Chocolate-bunny casting kicks into high gear as Easter nears, and few do it better than Conrad's Candy in Westwood, New Jersey. The confectionery has been producing specialty chocolate creations since the mid-1900s, often drawing on founder Fred Conrad's vast collection of antique molds.

Unlike large-scale chocolate producers, Conrad's Candy creates its chocolate rabbits by hand. For a 26-inch hollow bunny, the process starts with 20 to 25 solid chocolate bars melting overnight at 115 degrees. In the morning, the store's chocolatiers temper the liquid mixture with raw chocolate to achieve the perfect temperature and texture.

Now the molding can begin. The liquefied chocolate is poured into the mold -- which is slowly rotated to coat its entire surface -- and drained back into the melter. The chocolate maker repeats the process three to four times, allowing 15 minutes between each layer for hardening.

Finally, it's time to add the base of the bunny by pouring a small puddle of chocolate onto a sheet of waxed paper. The mold is set onto the paper and left to solidify for about an hour and a half, after which the rabbit should emerge fully formed and ready for Easter Sunday.