Author: Chocolate Covered Weekly

After a year like 2020, Baskin-Robbins wants you to embrace your love for chocolate and indulge in a decadent chocolate experience with Baskin-Robbins’ January Flavor of the Month, Chocolate Trilogy, that is sure to satisfy any sweet tooth. A delightfully unique flavor with white, Belgian and malted chocolate-flavored ice cream, Chocolate Trilogy is an explosion of chocolatey goodness, swirled to creamy perfection. A match made in ice cream heaven, each unforgettable spoonful brings together the toasted, earthy notes of malted chocolate flavor, the buttery, sweet flavor of white chocolate, and the classically delicious, milky flavor of Belgian chocolate. If you are a chocoholic, this decadent flavor will be at the top of your list to indulge in.

The range and quality of vegan chocolate is increasing with all manner of dairy alternatives now being used, from nut milks, to rice milks and coconut cream. Whether you’re dairy-free out of choice or not, that shouldn’t mean you’re deprived of the most indulgent and delicious chocolate treats. Good Housekeeping’s Food specialist Alex Hale has scoured the shelves and web to bring you her favorite vegan chocolate. Included is everything from smooth and creamy vegan white and milk chocolate to bittersweet and sophisticated dark chocolate. There’s something for everyone with all manner of flavors and fillings, not to mention a few vegan chocolate desserts. Many of these delicious recommendations are also either ‘raw’, unrefined or gluten-free too! Click, here, to discover the best vegan chocolate available to buy now.

While most wouldn’t consider olive oil and chocolate a natural pairing, Michelin-starred chef Thomas Keller and olive oil producer Armando Manni beg to differ. The pair launched K+M Extravirgin Chocolate a few short years ago as a lineup of chocolate bars infused with rich olive oil. Now, the brand is expanding the offering to include a lush hot chocolate perfect for getting you through the chilly winter months. Blended in California’s Napa Valley, the hot chocolate mix uses the very same high-quality beans found in each of the brand’s bars. The beverage is reported to have the same rich flavor profile as its solid counterpart, with an added dash of creaminess and nuttiness to round things out. Every element has been calibrated by the brand’s chocolatiers to achieve a cup of hot chocolate worthy of Keller’s famously high standards. The antioxidants in olive oil and chocolate are different. Chocolate has flavanols, where olive oil has polyphenols. The polyphenols create a synergy with chocolate’s flavanols that makes the antioxidants more available to your body. Health benefits aside, the combination leads to a richer, more velvety texture that also translates to the company’s hot chocolate. Truly the best of both worlds. A 14oz bag of K+M Extravirgin hot chocolate serves 10 and is available for $24.

Give your valentine M&M’S Candy made with milk chocolate crunchy candy shell. Pink, red and white M&M’S Valentine’s Day candy is perfect for candy buffets and Valentine’s Day parties. Share chocolate Valentine’s Day candy with the M&M’S Candy lovers in your life. Bake delicious festive desserts with milk chocolate candy. You can find these at Target and other retail stores.

Premium vegan chocolate brand Eat Gold Organics has created chocolate bars with wellness-boosting ingredients for adults. Each bar ($13) in the eight-product lineup is infused with adaptogens and nootropics and serves its own purpose—each inspired by adults’ basic needs—such as “Be Happy” for good vibes, “Big Orgasm” for better sex, “Immune Shroom” for an immunity boost, “Menopausal Goddess” for hot flashes, and “Sweet Dreams” for better sleep. To create the chocolate bars, Milbradt worked with alchemists, nutritionists, herbalists, and chocolatiers to formulate recipes that ensure their wellness-boosting benefits. Eat Gold chocolate bars are available for shipping nationwide through the brand’s website.

These rather delicious chocolate bonbons by Aurosó that are so low in sugar – just over a gram per bonbon – you can really enjoy them without worry. Each is a perfect, beautiful shell of 90% Madagascan chocolate containing variously flavored ganaches all with honey as a common factor. So, although the chocolates are dairy free they are not vegan friendly.

Arby’s Mint Chocolate Shake is back at select locations for a limited time. The Mint Chocolate Shake is a mint chocolate-flavored shake that’s finished with a whipped topping, real Andes candy pieces, and a drizzle of chocolate sauce. The seasonal fan-favorite treat is available at select Arby’s locations nationwide for a limited time.

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen is taking its dessert options to the next level this holiday season. The fast-food chain announced that it is adding chocolate beignets to its menu nationwide. The beignets are a deep-fried pastry stuffed with Hershey’s chocolate and covered in powder sugar. The dessert is a famous staple of New Orleans, where Popeyes was founded, although the chain now is headquartered in Miami.

No matter who you’re shopping for (even if you’re treating yourself), you can’t go wrong with chocolate. Craft chocolate bars make an excellent gift, as they’re often packaged in beautiful boxes that don’t require extra gift wrapping and offer a sweet indulgence to the lucky gift recipient. From single origin dark chocolate bars to creations featuring fun inclusions like doughnuts and cereal, these are the best fancy chocolate bars to gift this holiday season. Check out these suggestions, click here.

Feel like you could use a little bit of comfort delivered to your doorstep these days? Fortunately, you can have exactly that, if you sign up for a chocolate subscription box—an ingenious service that sends a steady supply of high-quality chocolate straight to your home, so you can eat your feelings whenever you want.  Yep, there’s a subscription box for everything. However, there is an overwhelming number of options out there, so a little guidance might go a long way to helping you select the package that best satisfies your sweet tooth. Just pick one of these winners, (click here), and you’ll be able to curl up with scrumptious chocolate on the regular.

Chocolate should be your go-to gift this holiday season as chocolatiers report a pandemic-driven run on chocolate, especially ones that evoke nostalgia. It’s no surprise that chocolates that inspire warm, positive memories are so popular during such a trying time. Says Wendy Lieu, co-owner of Socola Chocolates, “Taste and smell have a visceral power to transport people to memories when they felt safe, seen, and loved.” She’s right on—transport your loved ones with these sumptuous, silken dark chocolate offerings. Click, here, for the Holiday Gift Guide for the “best dark chocolate truffles”.

There’s a new trend spreading across TikTok, and it has everything to do with one of the best classic drinks of the winter holiday season. These trendy hot chocolate bombs from Costco are already getting people excited for a mug. It’s the perfect way to snuggle up for a cozy winter night. Whether you prefer hot chocolate or hot cocoa, this product combines both into one, and it’s oh-so-satisfying to watch. Those who love a good bath bomb will love this new Costco item — which is essentially an edible version — even more. Glamour states that the Cocoa Bombs are simply chocolate spheres that melt in warm milk. Once the chocolate subsides, it releases hot cocoa mix, marshmallows, and other flavors and treats into your mug. It’s certainly a luxurious and aesthetically pleasing way to enjoy a chocolatey beverage. According to Delish, each 16-count box is only $19, making them a little more than $1 each. Each bomb is festively wrapped in red, green, gold, or silver foil, so these small treats could be the perfect hostess gift to stock up on before the holiday season begins. Though you might think it’s hard to beat classic hot cocoa, there are actually a few different flavors in the boxes of bombs. The variety box includes flavors such as milk chocolate, salted caramel, strawberry, and s’mores. The only thing you might want to pick up to add to your cup once it’s all mixed together is some whipped cream.

The New Orleans-born fried chicken chain has quietly debuted chocolate-stuffed beignets. While the new item is currently available in just a few locations, Popeyes says it will “eventually” be added to menus nationwide. Where they are reportedly on the menu, at restaurants in and around Boston, Massachusetts, the fried-to-order beignets come in three-, six-, and 12-piece options for $1.99, $3.99, and $7.49, respectively (though prices may be different when they are added elsewhere). There’s no word yet on when the new dessert will be available in locations nationwide or if they will be a temporary or permanent addition.

Fine chocolate flavor occurs at the intersection of art and science, and these two realms are equally fascinating! The chocolate-maker must use her palate and knowledge to finesse the best flavors out of her beans: balancing acidity, astringency, bitterness, earthiness, and other elements. And Enna Chocolate does just that. Enna Grazier, in Megan Giller’s new book, “Bean-to-Bar Chocolate: America’s Craft Chocolate Revival”, was named one of the country’s top 50 bean-to-bar chocolate makers. Check out Enna Chocolate at EnnaChocolate.com.

If you’re feeling a little bored by fall’s usual trends, you’re not alone. The same shades dancing across lips, lids, and nails year after year can be tiring. So, if you can’t bear to look at wine-colored manicure or another pumpkin-colored anything, you’ll be pleased to know chocolate brown nail polish will never let you down. Far from boring, this shade will easily last you through the rest of 2020.