Every year without fail, the Easter Season brings forth a contested candy craze as parents (and bunnies) start scrounging together sweet treats to lovingly load up all those decked-out Easter Baskets with. It’s long been established that Pennsylvania in particular is renowned for producing candies and other confections of great acclaim. This is, after all, the state that boasts the Hershey Company and Just Born (PEEPs and Jelly Beans)—both of which produce massively popular Easter picks that are forever in demand.
But Pennsylvania isn’t the only confection selection of great acclaim in the Mid-Atlantic region. Maryland also has an abundance of sweet treats to its credit. In fact, many made-in-Maryland classic confections have since gone on to garner regional and in some instances, national and even international renown. Many Marylanders don’t even know these goodies were founded in their home state!
In light of the pending Easter candy craze, for this Flashback Friday Feature I’m profiling eight great classic confections that were founded in Maryland.
Berger Cookies
These now world-renowned handmade chocolate cookies got their humble start in East Baltimore when two German immigrant brothers (George and Henry Berger) settled here in 1835. Henry, the baker of the two, had three sons—George, Henry, and Otto, each one following in their father’s footsteps of opening their own bakery (Henry took over his father’s). Their signature product was a handmade cookie utilizing an old German family recipe, which hasn’t changed in all these years. Flat on the bottom, fudge-frosted, round, and weighing 1.25 ounces, the classic Berger Cookie remains a favorite year-round, at Easter or in any other season for that matter.
Learn more about Berger Cookies here.
Candy Kitchen
I previously profiled two Ocean City classic candy shop chains, telling of their history and enduring legacy and expansions through the years. Candy Kitchen was one of them. It all started in 1937 with a man named Sam Taustin, who opened a Boardwalk candy shop where he sold homemade fudge and saltwater taffies. The business continues to be a family-owned operation and has since expanded to various Eastern Shore locations in Ocean City and Delaware Beaches specifically.
Their fudge variations continue to be their top-selling product, with taffy and other in-house morsels also ranking high on the contested cravings list. Even during the off-season, they produce their plentiful confections. And around Easter, their goods are always in demand.
Read more about Candy Kitchen here.
Dolle’s Candyland, Inc.
This was the other Ocean City classic candy shop I previously highlighted. The Dolle’s story began in 1906 when Rudolph Dolle and Rudolph Dolle, Sr. first arrived on the Ocean City Boardwalk scene, bringing with them the existing carousel-making first established in New York. In 1910, Dolle, Sr. established a small saltwater taffy stand at the same spot where his carousel was located, following a purchase he made on a small taffy cart. That right there was the start of what would eventually emerge into the reputed top taffy destination on the coast.
Dolle’s is still a family operation, and their taffy is still top-notch, as well as their other confectionary concoctions of acclaim. With several expanded locations now and shipments for demanded products now on an international level, Dolle’s is always a hit at Easter time as well as at any other time of year.
Discover more about Dolle’s here.
Related Content: The Two Most Time-Tested Candy Classic Destinations in Ocean City, Maryland
Goetze’s Candy Company
Believe it or not, those classic bullseye-looking caramels with cream filling were first baked into being right in the heart of Baltimore. August L. Goetze and his son William Goetze began manufacturing candies back in 1895, having founded a company that was originally called “the Baltimore Chewing Gum Company” (later renamed Goetze’s Candy Company in 1951). Interestingly enough, they even shared a building with none other than Johns Hopkins Hospital.
Despite the original name, caramel was to become their signature claim to fame. Their soft, novelty, chewy caramel concoctions featuring a fondant-filled cream center are now world-famous. Caramel Creams make for a quintessential addition to any holiday or everyday candy stash, as do the company’s newer popular picks—Cow Tales. Similar to Caramel Creams, Cow Tales come as long, thin cylinders of caramel containing the same creamy centers. They are available in a variety of flavors.
Learn more about Goetze’s Candy Company here.
Mary Sue Candies
Making the lineup as one of Maryland’s finest handmade chocolates since 1948, the Easter season is when Mary Sue Candies shine brightest. It’s even been said that theirs is “America’s best Easter Egg” for three reasons—superior chocolate, creamy centers, and unsurpassed freshness.
Easter may be their highest-performing season, but Mary Sue Candies are popular year-round. In addition to chocolate, they’re also known for other goodies, including saltwater taffy.
Visit their website to find out more.
Ottterbein’s Cookies
Here’s another cookie classic that got its start in Baltimore. It was in 1881 that Adam Otterbein opened his namesake bakery as a storefront pastry shop. Another German immigrant with a family recipe to boot, Otterbein’s Cookies put a spin on traditional sugar cookies, creating something thin, crispy, and downright craveable. While their classic recipe comprises just six ingredients, Otterbein’s Cookies have since expanded in flavors and variations. They now boast five distinct options—Chocolate Chip, Lemon, Ginger, Oatmeal Raisin, and their Original Classic Sugar Cookie.
Learn more about Otterbein’s here.
Rheb’s Homemade Candies
Believe it or not, these locally loved homemade candies also come from humble origins. In this case, it was the basement of a Catonsville home owned by a newlywed German couple by the name of Louis John and Esther Rheb. But unlike other German immigrant stories, there were no old family recipes involved in the cultivation of Rheb’s Candies—he was self-taught in the art of candy making, having read books and experimented personally for many years in the task at hand.
Rheb became renowned for his taffies, brittles, and fudges, specifically, but his lofty lineup soon came to include other additions as well—even those eventual, hand-dipped velvety chocolates they’re now known for.
With popularity and product growth came the eventual expansions, and taking his treats to farmer’s markets solely wasn’t enough anymore. While locations may have changed, neither the brand nor the fact that the business is still family-run ever has.
Discover more about Rheb’s Homemade Candies on the website.
Wockenfuss
Wockenfuss, established by Herman Charles back in 1915 in Baltimore, is a company that’s long been epitomizing the decadence of fine gourmet chocolate. Their products range in everything from truffles to specialty boxed chocolates, fudge to barks, brittles, pretzels, and more. They’re even well-known for their specialty candy apples and other candies, such as gummies, licorice, and jelly beans, among many others (some of the aforementioned non-chocolate items are even available as hand-dipped chocolate specialties). What’s more, it’s not only chocolate setting the standards anymore; caramel, vanilla, and yogurt coatings are also worthy contenders these days.
Through its long and endearing history, Wockenfuss remains a family-owned company and operates many different locations throughout the state. And they remain a highly sought-after option for Easter and other occasions.
Go to their website to learn more.
While this post highlights classic candy companies of enduring longevity, it’s worth noting that there are several other, much younger, and more modern confectionary hits throughout the area on the rise. Two such honorable mentions go to Albert Kirchmayar Chocolates and The Velvet Chocolatier.
Consider these local legendary classics and others this season as you scrounge together the goods for which to present to loved ones this Easter.