Easter Candy Around the World

There seems to be a universal language when it comes to Easter candy. It's the language of eggs—foil-wrapped chocolate eggs filled with hazelnut praline from Belgium, candy-coated gianduja eggs from Italy, peanut-butter packed eggs from the States, Swedish papier-mache eggs brimming with licorice, sweet and sour gummies, and more. What once signified fertility and rebirth for pagans, then became a symbol of resurrection once the holiday became a Christian one, now seems to be the most popular (and filling-friendly) shape in the wide world of Easter candy. (Chocolate eggs first showed up in Europe in the nineteenth century—the solid variety preceded the hollow—and their popularity shows no signs of waning.) Here are some of the best international Easter candies for your consumption (with a bunny thrown in for good measure) that you can still order in time for the holiday. —Gabriella Gershenson

Leonidas

These wonderfully rich Belgian egg-shaped confections, made by one the country’s largest producers of chocolate, are made to savor. Color-coded wrappers indicate what’s inside — red foil, for instance, sheaths white chocolate with a toasty hazelnut filling, while orange conceals silken dark-chocolate ganache. Foil-wrapped mini Easter eggs, $40 for a pound
Leonidas
1-800-900-CHOC Back to Easter Candy Around the World »

Strega Alberti

Run by the Alberti family in Campagna, Italy, since 1860, this artisanal confectioner offers an extensive Easter collection. We love the hollow ostrich-sized eggs in grown-up flavors such as dark chocolate croccantino (almond with crunchy caramel) and milk chocolate with nougat. Inside the egg is a surprise; a silver charm. Four-pack of assorted Easter eggs, $39.95
BuonItalia
www.buonitalia.com Back to Easter Candy Around the World »

Sweetique

There’s a bit of sorcery in these praline-filled eggs from Sweetique. The German company trades in egg shells that have been safely emptied of their contents, sterilized, filled with a fair-trade chocolate-hazelnut center, then painted in a range of colors, from festive jewel tones to Easter-worthy pastels. Chocolate-filled eggs, $12 for 3 to $80 for 20
Sweetique
www.sweetique.com Back to Easter Candy Around the World »

Confetti Pelino

Best known for its candy-coated almonds (which Confetti Pelino has been crafting since 1783), this Abbruzzo-based company also makes some spectacular Easter treats. Their walnut-sized gianduja eggs get four coats of sugar, which harden into a crunchy shell that keeps the smooth chocolate-hazelnut interior creamy and fresh. Uova cioccolato, $42 for a 2.2-pound box
Confetti Pelino
www.confettipelino.com Back to Easter Candy Around the World »

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Fran's Chocolates

Though this Seattle, Washington chocolatier has already conquered palates with her salted caramels, her Easter treats are just as seductive. Nibble-worthy bunnies are made from fine single-origin chocolate; milk chocolate is enriched with organic dairy; molded eggs and chicks contain delicious fillings, like coconut and caramel. They’re as cute as they are tempting. Assorted Easter chocolates, $8 for a rabbit to $125 for a basket
Fran’s Chocolates
www.franschocolates.com Back to Easter Candy Around the World »

Sockerbit

In Sweden, the most candy gets consumed during Easter. Sockerbit brings the Swedish style of sweets-giving stateside; they sell the same hollow papier-mache eggs their country folk have been receiving for centuries, which can be filled with candies ranging from salty licorice octopi and sour bananas, to chocolate-dipped marshmallow bears. Papier-mache eggs, $3-$5; Swedish candy, $3.25 for a quarter pound
Sockerbit
www.sockerbit.com Back to Easter Candy Around the World »