America's Favorite Easter Candy Is A Classic Choice
Christmas often gets all the credit for the stocking full of candy, and sugar-high waves of sweets. But some of the most iconic holiday candies distributed each year are actually found neatly tucked into a basket, nestled in between neon colors of plastic grass and pastel decor from the Target dollar section in late March or early April during Easter.
The Christian holiday of Easter celebrates resurrection and the end of a period of time in the church calendar called Lent, but many of the secular traditions surrounding the holiday (including painting eggs and the idea of the Easter Bunny) come from German and Eastern European culture. Historically, eggs and bunnies symbolize spring's rebirth, and those same motifs appear in many of the most popular Easter candies: Think chocolate bunnies, marshmallow Peeps, and Starburst jellybean eggs. And America's overall pick for favorite Easter candy fits squarely in this category; according to a 2023 Statista survey, the seasonal and oh-so-creamy Reese's peanut butter eggs have far and away won the country's hearts.
What makes Reese's eggs better than the rest?
There are a lot of chocolate eggs in the world, not to mention all the non egg-shaped contenders. Peeps are gluten-free, and Reese's is missing the whimsical bright colors that many other Easter candies boast — and yet, 51% of U.S. respondents to the Statista survey put Reese's peanut butter eggs at the top of their list. So what gives?
The honest truth is that America just really loves peanut butter. According to the National Peanut Board, nearly 95% of American homes have at least one jar of peanut butter at any given time. So when Reese's Peanut Butter Cups hit the market in the 1920s, it was love at first sight. By 1969, Reese's became the top seller for Hershey's, their parent company — and whether Christmas, Valentine's, Halloween or Easter, that popularity hasn't yet been curbed. In the spring of 2024, Reese's debuted a new, mini Peanut Butter egg product that comes in a bag, and just recently announced a series of PB&J cups, with both grape and strawberry flavors. For now, the brand's regular-sized, milk chocolate egg remains the most popular treat. But who knows what the candy company could have in store for the 2025 Easter season? You'll just have to check your basket on Easter morning to see what the bunny brought you.