Assembling the Perfect Easter Basket - Make Sure You Choose the Right Chocolate

Easter is just around the corner. If supermarkets and drug stores are any indication, Easter is already in full swing and we might as well be prepping for the Fourth of July. But don't whip up the potato salad or light up the grill just yet, as Easter is worth a stop on the holiday culinary trail. There's the great ham vs. lamb debate, coconut vs. carrot cake, hot cross buns vs. hard-boiled eggs. Perhaps the most hotly contested debate is which chocolate candy should find itself nestled among the plastic green grass of your child's Easter basket. Chocolate adds up, both calorically and monetarily, so it's important to make good investments.

Here are my recommendations, as well as a few cautionary words:

-Cadbury Crème Eggs: Their life-size egg shape makes them visually appealing - fun, if you will. Provided that the fondant housed within the chocolate shell is fresh and creamy, these eggs can be a delectable treat, even if the Cadbury chocolate lacks the flavorful punch of some other varieties. But if stale or poorly wrapped, the fondant turns stiff, and the experience is not worth the 170 calories.

-Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs: The eggs are the best of the many shaped Reese's holiday candies. The ridges of chocolate make for a harder exterior on the original cup, while the points and crevices of the trees and hearts make the candy itself appear smaller. The egg, by contrast, is a pleasant orb of rich chocolate and peanut butter. It's as if the company is so exhausted from perfecting the aforementioned trees and heart shapes that it makes little if any effort to simulate an egg. That doesn't matter. The chocolate is flavorful, and the peanut butter is creamy. Sweet and salty perfection.

-Mounds Coconut Eggs: I rarely eat coconut, so these eggs are a treat. I prefer the mounds, as the almond always seems to obstruct an otherwise perfect fusion of dark chocolate and coconut.

-Hershey's Miniature Eggs: More or less, these little guys represent Hershey's chocolate refashioned in the form of eggs. I prefer the straight-up milk chocolate to any of the candy coated varieties. It should also be noted that Reese's, Cadbury, and Mounds are all part of the large Hershey's family - but the original Hershey's, so sweet and satisfying, reigns supreme.

-Russell Stover Eggs: These are hit or miss. The "whip" eggs' filling is refreshingly light beneath the dark chocolate exterior, assuming you like a fruity, sweet center. The maple cream egg and coconut cream eggs are certainly edible, but I'd still opt for a Hershey's product if given the choice.

And finally, a few words on what to avoid. First, the large chocolate bunnies are a gamble if only because they are large. They might be stale. And the beady pink eyes staring at your child from the basket might give him/her nightmares for weeks. Do not buy the bunnies, even if they are hollow. As one who was dealt a hollow chocolate bunny every year for quite a number of years, I can assure you that this was always the obligatory "thing" standing between me and something better.

Remember that amid all the hoopla of assembling beautiful baskets and making your family members happy, ultimately, you are responsible for the nutritional well-being of your family members. Clearly, chocolate candy is an indulgence. So make sure the candy is worth it.