Author: Chocolate Covered Weekly

Ali Domrongchai, Associate Editor, Groceries, of thekitchn.com reviews these scrumptious treats: Each day I have a sweet little something. I keep frozen cookie dough in my freezer at all times for freshly baked chocolate chip cookies whenever I want. I consider a tray of fudgy brownies to be my love language, and I have a designated candy bowl in my living room with all sorts of bites. Chocolate is definitely one of my life’s greatest joys, and among my all-time favorite chocolate bars are the Chocolate Hazelnut ones from Hu Kitchen. They’re decadent, rich, and full of creamy hazelnut filling, which makes it hard for me to finish in one sitting. So when I heard that the brand released bite-size versions of my favorite chocolate bar, I obviously had to try it out for myself. Spoiler alert: Despite its miniature size, it’s somehow even better than the original. The Hu Kitchen Hazelnut Dark Chocolate Bites first hit stores nationwide in early May and contain 70% dark chocolate and a creamy, hazelnut filling. In fact, there are just four ingredients: all-organic cacao, unrefined coconut sugar, hazelnut butter, and cocoa butter. There are six individually wrapped chocolates in a bag, which retail for around $7.99 to $8.99 depending on the retailers. You can find them at Amazon and Instacart, as well as Whole Foods Market and Kroger. My favorite part about Hu’s chocolate bites is that they are made with such simple ingredients — no additives, fillers, or preservatives. I really taste the chocolate, without any odd aftertaste or residue on my tongue (which happens a lot with other chocolate bars I’ve tried). I expected nothing less; these bites are made with the exact same ingredients as the OG bars, and I was delightfully right. The chocolate is sweet, but more decadent than anything. It is dark chocolate so I wouldn’t describe it as creamy, but the hazelnut filling is, so it balances out and makes it all taste so wonderful. The hazelnut is nutty and sweet and together. The bites remind me of a firm spoonful of Nutella. These bites are also THICK — nearly double the height of a square of a Hu Kitchen Chocolate Hazelnut Bar (which I love). I can’t tell if it’s because I just like miniature things, but I find them to be superior to the bar, too. Buy Hu Kitchen Hazelnut Butter Dark Chocolate Bites, $8.99 for 2.75 ounces at Amazon.

The Hershey Company’s One brand is releasing a new Hershey’s Double Chocolate-flavored bar. The new protein bar is made with real Hershey’s cocoa and chocolate chips, but with only one gram of sugar. So, you’ll still get the indulgent chocolaty flavor, but in a better-for-you package. The One x Hershey’s Double Chocolate bars boast 18 grams of protein per serving, making them the perfect mid-day snack to keep you going until meal time. One’s new Hershey’s-flavored bars are currently available in select markets, with nationwide availability coming soon. They join One’s other popular flavors, like Cinnamon Roll, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, and S’mores, which all pack in 20 grams of protein. Now, whether you’re looking for a pick-me-up protein snack with Hershey’s One or a new way to make s’mores with Hershey’s recently released Milk Chocolate With Caramel Bar, you can turn to your favorite candy bar at any time of day.

Dove, the brand behind the popular creamy chocolate squares called Promises, is teaming up with Snack Pack to entice dark chocolate lovers everywhere. The new Dove Dark Chocolate Pudding Cups feature three types of cocoa to produce a super-rich, chocolaty dessert that gives regular milk chocolate pudding a run for its money. Additionally, the pudding contains twice as much milk as other Snack Pack products, providing extra creamy, melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness. If it’s anything like Dove’s fan-favorite Dark Chocolate Promises, we know this one will be a hit. It’s unclear when these will be rolling out to stores, but according to a press release, they will be sold in packs of six for around $3.19.

The trendy grocer is finally bringing the trendiest chocolate treat, the Dubai chocolate bar, to its shelves. The rich, dark chocolate-coated squares, filled with pistachio cream and crispy golden kataifi, are produced by Patislove, a food group brand specializing in handcrafted chocolates, which also confirmed the news on May 19, 2025, with a post on its own Instagram page. While the exact timing of when the bars will appear at your local store is still up in the air, a TikTok video shows they’ll be available for stores to order on May 26. Priced at just $3.99, TJ’s Dubai-inspired chocolates are sure to be one of — if not the — most affordable of the limited Dubai chocolate options in the U.S.

The rich taste of chocolate (as a food) has been gracing our taste buds since the 1800s, and this decadent treat isn’t likely to go out of style any time soon. Whether milk, white, or dark is your go-to, chocolate comes in a wide range of varieties, from bite-sized truffles to hearty slabs. And, whilst the basic formula for making chocolate has remained fairly constant over time, we’ve seen several chocolate-related trends come and go. In 2025, chocolate’s place in the foodie scene is unwavering, and there are many trends on the rise, some of which you might already be familiar with. These trendy takes on classic chocolate are transforming the flavor, texture, and appearance of products on the market today. Consumers are more conscious of where their chocolate comes from and are seeking products that can cater to different dietary requirements. Modern technology is also making it far quicker and easier to craft chocolates with eye-catching colors and intricate designs. Click HERE to find out which chocolate trends are booming this year and beyond.

We love the convenience of boxed cake mix, but at times, it seems like nothing can beat a homemade treat. Store-bought desserts lack the taste and quality of a made-from-scratch cake … or so we thought. Duncan Hines’ Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix completely raised our expectations of what we’ve come to anticipate from a store-bought mix. Ready-made mixes have a reputation for being artificial tasting, overly sweet, coarse, and generally of poor quality.  Read more, HERE.

The best breakfast cereals don’t always have to taste like breakfast food. Sometimes, it can taste like dessert — especially when you choose a chocolate cereal. Whether you elect to eat it first thing in the morning or save it for your after-dinner snack, chocolate cereal can be a delicious way to add more sweetness to your life. And while there were only a few chocolate cereal options back in the day, they’re seemingly everywhere in the 2020s, with seemingly every mainstream cereal brand having released a chocolate-flavored version of its best-known cereals. Here are 13 chocolate breakfast cereals ranked from worst to best (click, HERE)

Costco is jumping on the Dubai chocolate bandwagon this spring, and the beloved bulk retailer is introducing a new ice cream inspired by the highly sought-after Middle Eastern treat. Dubai Chocolate ice cream bars are making their way to Costco’s frozen section, food blogger Markie Devo announced this week. This “hand-dipped frozen dessert” — filled with pistachio ice cream and topped with a crunchy milk chocolate coating — is inspired by the wildly Instagrammable chocolate bar, which has been trending online over the past few months. It’s easy to see why the treat has become a worldwide obsession: It takes a thick chocolate bar and fills it with pistachio cream and kataifi (shredded bits of toasted phyllo dough), adding a crunchy texture to the smooth filling. The dessert’s popularity is attributed to Fix Dessert Chocolatier, a local Dubai producer led by married couple Sarah Hamouda and Yezen Alani, whose knafeh-filled “Can’t Get Knafeh of It” chocolate bar initially sparked the trend after content creator Maria Vehera posted about it in a now-viral video.

The quality and presentation of chocolate along with the rarity of the cacao beans used can make the chocolate terribly cheap or super expensive. Chocolate companies have gone as far as to partner with jewelry companies. They’ve festooned chocolates with edible gold to create uber-expensive, limited-edition chocolates with astounding price tags, such as “Le Chocolate Box.” This was a $1.5 million extravaganza from Lake Forest Confections and Simon Jewelers that had diamond, ruby, emerald, and sapphire jewelry tucked among several boxes of chocolates. Don’t forget the time that restaurant Serendipity 3 teamed with Euphoria New York to create “Frrrozen Haute Chocolate,” which cost a whopping $25,000 for a blend of cocoa mixed with edible gold — 23-karat gold — and a luxury chocolate truffle. If you need a moment to catch your breath after seeing those prices, you’re not alone. Check out 14 of the most expensive chocolates, HERE.

If you’re searching for the absolute best bar — either for your loved one or yourself — look no further than the treat that was declared the best dark chocolate in the world, according to the 2024 International Chocolate Awards: Norwegian chocolate maker Vigdis Rosenkilde’s 70% cacao Quellouno bar. Simplicity is the key to this winner’s success. Roskenkilde’s 70% Quellouno is made from just two ingredients — sugar and cacao. The latter is sourced from a single-family farm in the Quelloúno district of Cusco, Peru, a region that gives the chocolate both its name and distinct flavor. The result is a bar with a complex profile, including tasting notes of forest berries, pecans, cream, and port wine, along with hints of green apple, plums, vanilla, yellow melon, and banana. If you could give the gift of the best chocolate in the world, why wouldn’t you?

First spotted in select Lindt stores back in December, the limited run of £10 pistachio and crispy kataifi chocolate bars quickly sold out. But don’t worry if you missed out – they’re back in all Lindt UK shops and have now landed online and in supermarkets, too. Inspired by the viral TikTok treat – in which people were literally travelling across the world to get their hands on Dubai chocolate – Lindt’s luxurious interpretation of the flavor features creamy milk chocolate filled with pistachio paste and crispy kadayif pastry, creating a perfect blend of nutty, crunchy and smooth textures.

Did you know that before he became the godfather of American chocolate, Milton Hershey’s first successful business venture was a company that manufactured and sold caramel? Beyond the fact that it’s a match-made-in-heaven combo, chocolate and caramel both share a huge part in Hershey’s legacy—so why not put the two together? Thankfully, we can finally put our hopes and dreams to rest with word that the iconic Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar is getting the caramelly update it so rightfully deserves. According to @candyhunting on Instagram, new Hershey’s Milk Chocolate with Caramel Bars are on their way to stores now, and shoppers are going wild. The new treat, likely an homage to the founder himself, takes the classic chocolate bar and stuffs ooey, gooey caramel in the middle. Similar to Rolo’s (IYKYK) or a Cadbury Caramello, this new iteration on a classic has chocolate lovers going berserk. “I must find,” said one shopper. “I’m not gonna not eat these,” hilariously quipped another fan. As a self-described caramel fanatic, I, too, agree that I definitely will not not devour an entire six-pack in one sitting.

Even if you’ve got an undeniable sweet tooth, there’s nothing wrong with being slightly picky about your chocolate. A good chocolate bar should be sweet but not too sweet and have enough bitterness to give the chocolate some character without tasting unpleasant. It should be velvety without being like that chalky dark chocolate in grocery stores. In short, it’s a game of balancing opposites together into something strong but also comforting. Chocolate bars are comfort food, after all. So what’s the best one out there? Chowhound did a full, comprehensive breakdown of chocolate bars, unwrapping and ranking the 20 best chocolate bars on the market. The competition was fierce and often overly sweet, but the winner is a familiar name for San Francisco locals: Ghirardelli’s Intense Dark Chocolate was the clear winner, just narrowly beating out Lindt’s Intense Orange Dark Chocolate in second place.

Most of the world came to know the viral chocolate bar that is rare to find anywhere but Dubai, also called “Dubai chocolate,” while scrolling through TikTok. The treat went mega-viral online, with many wishing to sample it … and quickly finding out that it’s not really available in the States. Well, leave it to Costco to fix all of our viral chocolate cravings: A new box of chocolates full of tiny Dubai chocolate cups has just hit the shelves! Spotted at a Michigan Costco by @costcohotfinds, who shared a detailed look on Instagram, the chocolates are currently going for $17.99. Each box comes with 41 small cups that are the perfect balance of sweet, smooth, and crunchy. They’re also slightly less messy than the classic Dubai chocolate that’s famously thick and gooey; the cups are small enough to pop directly into your mouth. Made by the well-known Belgian chocolate brand Bouchard, the box of chocolates is currently available in Costco stores across the Midwest — but the brand is working hard to bring it to other Costco locations as well (the Northeast is next).

Some chocolate lovers opt for the 80% and over chocolate in winter. There is good reason for this: it’s got more health benefits and far less sugar, and if you don’t eat loads of sugar anyway a very high percentage chocolate tastes epic and actually quite sweet. Here are some worth trying, as noted by Annalisa Barbieri, in THEGUARDIAN.COM: Asda has an excellent Ugandan 85%, £1.85/100g. Waitrose’s No 1 range, £2.25/100g, has two great contenders: Peruvian 80% and 90% Ecuadorian, if you fancy something even darker. Marks & Spencer meanwhile has a super offering, too: 85% Peruvian, £2.25/100g. Are these all actually made by the same company? That would be telling. Apologies for mentioning this one again, but it’s worth it: Lumi’s Ugandan 80% with cocoa nibs, £7.50/100g, is a storming success. Annalisa’s current favorite is Rózsavölgyi Csokoládé – Sur Del Lago 84%, £9.95/70g. Venezuelan beans, made in Hungary; this bar is ‘beautifully balanced’, very classy, so tasty and elegantly wrapped.

Hershey’s and Breyers are introducing a Campfire Collection, including S’mores ice cream, S’mores Bars, and S’mores Sandwiches. The headliner of the collection is the S’mores ice cream tubs and pints, which feature toasted marshmallow-flavored ice cream with graham cracker crumbs and Hershey’s chocolate swirls. The S’mores Bars are unlike anything you’ve seen before with toasted marshmallow ice cream encased in Hershey’s chocolate and dipped in graham cracker crumbs. Think of it as a s’mores-flavored Good Humor bar (which is also owned by Breyers’ parent company, Unilever). Last, but certainly not least, is the S’mores Sandwich, which is the most similar to the original campfire treat. It features toasted marshmallow-flavored ice cream swirled with Hershey’s chocolate, sandwiched between two graham cracker wafers. Breyers’ entire Campfire Collection hits retailers nationwide on Jan. 1, 2025.

Tony’s Chocolonely’s mission to support ethical chocolate is through a direct trade model, ensuring fair prices and better conditions for cocoa farmers, and this mission is reinforced every step of the way, from production to design. Its signature uneven bar shaping is meant to symbolize wealth inequality in the chocolate industry, sparking consumer awareness. Vibrant packaging combines playful branding with a serious mission, engaging customers in the fight for a fairer and more transparent chocolate supply chain. Devin Parr, with the help of his children, tried 12 Tony’s Chocolonely chocolate bars and ranked them. You can find the results, HERE.

The chocolate candy is getting a festive twist for the holidays. The popular chocolate candy has rolled out its first holiday-shaped treat and fans are here for it. A popular food blogger shared that “New Kit Kat Santas are starting to appear in stores for the holiday season.” They continued, sharing that they found an 8.85 ounce bag of the individually wrapped snack size candies at World Market.