

McCrea's Candies
Slow-cooked caramels made in small batches in Boston, in flavors from Cape Cod Sea Salt to Single Malt Scotch, with no corn syrup. Shop gift boxes from $14.95 and free shipping over $75.
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Slow-cooked caramels made in small batches in Boston, in flavors from Cape Cod Sea Salt to Single Malt Scotch, with no corn syrup.
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At a glance
- Price Range
- $5.95 pillow box to $79.95 Party Box
- Free Shipping
- US orders over $75
- Standard Shipping
- $7 up to $29.90; $8-$9 above
- Dispatch
- UPS, 2-3 business days, Mon-Fri
- Ships To
- US addresses only
- Corn Syrup
- None
- Allergens
- Milk; facility with tree nuts and sesame
- Returns
- None (food); issues by email
Pros
- An Award-Winning Small Maker: Jason and Kate McCrea founded the company in Boston in 2009, and its Black Lava Sea Salt caramel won a Good Food Award in 2016.
- A Short Ingredient List: The caramels are cooked from fresh milk, cream, butter, cane sugar and fair trade organic vanilla, with no corn syrup and no artificial flavors or colors.
- Gifts at Every Price: Flavor trio gable boxes cost $14.95, the nine-flavor Flavor Family Box $35.95, the 24-piece advent calendars $39.95 and the roughly 80-piece Party Box $79.95.
Cons
- McCrea's ships only to US addresses, so readers in Canada, Australia and the UK cannot order from the store directly and will need a local stockist or another confectioner for gifts abroad.
- Because the caramels are food, McCrea's does not accept returns and handles problems by email, and it publishes no holiday order-by dates or warm-weather packing details, so order Christmas gifts by early December and email [email protected] with any timing questions.
The Verdict
What sets McCrea's apart is a slow-cooked caramel built on fresh dairy and unusual flavors instead of corn syrup: McCrea's Candies began in 2009, when Jason McCrea, laid off in the recession, started cooking caramel in his Hyde Park kitchen in Boston and selling it at his son's school; his wife Kate soon joined and now runs the company as chief executive. Both trained as scientists, and the kitchen still treats caramel as chemistry, cooking fresh milk, cream, butter and cane sugar in copper kettles with fair trade organic vanilla and no corn syrup. Flavors run past the usual sea salt to Tapped Maple with New England maple syrup, Single Malt Scotch, Rosemary Truffle Sea Salt and Ginger Fusion, and the Black Lava Sea Salt caramel won a Good Food Award in 2016. The kitchen counts about 16 flavors in all, with seasonal ones such as Chocolate Peppermint and Cold Brew Coffee. A 1.4oz pillow box of about five pieces costs $5.95, or $29.75 for a case of six, and a 5.5oz tube of about 19 pieces costs $22.95. Gifts start with $14.95 flavor trio gable boxes and run through the 36-piece Flavor Family Box at $35.95, the 40-piece Magic & Merriment Collection at $37.95, the 24-piece advent calendars at $39.95 and the Party Box, about 80 pieces in four flavors, at $79.95. Orders are packed by hand and ship Monday to Friday by UPS within 2 to 3 business days, with no Friday shipping in summer. Shipping costs $7 on orders up to $29.90 and $8 to $9 above that, and orders over $75 ship free. Gift cards run from $25 to $100. The limits are the ones a small candy maker usually has. McCrea's delivers only within the US, does not take returns because the products are food, and publishes no Christmas order-by dates or hot-weather packing, so order holiday gifts by early December. Every caramel contains milk and is made in a facility that also handles tree nuts and sesame, and the gluten-free wording is the brand's description, not a certification. Independent reviews are thin, with no Trustpilot reviews, though on-site ratings are strong, such as 4.81 out of 5 from 43 reviews for the Holiday Homecoming calendar. The Flavor Family Box is the best first order.
Slow-Cooked Small-Batch Boston Caramels, Gift Boxes and Advent Calendars
McCrea's Candies was founded in 2009 by Jason McCrea, who began cooking caramel at home in Boston's Hyde Park after losing his job in the recession, and his wife Kate, now chief executive, soon joined him. The company still cooks and hand-packs its caramels in Hyde Park, where its wholesale site lists 63 Sprague Street, and it sells direct, through shops nationwide and on the wholesale marketplace Faire. The range centers on about 16 caramel flavors sold as pillow boxes, tubes, gift boxes and seasonal collections.
A 1.4oz pillow box of about five caramels costs $5.95 and a case of six costs $29.75, while 5.5oz tubes of about 19 pieces cost $22.95 in flavors such as Cape Cod Sea Salt, Tapped Maple and Single Malt Scotch. Flavor trio gable boxes cost $14.95, the Flavor Family Box with four pieces of nine flavors $35.95 and the Tall Gift Box of three tubes $69.95. For the holidays, the Holiday Homecoming and Christmas Storytime advent calendars hold 24 caramels in eight flavors for $39.95 each, and gift cards run from $25 to $100.
The caramels are made from fresh milk, cream, butter, cane sugar, tapioca syrup and molasses with fair trade organic vanilla, and the brand says they contain no corn syrup or artificial flavors and are free of gluten, though it names no certification. All flavors contain milk and are made in a facility that also processes tree nuts and sesame. Orders ship Monday to Friday by UPS within 2 to 3 business days, with no Friday shipping in summer, and cost $7 up to $29.90, $8 to $9 above that and nothing over $75. McCrea's ships only to US addresses, so there is no delivery to Canada, Australia or the UK.
Because every product is food, McCrea's does not accept returns; if something goes wrong, email [email protected] and the team promises to do its best to put it right. It publishes no holiday order-by dates or warm-weather packing details, so order Christmas gifts early. The independent record is thin: the Trustpilot profile has no reviews and we found no BBB listing, while on-site reviews are positive, including 4.75 out of 5 from 36 reviews for the Cape Cod Sea Salt tube.
McCrea's Candies: what to know before you buy
McCrea's Candies cooks small-batch caramels in Boston's Hyde Park. Here is what its flavors and gift boxes cost, how shipping works, and what to know about allergens and returns.
Shipping, returns & warranty
McCrea's packs orders by hand and ships them Monday to Friday by UPS, usually within 2 to 3 business days of the order; its policy page allows 3 to 5. In summer it does not ship on Fridays. Shipping costs $7 on orders of $29.90 and under and $8 to $9 on larger orders, depending on location, and orders over $75 ship free. If you send gifts to several addresses during a free-shipping promotion, each address has to meet the threshold after discounts.
McCrea's ships only to US addresses, so there is no delivery to Canada, Australia or the UK.
The brand publishes no holiday order-by dates and no warm-weather packing details, so order Christmas gifts by early December and email [email protected] if timing matters.
Because every product is food, McCrea's does not accept returns, and there is no warranty. If an order arrives damaged or something else goes wrong, email the team with the details and it promises to do its best to make it right.
McCrea's caramel flavors and gift lines
McCrea's makes about 16 caramel flavors. The staples include Black Lava Sea Salt, its 2016 Good Food Award winner, Cape Cod Sea Salt, Classic Vanilla, Deep Chocolate, Tapped Maple with New England maple syrup and Single Malt Scotch, with Rosemary Truffle Sea Salt, Ginger Fusion and Dark Roasted Mocha in the nine-flavor Flavor Family Box. Seasonal flavors this year include Chocolate Peppermint, Chocolate Orange and Cold Brew Coffee.
Single flavors come as 1.4oz pillow boxes of about five pieces ($5.95) or 5.5oz tubes of about 19 pieces ($22.95). Gift lines include flavor trio gable boxes of 15 caramels for occasions such as birthdays and thank-yous ($14.95), the 4-Pillow Gift Sampler ($24.95), the Tall Gift Box of three tubes ($69.95) and the Party Box with about 20 pieces of each of four flavors ($79.95). The holiday range adds two advent calendars and the Magic & Merriment Collection.
How to choose a McCrea's gift
For a first taste, the Flavor Family Box gives four pieces of nine flavors for $35.95 and works as a tasting flight. For a small thank-you or a stocking stuffer, a $14.95 gable box trio or a $5.95 pillow box keeps the cost down.
For a December countdown, the two advent calendars hold 24 caramels in eight flavors for $39.95 each. For an office or a party, the Party Box brings about 80 pieces, and a case of six pillow boxes at $29.75 splits easily into individual gifts.
Check allergies before you send: every caramel contains milk, and the kitchen also processes tree nuts and sesame. Single Malt Scotch lists single malt Scotch among its ingredients, so pick another flavor for anyone avoiding alcohol.
Deals & pricing
Prices on mccreascandies.com run from $5.95 for a pillow box to $79.95 for the Party Box, and gift cards come in $25, $50, $75 and $100. A case of six pillow boxes costs $29.75, less than buying six singly at $5.95, and orders over $75 ship free within the US.
The store has a Sale section, and in early November 2026 the Deep Chocolate tube was marked at $15.95 against its usual $22.95. Sale stock changes often, so check before you buy.
We do not list coupon codes we have not tested. To catch a lower price before Black Friday or the holidays, set a price alert on In-Right's Watchlist at /watchlist/.
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McCrea's Candies: questions people ask
Straight answers about McCrea's Candies, then how this review was written and stays independent.
About McCrea's Candies
Are McCrea's caramels gluten-free?
McCrea's describes its caramels as free of gluten, and the ingredient lists we read contain no wheat, barley or rye. The brand does not name a gluten-free certification, so anyone with celiac disease should contact [email protected] before ordering. Every flavor contains milk, and the caramels are made in a facility that also processes tree nuts and sesame.
Is McCrea's Candies legit?
Yes. McCrea's Candies is a Boston caramel maker founded in 2009 by Jason and Kate McCrea, based in the Hyde Park neighborhood, and its Black Lava Sea Salt caramel won a Good Food Award in 2016. Its independent record is thin, with no Trustpilot reviews and no BBB listing we could find, but on-site reviews are strong, such as 4.81 out of 5 from 43 reviews for its Holiday Homecoming advent calendar.
Does McCrea's Candies ship to Canada, Australia or the UK?
No. McCrea's ships only to US addresses. Within the US, orders ship Monday to Friday by UPS within 2 to 3 business days and cost $7 up to $29.90, $8 to $9 above that, and nothing on orders over $75.
What is McCrea's Candies' return policy?
McCrea's does not accept returns because all of its products are food. If you are unhappy with an order, email [email protected], explain the problem, and the team says it will do its best to make it right.
What is in the McCrea's caramel advent calendar?
The 2026 Holiday Homecoming and Christmas Storytime advent calendars each hold 24 handmade caramels in eight flavors: Classic Vanilla, Cape Cod Sea Salt, Deep Chocolate, Black Lava Sea Salt, Tapped Maple, Chocolate Peppermint, Chocolate Orange and Cold Brew Coffee. Each costs $39.95 and features artwork by Boston artist Angellize Rivera.
Where can I buy McCrea's caramels?
Online at mccreascandies.com, which ships across the US, and at shops listed on the brand's store locator page. Retailers can order wholesale through the brand or on Faire. The online store has the full range, including advent calendars, gift boxes and gift cards.
About this review
Is this McCrea's Candies review sponsored?
No. McCrea's Candies did not pay for this write-up, see it before publication, or have any say in the verdict. If we earn anything it is a commission after you buy, and it comes out of the merchant’s margin rather than your price.
How was the McCrea's Candies assessed?
By using it and by checking the claims made about it against what it actually does. Where our time with something has been limited, the review says so rather than implying more testing than happened.
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Yes — when a product changes, when a price moves for good, or when we get something wrong. Corrections are made on the piece itself with a note saying what changed.
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