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Easter is almost here and that means it's time for chocolate. With more and more candy companies competing to make the perfect Easter egg, it can be hard to know which brand to turn to. In order to help clear things up and to celebrate this delicious time of year, I tried all the different "mini-eggs" in Canada to find out which one was actually the best.
When I say "mini-eggs" I am referring to the tiny chocolate eggs with a thin, usually pastel coloured candy coating on them. Of course, the go-to choice for a lot of people is the original Cadbury Mini-Egg. It was invented by Cadbury UK in 1967 and here in Canada is made by Cadbury Adams company. While they are the only company to officially claim the name "Mini Eggs" they aren't the only option on the market.
To compete with Cadbury, over the years other companies have come up with their own version of "mini-eggs". For example, the American company, Hershey has their own treat called "Eggies" while Canada's own private label company, President's Choice has their own version simply called "Milk Chocolate Eggs." Even higher end chocolate brands like Pudry's Chocolatier are getting in on the mini-egg action.
To find the true winner, I put six different types of "mini-eggs" to the test. Here are my thoughts on each of the brands.
Cadbury Mini Eggs
It only seemed fair to begin my test with the one and only true mini-egg, Cadbury. After just one bite, it's really easy to say that these eggs are good. They're an adorable little size and the pastel colours are really aesthetically pleasing.
As for taste, the candy coating doesn't have a distinct flavour, but it does have a nice crunch. The chocolate inside taste like any other Cadbury chocolate, so it's good and it melts in your mouth.
It is hard to criticize this brand since they are the original and have perfected this treat for years, but the one drawback is that as far as "mini-eggs" go, Cadbury tends to be pricier.
PC Milk Chocolate Eggs
Next up, was President's Choice (PC) Milk Chocolate eggs. Based on looks alone, if you mixed these in a bowl with Cadbury Mini-Eggs you wouldn't know the difference, they are identical. If you look closely though, the PC brand eggs are somehow even mini-er.
As for taste, there is something off about these eggs. The candy coating is good and has a bit of a sweet taste to it, but it seems to be a more dominant flavour than the chocolate itself. Speaking of the chocolate, it is definitely different. While Cadbury's melts in your mouth, the PC brand tends to be denser.
Nonetheless, I could still see myself devouring an entire bag of these in no time at all, especially since they tend to be a bit cheaper than actual "Mini-Eggs"
Hershey Eggies
Then I turned to another popular competitor, Hershey Eggies. The biggest difference right off the bat is that they are bigger and only have four colours. Those colours, white, blue, pink, and yellow are also so pastel that they are barely there.
As for the taste, the coating is good and crunchy. It also seems to be somewhat thicker and sweeter than the others. The chocolate inside is Hershey chocolate for sure, which seems to be the only major taste difference between this brand and the OG mini-eggs. It still melts in your mouth though.
Another point in Hershey's favour is that this brand tends to sell for less than Cadbury's Mini Eggs do, so it's definitely the more economical choice, at least here in Canada.
Purdy's Chickadee Eggs
Another brand that looks identical to Cadbury Mini Eggs is Purdy's. The higher end chocolatier calls their version of the Easter treat "Chickadee Eggs." Like mini eggs, they are adorably small and come in a variety of pastel colours.
That's where they comparisons stop though. The coating is completely different. While others feel slightly rough, this one is smooth and oddly enough tastes kind of floral. As for the chocolate, it is smooth and melts in your mouth but either the chocolate or the candy coating leaves a weird, almost bitter taste in your mouth.
On top of that, these are by far the most expensive option. For example, a 375 G bag goes for $15. Maybe my palette just isn't "high end" enough for Purdy's but I personally wouldn't buy this one again.
M&M's Eggs
This is where I started to have some fun. Given that these are M&Ms brand, I went into this taste test not expecting these to taste anything like Cadbury eggs but I was still curious to know what they taste like.
As soon as you open the bag it's overwhelmingly obvious that these aren't mini eggs. They are slightly larger, less egg-shaped for some reason, and have much more vibrant colours. As for taste, it's pretty straight forward, they taste exactly like regular M&Ms.
So if you are looking for an Easter-themed M&Ms treat, this is a great option but if you're looking for a Mini Egg substitute, this ain't it.
Smarties Lil' Eggs
These were the last "mini-eggs" I tried and while the saying goes "last but not least" in this case, the last place is also least. Similarly, with the M&M eggs, I wasn't expecting these to be a Mini Eggs substitute per se, but I'm still disappointed.
Not only are these not a Mini Egg substitute, but they also don't taste like Smarties. The coating is hard to bite and overly sweet. There is also a bit of a lemony taste detected. Despite, being the Smarties brand, they don't taste at all like Smarties chocolate either.
The only good thing about this product is that it's visually cute, with super bright colours. To sum it up, these eggs are nice to look at, but not to eat.
While it's hard to pick a concrete winner, a couple of top contenders come to mind. Those are the OG, Cadbury Mini Eggs and the Hershey's Eggies. Both had good coatings, and good chocolate inside of them that melts in your mouth.
The real deciding factor at the end of the day is that at regular price the Hershey brand tends to be cheaper than Cadbury Mini-Eggs. Since I love a bargain, that would have to be my 'winner' of this official Easter taste test.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.
