Looking for Easter Candy Ideas? Here Are 12 Sweet Treats You Can Make at Home

Easter inspires thoughts of pastel hues, egg hunts, family time, and festive sweets. As one of the biggest candy holidays of the year, second only to Halloween, Easter delights run the gamut. While Easter cookies are always a hit, nothing beats the holiday's candy repertoire. Instead of heading to the store this year, why not fill your Easter baskets with fresh, homemade treats everyone will enjoy.

Adorable, colorful, and so tasty, these delicious recipes are as much fun to create as they are to eat. For the coconut lover, make the Coconut-Macaroon Nests that you see right here. Nestled inside of the flaky shredded coconut vessels you'll find jelly beans, malted chocolate eggs, and chocolate-covered nuts. They look perfect tucked in a basket or displayed on a plate alongside your favorite Easter desserts. For a homemade take on the Easter classic that goes "Peep!" make cute bunny-shaped Marshmallow Easter Critters. While we're partial to the rabbits featured ahead, you can create your own bespoke marshmallow in any shape or color.

Of course, no Easter celebration is complete without chocolate. Our Tinted White-Chocolate Bunnies use a tempering process of melting and cooling chocolate, resulting in a beautiful, smooth texture and shiny finish. Another festive candy option leans into the springtime holiday with a number of flower-shaped delights. If you're looking for something on the lighter side, try our satisfying Fruit Jellies. A better for you interpretation of fruit-flavored candy, the jellies use fruit juice and sugar instead of artificial flavors. We're also including one store bought treat that will transform a simple glass of milk into something oh so Easter special.

From decadent and rich to light and sweet, we're sharing a number of candy recipes sure to become your family's new favorite Easter tradition.

Homemade Chocolate Surprise Easter Eggs

Here's a fun Easter surprise: Make your own hollow chocolate eggs. Simply brush two silicone molds with streaks of colorful candy melts (available at crafts stores). Let dry, then coat over them with melted cocoa ones. Once the shells set, pop them out, fill them with treats, and seal the halves with melted chocolate.

Marshmallow Easter Critters

These candies are inspired by the store-bought sugar-coated marshmallow treats you see every year, except our homemade version makes them fresher, softer, and customizable in terms of shapes and colors.

Lemon Meringue Flowers

By springtime, everything is coming up roses (or, in this case, daisies). These sunny blooms are concocted with candied lemon peel and white meringue for a sweet delight.

Milk-Filled Chocolate Bunny

We're breaking our homemade rules ever so slightly with this treat. It starts with a store-bought hollow chocolate bunny. We learned this idea from paper-flower artist Tiffanie Turner, who fills up her littles' treats after their first bites. You can also heat the tip of a spoon handle over a stove burner, and use it to melt a small opening at the top. Let cool, funnel some milk inside, and pop in a paper straw. Sippity, hoppity.

Egg-Shaped Meringue Nests

These look like sunny-side-up eggs but take a closer look and you'll see the surprise twist. The "egg whites" are made of piped meringue and the "yolks" are actually lemon curd. The result is one incredibly sweet treat.

Phyllo Nests

Speckled candy eggs are nestled into this crunchy, edible nest. What's it made of? We used a secret ingredient usually found in the frozen food aisle of the supermarket.

Truffle Eggs

There's more than one way to decorate an Easter egg. In fact, this candy recipe offers two different options. The truffles are marbleized with food coloring and coated in a metallic luster dust. Make a batch of one or the other—or both! It's Easter, after all.

Tinted White-Chocolate Bunnies

Nothing says Easter quite like chocolate bunnies. You can easily make your own unique bunnies with white chocolate and food coloring. This recipe uses an artful form of tempering for a beautiful final product.

White Chocolate Fudge with Cranberries and Candied Citrus

Make this rich and fruity fudge that uses white chocolate, dried cranberries, and candied citrus for a decadent treat.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Fudge

A modern update on classic fudge, these treats incorporate some of your favorite flavors. To make your treats extra seasonal, form them in the shape of a flower.

Candied Meyer Lemon Peels

The lemon flavor truly shines in this candy recipe. Enjoy them on their own or use the finished product as a garnish.