With Easter less than a week away, I thought I would share some fun ideas of what we are doing in our house. We usually have a neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt, but this will be the second year that we will have to cancel it due to the pandemic. And while we are not having any big get togethers, sometimes it is fun to put boards and tables together to make things special.

I picked up this cute tablecloth from Target. They’re $5, and I have them for almost every holiday you can think of. They are great because they are inexpensive and they are durable. We keep them on our table for a month to do crafts on, and when they get really dirty, I don’t feel bad about just throwing them away.

The flower and gingham plates are from Target, as well as the melamine egg plate. The bunny napkin is Meri Meri – I mean, how cute are they?!

I made the Easter board on a melamine plate from Crate and Barrel and filled it with peanut M&M’s, Oreos, jelly beans in an edible nest, Ferraro Rocher eggs, chocolate bunnies from EHChocolatier, and Cubze from The Happy Chocolatier. How can you have an Easter board without Peeps? (Personally I can’t stand them, but the kids love them). Yes, those are Lady Gaga Oreos, but they were pink and green, so I threw them on the board too!

I think that it is fair to say that this year has been hard on everyone, but especially the kids. They have missed out on holidays, family get togethers, seeing their friends on play dates, birthdays…and the list goes on. So this year, we decided that even though we couldn’t have our friends over to look for eggs, we would bring the hunt to them. We are filling eggs with Cubze and surprising friends by leaving them in their lawn! Yes, we could put in the usual suspects (and don’t get me wrong, give me ALL THE REESE’S), but this time around it is quality over quantity, and we love a good local business! The truffle Cubze come in a variety of flavors (traditional milk and dark chocolate, but also flavors like dark chocolate orange, milk chocolate cappuccino, and cookie & cream to name a few) and are the perfect size for when you need a special treat. Each truffle comes with an inspirational quote about happiness – just a little pick me up to your day! When you buy Cubze you are supporting a local business and, as an added bonus, with every sale, a percentage of the profits are donated to Feeding America.

We are also leaving little treat bags of Cubze for our mailman Steve (who is just the greatest), our UPS driver Dan and our milkman. We like to surprise them every once in a while with fun things (pictures the kids draw, notes, treats etc.) because we appreciate all that they do and it’s important to acknowledge them. I tell my kids every day before they go to school to remember to be kind and to be a good friend.

When I was putting together baskets this year, I decided to really scale back. Instead of filling their baskets with lots of $1 items (although WHY is that the stuff that they love the most?!?!) and things they will look at for 5 seconds and promptly forget about, I went with practical items. I put Cubze in for the kids – yep, you read that right. It’s funny how they will eat maybe one or two good pieces of chocolate and be happy – as opposed to trying to eat 200 pieces of the “regular” candy. My little guy continues to surprise me because I just found out he actually PREFERS dark chocolate.

Why yes, those are Valentine’s Day pajamas in the Easter basket. I bought them this year and forgot to give them to the kids, so in to the basket they go. I mean, hearts don’t have to be JUST for Valentine’s Day. I picked up those cute bunny glasses from the dollar spot at Target. We use so much chalk in the summer time I feel like I should own stock…so these Crayola egg shaped chalk boxes were a good find. I always like to add a book into each basket – and we are a Duck and Goose loving family.

My kids have been asking for cameras for the longest time. I found these at Target for about $25. We will see how they hold up!

To friends, we decided to forgo the traditional baskets with candy and decided to make a baking themed basket. Cute bunny plates and carrot napkins by Meri Meri, bunny ear measuring spoons, some fun baking cup liners, Easter colored sprinkles, some spatulas and of course some Cadbury mini eggs, because you have to have SOME chocolate!

For my daughter, I picked up this cute rainbow basket for under $10 at Target, which she can use to store all her “treasures” in when Easter is over. We picked Betty Bunny as our book for the basket, written by an old friend, added Cubze for the sweetness factor and some bunny ears from Pottery Barn. To be honest, I bought these a few years ago and I put them in her basket every year, she doesn’t seem to notice and I get to reuse something – win win. Everything is rainbows and unicorns as far as my daughter is concerned, so I picked up some cute gardening gloves for about $5 each. We can never have enough art supplies and I love everything ooly makes – pictured are the ice cream erasers and the scented twist up crayons. We use so much washi tape – so I picked up this cute four pack from Michaels.

And last but not least, for the littlest bunny in the house, some cute carrot and bunny pajamas from Old Navy, pink bunny slippers from L.L.Bean, a blue goose made by Le Voyage D’Olga (that I bought from one of my favorite stores – Gus and Ruby Letterpress), sparkle bunny ears from J.Crew and the book Easter Bugs.

What are you doing to make Easter special?

Disclaimer: I was gifted samples of Cubze. All opinions are my own.

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Royce’ Chocolate opened it’s first Boston store in 2016 on Newbury Street. Royce’ is a Japanese chocolate company that makes tasty and unique treats, including Nama (“fresh”) chocolates, maccha chocolates and potato chip chocolates.

These Potechi crunch chocolates are sweet and salty, made with crumbled potato chips and covered in milk chocolate. They also come in a maccha flavor. Just a nice spin on the familiar chocolate covered potato chip. What other maccha flavored chocolates do they have? Maccha almonds (whole almonds coated in rich chocolate with the bitterness of maccha), Duo Praline Maccha (two layers made of maccha sauce and maccha cream in a chocolate shell), and a nama chocolate maccha (white chocolate with an herbal aroma and the bittersweet finish of green tea leaves) to name a few.

Nama chocolates come in flavors like orange and mango, chestnut, banana, white, champagne and maccha. The chocolate bars will run you around $9 and the other chocolate treats are $15-$17. The store looks a bit sparse, but certainly has some interesting choices. Have you tried Royce’ chocolates yet? What is your favorite thing that they make? And where else do you like to get chocolate that is a little out of the ordinary?

Royce’ Chcocolate

251 Newbury Street, Boston, MA

https://order.royceconfectusa.com

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Let’s be honest, 1 year olds don’t need party favors, but it is nice to have guests leave a party with a little something. La Doce is Boston’s first online boutique to offer Brazilian birgadeiros. They say they are a cross between a truffle and a caramel – these confections just melt in your mouth!

Each box is made to order in Westborough, MA and they are hand delivered in the metro Boston area next day! They can also be shipped if you aren’t in the area. Husband and wife team Bruno and Laura Alves are the brains behind La Doce. Laura started making brigadeiros for school events and soon people we requesting them for events. Using a family recipe, Laura and Bruno are bringing these delicious Brazilian treats to the masses!

Boxes come in two sizes, the 4 piece (perfect for party favors) for $10 and a 12 piece size (pictured above) for $25.

La Doce brigadeiros come in five flavors: Milk Chocolate with Milk Chocolate Sprinkles, Dark Chocolate with Cocoa Nibs, Dark Chocolate with Sliced Almonds, Pistachio with Chopped Pistachios and Coconut with Shredded Coconut. 

For more information, or to order, check out their website: www.byladoce.com

Disclaimer: I was given a sample of La Doce brigadeiros for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

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Located in Cambridge, a short walk from the Davis Square T station, is Spindler Confections, a local artisan candy shop.

They have a nice selection of chocolates, salted caramels, nut caramels, pate de fruits and brittles.

Did you know that they have classes? Class 1 is called Chocolate! Chocolate! Chocolate! and you learn the basics of tempering chocolate, making fillings and capping molds. You get to take home the chocolates that you helped create! The second class they offer is called Crazy for Caramel where you learn how to make caramel from scratch. For safety purposes, the cooking portion is strictly a demo, but you’ll go home with about $25 worth of caramel! The caramel class is $50 per person and the chocolate class is $75 per person.

Now, about the subject at hand – party favors. Spindler offers customizable party favors – prices start at $2.25 for a 2 piece box.

I love the caramel pretzels but decided to try something new this time. I went with the six piece milk and dark assortment of nut butter cups.

Not pictured, I also picked up two white chocolate pistachio nut butter cups. I may or may not have eaten them so quickly I forgot to take a photo. These would be an excellent choice for a party favor, for a birthday party, wedding, or your next big event.

Spindler Confections

2257 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA

http://spindlerconfections.com

Closed Mondays

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This past weekend I braved the snowmageddon weather to head over to Wilson Farm to check out their Chocolate Fest. That’s right, will travel for chocolate. There were a bunch of brands sampling on Saturday, including some goodies from Wilson Farm’s own kitchen (oh but that chocolate mousse!). Don’t worry mom, I glanced at the vegetables while I was there too, just for balance

So Harbor Sweets, one of my favorites, was there sampling their sweet sloops (photo left). Sweet Sloops are almond butter crunch toffee covered in white chocolate, dipped in dark chocolate and sprinkled with pecans. I decided to take home a different kind of chocolate this time, you know, diversify. I went with the Barque Sarah, named after a three masted sailing ship to commemorate Salem’s maritime history. Milk chocolate with whole roasted almonds…so good!

Another company that I hadn’t heard of before, Barú, was sampling their marshmallows. They come in flavors like dark chocolate sea salt caramel marshmallows, dark chocolate raspberry marshmallows and milk chocolate covered marshmallows. In addition to making marshmallows, they have adorable little mini chocolate hippos filled with things like hazelnut truffle, milk chocolate honey almond or dark chocolate sea salt caramel.

Pure Sugar Candy was there sampling their delicious treats that come in the most adorable shapes – think footballs and little rubber duck lollipops. Stacey has a number of flavors to choose from: coconut, cake batter, pink grapefruit, apple and cinnamon to name a few.

And Boston Bon Bon was sampling their French macarons. There are so many flavors to choose from:

Lemon Custard, Earl Grey, Green Tea Latte, Vietnamese Iced Coffee, Thai Iced Tea, Black Sesame Tiramisu, Taro Fudge, Coconut Caramel Flan, Chocolate Nutella, Salted Caramel, Lavender Honey, Creme Brulee, Rose, Orange Blossom, Coconut Peach Cobbler, Lychee Yogurt, Lemon Coconut, Blueberry(df), Black Raspbery Rose(df),  Lavender Peach, Strawberry Peppercorn,  Hisbiscus Tea, Apricot(df), Golden Peach(df), Mango Lassi(df), Vanilla Creme,White Chocolate, Dark Chocolate.

Personally the lemon was my favorite of the bunch.

Didn’t have a chance to make it out to Wilson Farm for Chocolate Fest? No worries, they carry great brands year round. Did you know that they have an award winning bakery? They make cookies, bread, muffins, pies etc. all in house. I’m told the apple cider donuts are not to be missed. I picked up some of their home made chili and a Shepherd pie (there was a snowstorm going on outside after all) which were delicious. I need to go back soon to wander through the aisles.

Wilson Farm

10 Pleasant Street, Lexington, MA

http://www.wilsonfarm.com/

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If you’re going with heart shaped boxes of chocolates for Valentine’s Day this year, you certainly can’t go wrong with one from Phillips. They are Boston’s oldest chocolatiers, founded in 1925, and every chocolate is handcrafted. Two choices I personally love are the sea salt caramel assortment and the turtle assortment. I’m pretty fussy about my assorted chocolates, but these satisfy my sweet tooth.

The sea salt caramel box is $16.95. They have a top secret caramel recipe that they pair with both milk and dark chocolate. The caramels are finished off with a little local Cape Cod sea salt.

The caramel is the perfect consistency (I’m not a fan of the gooey, runny caramels) and the sea salt brings out the sweetness of the chocolate. I dare you to try and eat just one!

And how could you not give that special someone one of Oprah’s favorite things?!? They are a best seller and rightly so. The signature milk and dark turtle box retails for $36.75 and uses the same secret caramel recipe as in the box above. There are 15 turtles in the box, each made with premium roasted cashews, almonds or pecans. I love the foil heart shaped solid milk chocolates that are added in to this box, just as a pop of color!

Another option is a heart shaped assortment from Charbonnel et Walker. The UK based company was founded in 1875 and iconic customers include Princess Diana, Lauren Bacall, and oh yes, the Queen of England (no biggy…) I picked out the milk and dark selection and the pink champagne truffles made with milk chocolate and Marc de Champagne centers for my friends. Each box will run you around $50. You can order online at Charbonnel et Walker’s website or you can order from Saks. A luxury item that I wouldn’t necessarily buy for myself, but loved treating my best gal pals to them this year!

Located in a little kiosk in the Natick Mall, Favarger chocolates is my top swiss pick. Not a traditional pick by any means, but this adorable tin will run you $11.50 and comes with 15 pieces. The Avelines are gianduja hazelnut milk chocolate pralines with caramel crunchy pieces. I amy or may not have picked these up for myself…

Who makes your favorite chocolates?

Disclaimer: I was sent two boxes of Phillips Chocolate (caramels and turtles) for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

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When I was a kid, all I ever wanted to get for Valentine’s Day was that heart shaped box of Russell Stover chocolates, the bigger the better. Now that I’m an adult, I’ve moved on from those chocolates and wanted to share some heart shaped boxed chocolate alternatives for that someone special in your life.

First up, Neuhaus, fine Belgian chocolates that I was introduced to years ago in New York. Don’t worry, if you still want they heart shaped box, they sell them for Valentine’s Day! An 8 piece 1/4lb box will run you $16, a 14 piece box is $32, and a 27 piece heart shaped box will cost you $64 (many other sizes and options available). The chocolates are smooth and creamy and just melt in your mouth. They offer dark, white and milk chocolate in pralines, caramels, ganaches and more. The fillings are by far my favorite, and there isn’t one chocolate in this box that I wouldn’t eat. Visit their boutique in Faneuil Hall Marketplace (1 South Market Street in Boston) or order online.

In 1881, Louis Sherry introduced the French chocolate making tradition to New York. Every chocolate selection is packaged in the traditional Sherry’s tin, which is a recast of the original. There are 12 chocolates in the collection and they are available in 2, 12 and 24 piece tins. The flavors are Coconut Almond, Strawberry Romanoff, Coffee Costa D’Oro, Jamaican Rum, Fleur De Sel Caramel, Mexican Vanilla, Piedmont Hazelnut, Pistachop Di Bronte, Raspberry, Sicilian Orange, Pomegranate, and Toffee Creme. 2 piece tins are $8.50, 12 piece tins are $35-$40 depending on the tin you choose and the 24 piece tin is $65. The tin above is by designed Harrison Howard and is the “China Sea” pattern. The fruit fillings generally aren’t my thing, but these chocolates are made with the finest ingredients, and the ones without the fruit are delicious enough to make me overlook the ones with fruit. These chocolates can be found at Saks Fifth Avenue, Henri Bendel, Dean and Deluca or you can order them online.

Lolli and Pops is the Willy Wonka candy shop of suburbia. Located in the Natick Mall, this shop has every kind of candy you can dream of. From delicious truffles you can buy by the piece in their display case, to specialty chocolates from Mexico or Asia. If you can’t make it out to suburbia, you can order pre-designed gift boxes on their website with things like champagne truffles, chocolate covered potato chips, astronaut ice cream, gummy bears, rock candy and pop rocks just to name a few.

I think of Sugarfina as the Tiffany’s of candy stores. The shop sells candy in clear plastic cubes, stacked in perfect rows with their signature blue labels tying things all together. It’s a gourmet candy bar, selling candy for grown ups with items like: champagne gummy bears, rosé all day bears, birthday cake caramels, pumpkin pie caramels, and milk chocolate milkshake balls. Each cube will run you about $8. Visit the store in the Prudential Center or order online. If you buy online you can order in a few different sizes: the taster packet size for $2.50, the small cube for around $8, a large cube for $18 or a 2.5lb size for about $40. Their gift packaging is adorable, they sell “bento boxes” that can hold 3-8 cubes.

And I had to throw in one old time candy shop just for nostalgia: The Wayside Country Store. You can buy prearranged boxes in the store or make your own from the large selection in the display case. They have a nice selection of nut free chocolates and candy as well as some penny candy that will bring you back to your childhood. They’re located at 1015 Boston Post Road in Marlborough or you can purchase online.

Where do you get your favorite chocolate from?

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Harbor Sweets makes my favorite candy of all time, sweet sloops, almond buttercrunch toffee covered in white chocolate, dipped in dark chocolate and pecans. So I was excited to try out their new line that will be making its debut on September 6th. Gather chocolates are handmade and each package contains 6 honey infused chocolates. The collection is a mission driven chocolate inspired by the plight of the honeybees and a portion of the sales will be donated to the Pollinator Partnership. Did you know that in just one year there was a 44% loss of honeybee colonization? For more information about bees, check out my friend Noah’s company’s website, Best Bees. (And you can see my post about them here).

I love the packaging for these chocolates! You can pick up a 6 piece assortment for $12.50 and a 12 piece assortment for $18.50.

Starting at the bottom left and working our way clockwise: the sesame crunch, the sour cherry, the coconut cluster, the pomegranate molasses and the cashew caramel with the caramelized honey truffle in the center. All the chocolates were delicious and in the blink of an eye they were gone…yup, polished these off in one sitting (for research purposes of course!) Here are my thoughts:

• I loved the texture of the sesame crunch
• I wasn’t sure I was going to like the sour cherry, as I am not really a fruit and chocolate kind of gal, but you tasted the honey up front and the cherry flavor came second – it was very subtle
• The coconut cluster had the added coconut on the outside which made the flavor bright and bold
• Again, pleasantly surprised with the pomegranate molasses which was bold in flavor and really smooth
• The cashew caramel was my favorite of the lot, I loved the texture and the flavor
• The caramelized honey truffle was delicious and really showcased the honey flavor up front with  a smooth dark chocolate finish at the end

So if you are ever in Salem, stop by and check them out (I have yet to go!), they even give tours on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If not, you can head over to their website and have the chocolate sent right to you! If you haven’t already, make sure to try those sweet sloops too!

Disclaimer: I was sent a box of Gather chocolate to sample for this review. All opinions are my own.

Harbor Sweets

Palmer Cove – 85 Leavitt Street

Salem, MA

www.harborsweets.com

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When we were in Salem for lunch at Turner’s Seafood, I had the chance to walk around a bit before heading over the the restaurant.  I was craving something sweet so I stopped into Turtle Alley. The flagship store is located in Gloucester, the Salem location is their second store.

The space is quite large. Even though there is a fair amount of product, the store feels a little sparse. They have all kinds of barks, chocolate covered everything and hand dipped truffles.

All the chocolates are hand made. Of course I had to get some turtles, the cashew ones are my favorite! I picked up milk and white chocolate. In addition to cashew they also have pecan, macadamia, almond, cherry apricot, cranberry pecan, chipotle and  macadamia with coconut. They were delicious, you can taste the quality – I highly recommend stopping in.

Turtle Alley

177 Essex Street, Salem, MA

http://turtlealley.com

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Kilwins is an amazing sweet shop in Cary with other locations across the country. They have a variety of sweets to choose from, check out these caramel apples, I feel a cavity coming on just looking at them!

I was so impressed when my niece said she was only going to get one scoop of ice cream…until I saw it. it was a softball sized scoop in an enormous waffle cone…that was covered in candy. Oy!

The chocolate selection is impressive from their hand paddled Mackinac island style fudge, to their rich and buttery caramel to their fresh nut brittles and truffles.

We restrained ourselves and only got a few things – milk cashew turtles (one of my favorites), a milk chocolate peanut butter oreo, a milk chocolate rice krispy bar, a milk chocolate toffee and white chocolate pretzels. Every piece was delicious, you chocolate snobs out there won’t be disappointed.

Kilwins

2004 Boulderstone Way, Cary, NC

https://www.kilwins.com/cary

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