Louisiana Candy Company Creates a Sweet Easter Tradition

As a kid, I have to admit my first thoughts when I woke up on Easter Sunday were not about going to church and the real reason for the Easter Season. Like most kids, my first thoughts on those childhood Easter Sundays involved a basket, a rabbit, and what goodies might have been left behind for me.

For most of us who grew up in the Gulf South, there were a couple of things you could count on in your Easter basket. There were a few eggs that miraculously dyed themselves and there were a few chocolate eggs that were about to be immediately consumed, even before my Mom could serve breakfast.

Those eggs were usually wrapped in a brightly colored foil wrapper and they contained the name Elmer's. Did you know that Elmer's was a Louisiana company? The world-renowned chocolatier first opened its doors in New Orleans in 1855. The company would later be sold to the Nelson Family and operations would move out of New Orleans to Ponchatula, Louisiana.

When it comes to Elmer's Eggs the "gold standard" is the Gold Brick Egg. The candy egg was and is still wrapped in a gold foil wrapper and for many years, at least at our house, was always the "golden egg" in our family Easter Egg hunts.

Elmer's offers a milk chocolate version and a dark chocolate version of their Gold Brick Eggs. They also feature the Heavenly Hash eggs which combine light and fluffy marshmallows. And there is the Pecan Egg that combines a creamy nougat with pecans. You might recall there was a product recall on those eggs last year but the company has fixed the issue.

While Elmer's Chocolate Eggs are a big favorite in the south, they are not the nation's leading seller when it comes to chocolate Easter Eggs. The distinction of the most popular chocolate egg goes to the folks at Reese's for their peanut butter eggs. But even those eggs can't come close to the traditional southern flair and flavor of a Louisiana-produced Elmer Egg. I guess now I should say Sorry, not Sorry to our friends at Reese's, right?