In Ithaca, there’s no shortage of places that carry rich, creamy, decadent and adorable chocolates, candies and delicious baked goods made especially for this springtime holiday. However, there are three downtown locations that you must visit when searching for Easter treats.

Green Street Pharmacy, 131 E. Green St.  

While Green Street Pharmacy may be a less obvious choice for Easter treats, but it’s great option nonetheless. 

Near the pharmacy’s cafe, customers will find a table loaded with an assortment of Easter treats available for purchase, including classics such as miniature Cadbury eggs (chocolate eggs filled with cream or caramel), many brands of jelly beans and a variety of different colored Peeps along with egg-shaped Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

In case you’re looking for a unique treat, the pharmacy also carries homemade chocolate and maple walnut fudge cups made by Heavenly Treats in Corning along with handmade chocolates from Rose Fox of Savona. Ms. Fox makes chocolate bunny “suckers” for $.50 each and a variety of chocolate eggs for $.60 each. Green Street Pharmacy also offers chocolate covered cherry, maple filled, maple nut filled, and chocolate covered peanut butter eggs. Yummy!

Holiday decorations, such as various sized hand-painted ceramic bunnies, are also available for purchase.

Ithaca Coffee Company, 311 E. Green St

In spite of the fact that chocolates are an Easter staple, one may care to switch things up by filling basket(s) or their holiday feast table with another sort of sweet treat: gourmet prepared products.

Cue in Ithaca Coffee Company where a grand selection of freshly-baked items awaits you.

This fine establishment located in the Gateway Center offers a moist and sweet lemon pound cake, a lemon soaked cake with lemon glaze. This citrusy treat is sure to please anyone looking for a tasty, bittersweet option.

Lemon flavor also makes its presence known in Ithaca Coffee Company’s Easter Cupcake, a lemon curd filled vanilla cupcake topped with rich vanilla bean buttercream.  You or your children are sure to gobble up this moist and creamy treat in seconds!

Coconut flavor fans who also enjoy chocolate will be able to satisfy both cravings by purchasing the coconut macaroon nest, a gluten-free coconut macaroon nest filled with dark chocolate ganache and finished with jelly beans. The nest is an adorable, decorative and delicious piece that should certainly be added to your holiday spread.

However, if you’re dead set on offering some candies in your home this holiday, Ithaca Coffee also has an array of fine chocolates and confections available for purchase.

Life’s So Sweet Chocolates,116 W. Green Street

This is downtown’s premier location for freshly produced chocolate-related goodies and other sugary delights. Beautifully designed and especially tasty chocolate bunnies, lambs, eggs and religious crosses line the shelves along with chocolate lollipops and malted balls, colorful spiced and jelly beans, and pastel-colored candy corn.

Most of the chocolate pieces come in dark, milk and white chocolate and are created in a variety of sizes, from palm-sized to 9.6 ounces. You’ll also have your choice of hollow or solid chocolates.

If you looking for chocolate items that add a bit of secretive fun to the equation, purchase the Surprise Eggs. These adorable eggs are made of hollow chocolate (milk or dark) and then filled with surprise edible treats (candy corn, spiced or jelly beans). These perfectly sized treats are served in a box and surrounded by assorted miniature solid chocolate eggs, bunnies and chicks.

Another special treat are the chocolate-dipped Peeps, a fluffy marshmallow baby chick (sometimes available in bunny shape) shrouded in colorful sugar and half dunked in Life So Sweet’s signature fair trade chocolate. These Peeps were plunged in milk or dark chocolate and are packaged two to a pack.

Small, medium and large boxes carrying delicious hand-crafted chocolates including but not limited to truffles, caramels, creams, solids, coated nuts and exotic flavors are also available for purchase.

Once you’ve found the perfect treats, complete your order by purchasing a decorative basket, recyclable fake grass and a soft and cuddly plush animal. All of these items are available in the make a basket station in the corner of the store near the chocolate making station.

Now that your mind is filled with all sorts of sweet treat images, come downtown and purchase your holiday treats at one or all of these locations.

More information, including store hours can be found by clicking on the name of the business.  

For additional information about places to shop in downtown Ithaca, visit www.downtownithaca.com.