offered five common chocolate bunny brands, but that didn’t seem like quite enough, so I took a trip to the Candy Factory, for a special appearance by the local favorite. For your consideration, here is a look at what I found.

Palmer’s

“Lil’ Pete” resides in a very standard packing for Palmer’s chocolate: bright yellow and green.  Cartoonish, and meant to looks as though Pete is frollicking through a sunny, green field, this packaging is cute and eye catching, but not enough to completely redeem the chocolate.

Palmer’s chocolate is, by a general rule, waxy and flavorless.  Nasty.  But their “Lil’ Pete” is a pleasant departure from this trend.  While still not the highest quality chocolate around, this one is actually not  terrible.  It’s dry, and insanely sweet, with a bit of a cardboard aftertaste,which is far better than pure, chocolate-scented wax.

3 golden eggs out of 5

Candy Factory

Candy Factory’s  clear, plastic package with some ribbon shows this isn’t a mass-produced bunny.  The simple packaging ensures quality control and works well with the store’s boutique aesthetic.

This is the priciest of the selection, ($4.50, while the others averaged around $3.50 a piece) but this rabbit is made in house in Columbia.  Still, this bunny’s semi-sweet chocolate flavor seems like a cardboard hybrid.  A strange flavor.  It’s reminiscent of Nestle chocolate chips, not what I thought I’d find from the local hotspot.

3 golden eggs out of 5

Lindt

Lindt’s gold foil and color coordinated ribbons (the unpictured dark chocolate bunny has a dark blue ribbon, and the milk chocolate bunny has a red ribbon) make you really feel like you’re eating something special  Such a classy design, it’s almost tough to eat.

Lindt is overall a great brand.  Their truffles are famous, and, at the risk of being cliche, almost to die for.  Their chocolate bunny on the other hand, is not perfect. It’s extremely smooth chocolate, a fact which Lindt prides itself on, but a bit sour, a feature that works in their truffles but isn’t as good by itself.  It’s by no means bad, but it’s just not quite up to the expectation that comes with the magnificent wrapping.

3.5 golden eggs out of 5

Hershey

The bunny itself wins my personal “Cutest Chocolate Bunny Award.”  Princess Bunny plays dress-up on an endearing pink metallic background, dripping with costume jewelry.  She could make anyone nostalgic for the days of “Pretty Pretty Princesses” and sporting mom’s oversized high heels.  The cartoon bunny manages to perfectly convey a little girl’s fairytale filled fantasyland.

There isn’t much to be said about Hershey’s solid chocolate bunny.  It’s exactly what one has come to expect from of a giant Hershey Kiss: Sweet, classic and thick.  Love it.

4.5 golden eggs out of 5

Dove

The bunny’s first impression, its packaging, resembles a Beatrix Potter illustration.  Softly colored and anatomically correct, this Dove delight is fanciful enough that you don’t feel weird eating what looks like a very real rabbit.  Although in the picture it looks purple, the box is such a light, clear sky blue that you can practically see the clouds rolling by.  An overall success.

Dove’s Easter bunny comes off surprisingly like a slightly higher quality Hershey bar.  However, where Hershey’s chocolate can feel almost tooth-breakingly tough, Dove’s allows a perfect bite through.  This one is fabulous; within its richness, the present flavors are very well-represented.

4.75 golden eggs out of 5

Russell Stover

The box has staying power.  The multi colored bunnies frolicking on metallic green grass, the cardboard banner layered over the chocolate bunny’s chest and the cursive Russell Stover logo feel a bit dated overall but are such a recognizable, classic design that it doesn’t matter.

With lack of nuance, Russell Stover’s chocolate bunnies rock.  They incorporate the best features of all the other chocolate bunnies.  Not only are they smooth, but they also contain the perfect balance of sweet and chocolaty.  Some bunnies sacrifice chocolate for sugar, some choose the opposite route, but somehow, Russell Stover’s doesn’t sacrifice anything for cost or mass production.  Kudos to them.

5 golden eggs out of 5
Whether your easter basket holds something made in town or mass produced, brightly colored or classily packaged, these chocolate delights will make the time a happy celebration with family and friends.  And try not to think about the fact that a bunny laid those eggs you’re eating.
By Madi Mertz