by Frances Stanford

Created on: March 25, 2010   Last Updated: March 28, 2010

The best candy for Easter baskets can take on many different forms. It really depends on the person for whom you are filling the basket – their likes and dislikes in candy, the age of the person and of course if they have any food allergies. It is great fun to build your own baskets to give as Easter gifts as you pick and choose what to put inside and decorate the basket in your own special way. The recipient will also appreciate the fact that you did go the extra mile in making the gift truly personal and did not just dash into a store at the last minute and buy a basket that was ready made.

An Easter basket for children needs to be colourful. There are many different hollow chocolate Easter eggs that you can buy cheaply and make the basket one that exudes the colors of spring. However, you do have to be careful because really young children will not know that they have to unwrap these goodies and may actually eat some of the paper wrapping.

For toddlers, the best candy for Easter baskets must be soft chocolate. The solid chocolate candies are too hard for their little teeth to chew. Marshmallow candy shaped like bunny rabbits come in a wide variety of colors and are very soft for them to chew. Also they are large enough that they have to bite off pieces and will not be able to put the whole candy in their mouth at once.

Older children and adults generally have preferences in candy. Some love peppermint, while others have a penchant for caramel. If you like cooking and baking, you can even make your own candies, such as chocolate bunnies on a stick.

If you are building an Easter basket for an older person, why not search out some of the types of candy that were popular when this person was young. This will really bring a smile to their face and a twinkle to their eyes as they relish the tastes of their childhood. Barrel candy used to be very popular and come in all kinds of flavours. These also last for hours as you savor them in your mouth.

When buying candy for your Easter basket, you have to be mindful of those who may have a food allergy. Peanut allergies are very common, which means you have to read the labels to find out if the candy contain nuts or were made in a facility that also processes nuts. This may make your search for the best candy a little bit more difficult, but it will be worth it when you deliver the basket.

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