Plot Monkeys

As I was walking through Target this past week, I strolled down the aisle with all the Easter candy and was amazed by just how much of a variety there was of chocolate, jelly beans, and other Spring candies. A lot of the candy was seasonal and just for the upcoming Easter holiday, which means it’s only made once a year. And some of those candies are my absolute favorites, and knowing that I can only get it once a year makes it very difficult to pass up! I’m not talking about the normal Nestle and Hershey candies all dressed up in Spring/Easter packaging that you can get any other time of the year. No, I’m talking about Cadbury Creme Eggs, Marshmallow Peeps that are shaped like cute little bunnies or chicks, Russell Stover Raspberry Cream eggs that are to die for (there are also coconut cream, maple cream, and vanilla cream), Speckled Robins Eggs, and many others. Of course, knowing that in less than a week all these seasonal items will be forever gone, a few did go into my basket – not for my girls, but for ME.

I’m not a big jelly bean fan, but I was amazed by just how many varieties of jelly beans there were on the shelves. Traditional jelly beans, Starburst jelly beans, Hot Tamale spice flavored jelly beans, Lifesavor jelly beans, Mike ‘n Ike jelly beans, and Hawaiian Punch jelly bean. It was truly unbelievable! Then again, I came across an article recently that stated that Americans consume 16 BILLION jelly beans at Easter, and if they were lined end to end, they would circle the globe nearly three times! That’s a whole lot of jelly beans!

Marshmallow Peeps really aren’t my thing, either, but they sure are cute. And, they’re a popular item with other kids (big and small!) out there. Last Easter, more than 700 million Marshmallow Peeps were consumed worldwide! And surprisingly, they’ve been around since 1953!

Then there’s the ever popular Cadbury Creme Eggs, which I find very hard to resist. This little egg has a thick milk chocolate shell with a white and yellow fondant filling designed to resemble the yolk and albumen of an egg. What a great gimmick – and it tastes good, too! Over the years Cadbury has come out with other creme eggs – such as caramel eggs, chocolate creme eggs, little bite-sized creme eggs that come in a cute dozen, and the delicious orange creme egg that tastes like the best of orange and chocolate together. Oh, YUM!

Now let’s talk about my personal favorite Easter candy: Russell Stover Raspberry Cream eggs. Every year I wait impatiently for these delicious cream eggs to hit the store shelves around Easter time. I absolutely love them. Other than orange and chocolate, I have to say that raspberry and chocolate is my second favorite candy combination. The raspberry cream inside of this chocolate egg is whipped into a light, soft “fluff” of cream that almost melts on your tongue. ::sigh::

I think I’ll go raid my secret stash for one of those Raspberry Cream eggs right now.

So, do you have any favorite Spring/Easter candies that you look forward to every year? If so, what are they?