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LAKE OZARK, MO. -- Long before Peter Cottontail comes hopping down the bunny trail, the sweet smell of warm fudge lures visitors to Grandma’s Candy Kitchen on the Bagnell Dam Strip.

Recently, a growing parade of chocolate bunnies has taken center stage among the Jelly Belly’s, lollipops and fudge turtles.

More than 100 of the mocha cottontails sold during their debut appearance.

“I decorate them with coconut and then we give them a little eye and they’re good to go,” chief confectioner Jenny White said.

In 20 years as a fudge aficionado, jenny white has poured hours of hard work into what has become a labor of love.

“I start cooking at usually six in the morning,” White said. “Some nights I’m here until eight to make sure that we don’t run out.”

Confectioners in this candy-coated wonderland have been satisfying the cravings of lake area chocolate lovers for over 40 years.

During the hectic days of summer White and her crew whip up six to eight kettles of delicious fudge treats each and every day.

All that cooking adds up to an astonishing nine tons of homemade chocolate and fudge sold each year.

“We have between 25 and 28 flavors,” White explained. “We can pretty much make whatever you want to. If the customer can dream it up we can probably make it.”

White shows little concern that the chocolate craze will fade once all those tummies are full of sweet bunnies.

“So many of our customers came here when they were children,” White said. “Now they bring their children and grandchildren. It’s become a family tradition.”

And what might the secret ingredient be to winning such sweet devotion?

“We feel like we put our heart and soul into it,” White said. “We’re proud of our product and we want people to come back year after year.”

White anticipates that nearly 300 chocolate bunnies will hop out the door by Easter morn. In addition to their chocolate and fudge creations, the store sells 3,500 pounds of taffy each month, along with an array of specialty fudges that include wedding cake fudge available in June and pumpkin fudge in the fall.

More information about the sweet delicacies at Grandma’s Candy Kitchen can be found online at www.grandmas-candy.com.