Giving Up the Chocolate Bunny

Okay, I don't really understand why my kids like these so much. But look! Bunnies!😍🐇🐰

Easter is almost here and it’s beginning to feel like all holidays are laden with food allergy concerns. This time of year, there are two things that immediately bring me back to my childhood Easter basket: Cadbury Cream Eggs and chocolate bunnies. A later in life discovery was how delicious Cadbury Minieggs are (why are they so much more delicious than other bite size chocolates? I'm glad you asked. 1) there’s a better chocolate:candy coating ratio 2) the candy coating is delicious 3) Cadbury milk chocolate doesn’t add a sour flavor of spoiled milk like Hersey’s does so it’s so creamy and so delicious. Really, if you can eat milk and soy, you need to go get a giant bag of these and prepare for your life to be changed forever. They are the perfect candy.)

ANYWAY, because I like love chocolate, all of my favorite Easter candies (and Halloween candies and Christmas candies and year round candies) all have at least milk in them, but usually peanuts or tree nuts or eggs, too. There are a few lists online of milk free chocolate bunnies or other allergen free chocolate bunnies, but they are hard to find. I haven’t seen any really, true safe chocolate bunnies (that aren't produced on the same equipment as milk chocolate and are produced in a safe factory without clouds of peanut dust) available at local stores. Buying online, paying for shipping, seems like a lot just to pass on one of my favorite Easter traditions.

But, you know what is readily available? Non-chocolate classic Easter candies that are ALLERGEN FREE already.

• Jelly beans
• Why are jelly beans associated with Easter? I'm not really sure. Nothing says spring like a bean? It's not really important. The important thing is they are allergen free (although a few flavors contain soy or coconut).
• Peeps 
• We can go back and forth on whether or not they are actually good (they aren't), but you can't deny they do well in an Easter basket
• Sour Patch Kids bunnies
• Okay, okay, not a classic Easter treat, BUT Sour Patch Kids continue to be my kids' favorite candy, so God bless them for making them into some bunnies!

So I guess what I really need to do is give up on my chocolate bunny nostalgia and embrace the new tradition of fruit flavored candies that my kids seem to love (and keep those minieggs all to myself). Happy Easter!