Peter Cottontail is hopping his way down the bunny trail as we quickly make our way towards Easter 2026. With the holiday right around the corner, and barely any time to recover from Saint Patrick’s Day, there’s much to do. Egg dying, Easter baskets making, and most importantly, the ham needs in the oven before the in-laws are over. Instead of stressing, give yourself a break and pass the goodie-making to the wonderful bakeries and chocolate-makers around the city of Pittsburgh. From intricately made cakes and pies to adorable bunny-shaped decorated cupcakes and traditional hot cross buns, these bakeries are sure to bring joy and deliciousness to your holiday table.
Easter Candy and Chocolate in Pittsburgh
We’d be lying if we said that biting into a Sarris Chocolate Bunny on Easter morning doesn’t still brings a smile to our faces. Whether you’re stuffing an Easter basket for your children or decorating the dessert table, Sarris has decadent chocolates to get your fill. One popular option is the all-in-one Easter Basket Pail, which overflows with seven different treats, including peanut butter eggs, chocolate bars, jelly beans, and, of course, a milk chocolate bunny. Also available is their patented Bash Egg, which varies from season to season. The Easter version comes with a mini wood hammer to smash open a chocolate egg full of chocolate mini pretzels and jelly beans.
If you have been craving the soft texture of Panettone since Christmas, try Enrico’s Italian Easter Bread, Pane di Pasqua. This braided, brioche-style bread is topped with pearl sugar, almonds, sometimes chocolate or even Easter eggs. Be sure to call 24 hours in advance to order this popular seasonal sweet bread. A Ricotta Pie is also an essential part of the Easter table setting for many Italians. At Enrico Biscotti, their Italian cheesecake uses a sweetened ricotta filling atop a pasta frolla crust. These pies are available only at the store in the Strip District.
If you’re hosting a gathering, be sure to have the widely beloved cake pops on hand. A Sweet Morsel Co. takes the cute treat game up a notch with edible Easter decorations. The Easter Cake Pops come in 6- or 12-packs. The chick, bunny, and bunny bum pops have a vanilla cake center, while the carrot, bird nest, and sprinkle pops use a chocolate center. For a sit-down style dessert, try the Eggcellent Easter Cake, a two-layer chocolate cake with a fudge center and white icing dipped in chocolate and edged with pink piping. Topping this chocolate delight are fudge rosettes and pastel chocolate eggs.
First made by 12th-century Anglican monks, hot cross buns were originally served on Good Friday. Oakmont Bakery’s fluffy versions are sweetened with fruits and spices used to represent health and prosperity. You can order eight packs in raisin or a fruit version studded with candied lemon and orange peel, and glazed pineapple and strawberries. The bakery also offers a wide assortment of unique Easter specialties, like Peep-style caramel apple pops, a rosette cross cookie cake, and Bunnie Bait Berries, which are whole strawberries dipped in orange-tinted white chocolate and set onto beds of Oreo crumbs. Be sure to order all Easter favorites before March 31.
Drop into Mon Aimee while shopping in the Strip District for your Easter dinner to choose from a curated selection of sweet treats. Please your foodie friends with Pump Street’s Dark Chocolate Sourdough and Sea Salt Eggs, with 66% Ecuadorian-sourced cocoa, or their Chocolate Chicken made with cocoa farmed from a Jamaican estate. Win over the younger set with Mon Aimee’s brightly colored foil eggs shaped like chicks or bunnies. Or make everyone happy and buy a basket stocked with Pump Street’s Chicken, plus an assortment of chocolate bunnies and eggs.
Make sure the chocolate you purchase this holiday is rich and creamy, made with the finest cocoa. The Milkshake Factory has been making chocolates since 1914 and it shows in their deliciously perfected recipe. Choose from chocolate-covered pretzels, chocolate-dipped strawberries, various barks, gourmet gift sets, and much more.
Hop into the spring season and celebrate with pastel-colored macarons. These little wonders are made from scratch using French techniques to make sure you get the most authentic macaron possible. Gaby et Jules’ Signature Collection includes the flavors Lemon, Earl Grey, Pistachio, Rose, Sea Salt Caramel, and Coffee — colorful beauties on any Easter dessert plate.
No matter what type of molded chocolate you’re looking for, Pollak’s Candies carries a large selection of Easter shapes. You can choose from chocolate bunnies, crosses, chicks, and small foil-wrapped chocolates. Chocolate eggs and cream eggs also come in edible chocolate baskets, with one large enough to be the showpiece of your centerpiece. Pollak’s also features boxed chocolates, caramels, and truffles, all packaged in cheerful spring wrapping.
The Squirrel Hill staple has been serving chocolate for more than two decades, but this is also a top spot if a loved one on your Easter list is a jelly bean fan, as The Chocolate Moose carries the complete line — more than 50 varieties — of Jelly Belly beans. Cherry, blueberry, peach and fun flavors like toasted cotton candy, marshmallow, tutti fruitti, cinnamon, sours, and more are at the ready. The Chocolate Moose also packs kid-ready Easter baskets, plus more sophisticated versions for adults, with truffles, chocolate quail eggs, and artisan chocolate bars.
Every kid loves to wake up to a chocolate Easter bunny in their basket that they can snack on throughout the day. They carry both milk, dark, and white chocolate varieties. Plus, the shop also stocks chocolate crosses and little lambs. Outside of the shaped chocolate, they also specialize in truffles like their Chocolate Coconut and Chocolate Cherry handmade truffles.
Pre-order your Braided Easter Bread this year from Jak’s Bakery to ensure you get a fresh and carefully craft loaf. Head to their website to grab their Kozunak which is dairy-free and vegetarian. Then, pick up your bread on either April 4 or April 11 depending on if you’re celebrating Easter or Orthodox Easter.
Story by Kylie Thomas
Styling by Anna Franklin
Photography by Star Laliberte
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