Best and Worst Chocolate Easter Bunny

For some people, Easter represents a time of rebirth, redemption and hope. For me, it’s about chocolate. Specifically, chowing down on chocolate bunnies while wearing my Easter bonnet.

But with so many varieties and price ranges to choose from, which bunny is the best? 

I bought 13 commercially available bunnies and conducted blindfolded taste tests with the help of a fellow taster. I only tested milk chocolate and only bunnies. In other words, no Elsa from Frozen. And I only bought solid bunnies, with a few exceptions. Personally, I’ve never understood hollow bunnies. Why choose air when you could have chocolate in its place?

Anyway, here’s photographic proof of my hardcore evaluation process.

In my evaluations, I took into account the design of each bunny, but it ultimately came down to taste. 

So, which bunny hopped to the top? Here are my rankings, from worst to best. 

13) Palmer $1.25, 156 grams

I’d never heard of this brand before. Then again, I bought it at the dollar store – a place where brands are always a mystery to me. But even cheap chocolate is still chocolate, right? Hold on. I just read “milk chocolate flavoured” on the package.

Design: This bunny looked really stiff. Like it was having back issues on account of carrying around that basket. But there were tulips at the bottom, so that was a nice touch. 

Tasting Notes: This tasted like Duncan Hines chocolate frosting. Like literally opening a tub and eating it by the spoonful. (We’ve all been there, so don’t judge.) Needless to say, this budget bunny was too cloyingly sweet with little chocolate flavour. You’re better off sticking to frosting.

12) McCormicks $2.00, 165 grams

I always associate McCormicks with pastel Easter eggs filled with white gunk. (Even though they’re made by Dare.) Those eggs are Easter’s equivalent of molasses chews at Halloween. Every single McCormicks bunny was broken except for this one. Giving a decapitated chocolate rabbit to kids can send a confusing message.

Design: I appreciated that the bunny was wearing a button down and textured pants. It’s hard to find rabbits with a good fashion sense. But this bunny’s facial expression was too intense. Obviously, he was wired on his own sugar content.

Tasting Notes: My taste tester and I both found the McCormicks bunny too sweet, gritty and lacking any real chocolate flavour. It was almost as disappointing as hunting for Easter eggs and all you find are the ones with white gunk inside. 

11) Great Value $2.98, 425 grams

I got this at Walmart and it was the biggest rabbit of the bunch, coming in at a whopping 425 grams! That’s great value IMHO. But just because something’s big doesn’t mean it’s good.

Design: The bunny’s expression was a little juvenile for my liking. And I didn’t know what he was looking at. A cobweb on my ceiling? A ghostly apparition? Or was he rolling his eyes, as if to say, “You’re a middle-aged man taste-testing bunnies and I’m the one who’s juvenile?”

Tasting Notes: This one was a bit gritty. While not bad, it definitely carried a single note. And that note was sugar. But hey, if you’re a kid looking to eat 425 grams of chocolate and I don’t have to babysit you, go for it. 

10) Bunny Fields $2.98, 175 grams

Walmart had a bunch of varieties of this brand, including a crispy rice version. Again, why are you taking up space with other things when that space could be filled with more chocolate? There was a maze on the back of the box to find the “EggSquisites” Egg. I don’t even know where to start with that spelling. 

Design: Classic, but a little uninspired. 

Tasting Notes: My taste tester thought it was pretty good, but I tasted carboard packaging. And if I wanted to eat cardboard, I would’ve just eaten the box instead. Sadly, not an eggskwizzit bunny by any means. 

9) Mr. Solid $3.48, 150 grams

Clearly this bunny’s appeal is all in its ears. And speaking as someone who is ear endowed, I appreciate seeing my kind represented. Having said that, no one has ever referred to me as “Mr. Solid.” 

Design: Yes, the ears were a cute feature, but Mr. Solid looked like that uncle who won’t stop telling corny jokes during family dinners. And it appeared like he was holding something behind his back. It could’ve been a Q-Tip. 

Tasting Notes: Similar to Bunny Fields, my taste tester liked this one and thought it tasted “velvety.” Me, I tasted cardboard. Again! “Something about it doesn’t feel right,” I said. Then again, I was on my fifth bunny. There were a lot of things inside me that weren’t feeling right. 

8) Carnaby Sweet $2.00, 350 grams

I got this at my local No Frills, which isn’t exactly known as a place to buy quality chocolate. But at two bucks for 350 grams, it was a chance I was willing to take. 

Design: By far the best design of all the bunnies. This rabbit was decked out! He was sporting a bowtie, a shirt with a carrot on the pocket, a bouquet of flowers in one hand (or is that one paw?) and an Easter basket in the other. He was even wearing shorts! Although it’s seasonably too early for that.

Tasting Notes: This one was smooth but way too sweet for me. It was like eating a giant foil egg. Sadly, this bunny was all style but no substance. Having said that, if he came out with his own clothing line, I’d buy it. 

7) Russell Stover $1.25, 37 grams

Coming in at a measly 37 grams, this was the smallest bunny of them all. If I got this on Easter morning, I’d be packing my bags. I always associate Russell Stover with elderly great aunts. You could always count on them to bring out a box of assorted chocolates after a dinner of simmered ham and a lime Jell-O salad with shredded carrots.

Design: I got out my microscope, but I couldn’t see anything. 

Tasting Notes: While not the best, this bunny was creamy, smooth and I definitely got more of a chocolate vibe than sugar. But they should call this an Easter Gnat. 

6) Hershey’s Kisses $7.99, 170 grams

It was clever marketing to add the bonus Hershey Kisses inside the box, even though at this price y’aren’t getting nothing for free. Hershey’s is famous for its chocolate so I had high expectations. 

Design: This foil-wrapped bunny turned into a dud once I stripped off its gold wrapper. And while I liked that it had an Easter basket full of Kisses, I’ve seen more expressive faces on an episode of Botched.

Tasting Notes: My taste-tester thought it was sweet and smooth, but I didn’t discern much chocolate flavour. It was a suitable bunny, but given its namesake, it should’ve delivered more. 

5) Frank $3.99, 300 grams

While I associate Canadian Tire with furnace filters, socket sets and pine-scented car air-fresheners, it’s not the first place I think to buy Easter chocolate. But I figured I’d give their Frank brand a try.

Design: This is the classic Easter bunny I remember from my childhood. It was thick, dark, and had a satisfying weight. The only thing missing was the single candy eyeball.

Tasting Notes: I was pleasantly surprised by Frank. It had a rich, chocolate flavour. It was almost borderline semi-sweet. And not a hint of pine air freshener. Apparently, there’s a lot more to Canadian Tire than tires. 

4) Our Finest $2.98, 100 grams

I got this at Walmart and it’s clearly their attempt to snag some of the Lindt bunny’s lustre. Personally, I thought this bunny was a lot cuter. Look at that face! Totes adorbs. As if that genuine pearl wasn’t enough of a selling point.  

Design: Similar to Hershey’s, this bunny fell flat when stripped of its flashy outer layer. But I thought it had more defined detailing. You’re also getting some substantial ear action. 

Tasting Notes: Our Finest was silky, milky and carried a hint of vanilla. And at this price, it’s a steal. Unfortunately, the pearl is a choking hazard. I’m speaking from experience. 

3) Laura Secord $8.99, 200 grams

Growing up, Laura Secord Easter Eggs were black holes of sugar. And they were packaged in boxes filled with little strips of crimped paper – an excellent material for apple head doll hair. But how did Laura’s bunny hold up?

Design: This was the classiest bunny of the bunch. It was a good size, life-like (well, as life-like as a chocolate bunny can be) and had a certain stoicism that made me want to salute it before I bit into its ears.

Tasting Notes: True to its design, Laura’s bunny had a sophisticated and layered chocolate flavour. It wasn’t as sweet as the other bunnies or overly creamy and it had a bit of a smoky taste. The only thing missing? The paper strips. 

2) Lindt $6.47, 100 grams

When it comes to style and sophistication, you can’t beat a Lindt bunny. Joan Collins is probably eating one and tossing the gold wrapper out of her limousine window at this very minute. Speaking of the gold wrapper, people might consider it the selling point, but the red ribbon with the bell makes a nice scrunchy.

Design: Good lord! I’ve disrobed a few things in my day but never have I been so disappointed! This bunny might appeal to you if you’re one of those single-chair-in-an-empty-room types, but this rabbit was too minimalist for me. 

Tasting Notes: Both my taster and I guessed this was the Lindt bunny, even with our blindfolds on. It was buttery, smooth and the chocolate spread across my mouth like a velvet blanket. Bland design aside, Lindt is a definite classic.

1)    Purdys $16.50, 300 grams

Holy crap! This bunny set me back almost 20 bucks! If someone had ever bought me a 20-dollar bunny when I was a kid. . . well, never mind. No adult ever thought I was worth a 20-dollar anything. So did the Purdys bunny put its money where my mouth is? (I’m not sure that even makes sense, but given its placement, you know the end result.)

Design: I have to say, this was one beautiful bunny. The basket on his back had a nice weave design and even the handles were textured. Although it didn’t seem like there was much in his basket. Unless it was an ostrich egg.

Tasting notes: My taste-tester and I noted a pleasant bitterness. It took longer to melt in our mouths, but when it did, it gave way to a creamy and smooth texture. It wasn’t overly sweet and had a great depth of flavour. 

Just like my Pasta Tomato Sauce Taste Test, why does the most expensive thing always come out on top? It’s so annoying. My mid-range pick is Frank. And, if you’re looking for cheap and cheerful, save yourself $3.47 and go for Our Finest over Lindt. Just don’t eat the pearl.

If you’re wondering what I did with all the leftover chocolate, I made a batch of Bunny Parts Cookies.

See you on the bunny trail!

And if want more taste tests, check out my Sugar Cereal Taste Test, my Granny Candy Report, and my Dollar Store Chocolate Bar Taste Test.