Category: Delectables

Say it with chocolate! These nine adorable little chocolate cameras are handmade with the finest white, milk and dark Belgian chocolate (three of each), plus a negative strip of motivational phrases. The chocolates are made by a family business near Bath in Somerset – a father-daughter team, including the accomplished inventor Kerr Dunlop who designed the hedgehog boot wiper! Their now patented idea of layering chocolate on top of chocolate created Choc on Choc, and they now produce a wide variety of designs – including a gaming controller, stationary, and wildlife designs, as well as ‘Melt and Make Your Own kits’ such as zoo animals and dinosaurs. Buy now from Amazon (£14.93), Choc on Choc (£12.00).

Everyone has a favorite ice cream flavor, whether it’s strawberry, vanilla, chocolate, or something more creative with plenty of fudge ribbons and mix-ins. One of my favorite ice cream flavors is mint chocolate chip.  When it comes to mint chocolate chip ice cream, not all are created equal. First off, there’s the issue of should mint chocolate chip ice cream be white or green?  Then there’s the fact that the ice cream should have discernible chunks of chocolate versus little shavings. With all of this in mind, here are some of the “best” (click, HERE) according to Megan duBois, as posted on EatThis.com, and the “winner” will surprise you!

McDonald’s released a limited-time-only dessert: the Chocolatey Pretzel McFlurry. It’s a vanilla soft-serve ice cream base with chocolate-covered pretzel bits, with a ribbon of caramel sauce swirled in. But there’s another way of trying this! Order a regular Oreo one and ask them to add hot fudge to it (it costs a little extra, but live a little). The cookies offer that signature crumbly Oreo texture, but the hot fudge adds a warm, rich, velvety experience that contrasts with the soft serve.

The Sweets & Snacks Expo, scheduled for May 24-26, 2022, in McCormick Place, in Chicago, is a look at some of the chocolate products we are most excited to see in 2022. For a list of these 22 products, click HERE.

McDonald’s USA plans to debut a new limited-time Chocolatey Pretzel McFlurry nationwide on May 25. The Chicago-based burger brand said the chocolate-pretzel McFlurry is the first new flavor of the year and will be available at participating restaurants. The offering features vanilla soft serve that is mixed with chocolate-covered pretzel bits and topped with a caramel swirl – combining salty and sweet flavors. McDonald’s said it will continue to offer the Oreo and M&Ms McFlurry flavors.

Sisters Frances and Ginger Park were carefree young women when the sudden death of their father turned their world upside down. Reeling from the loss, they turned to each other – and the comfort of good chocolate – to numb their pain as they tried to figure out a way to create a shared future. The answer turned out to be as simple as their childhood dream: open a chocolate shop. In January 1984, Chocolate Chocolate opened its doors in downtown Washington, DC. Soon thereafter, Ginger’s husband Skip became a part of the chocolate dream. Overtime, the CC family grew with the wondrous Estelle, Koomo, Justin, Marge, Eva & Jason. And the rest is chocolate history. Learn more about CHOCOLATE CHOCOLATE by watching the video, HERE, and check out their website, ChocolateDC.com.

 

The Ghirardelli Chocolate Company announced it will soon reopen its flagship Chocolate Experience Store, located in San Francisco’s Ghirardelli Square. The space is designed to elevate the customer experience and provides new and exciting ways to celebrate the true craftmanship of chocolate making. Visitors can expect to be delighted by the delicate taste and aroma of fresh chocolate, warm waffle cones and hand-made hot fudge. San Francisco Mayor London Breed will attend the official ribbon cutting ceremony at a grand reopening celebration on May 20.

 

Do you love LOVE chocolate? Would you eat it in everything if you could? Well, in case you didn’t know, there’s a restaurant at Universal Orlando‘s CityWalk that makes almost EVERYTHING with chocolate.  You must visit The Toothless Chocolate Emporium & Savory Feast Kitchen! Find out all you need to know, HERE.

The British company, which uses fermentation to create the beloved confection, hopes to use its U.K. launch to highlight the ethical problems with the traditional way the candy is made. The process to turn cacao into chocolate is long and complicated. After workers harvest cacao fruit from trees, they cut the fruits open and scoop out the seeds, which undergo several days of fermentation. Then the seeds are sun-dried, shipped to processing facilities, roasted, shelled, ground into a paste, heated and stirred to bring out the flavor, tempered and molded. WNWN, a UK-based company, is replicating the very beginning of the process, during which the freshly picked cacao beans are fermented, to make cacao-free chocolate. Starting on May 18, its boxes of dark chocolate thins that are primarily made from fermented barley and carob are available to buy online in its home country. You can read more about this, HERE.

Starbucks is adding a new cold beverage as demand for iced coffee continues to grow. The coffee chain is adding a new chocolate cream cold brew to its menus. The drink features cold brew coffee topped with a “light, sweet and silky” chocolate cream cold-foam and is sweetened with vanilla syrup. The new offering is inspired by “nostalgic summer moments,” Starbucks said in a press release. “The classic combination of coffee and notes of chocolate, along with the malt flavor in the chocolate cream cold foam, are reminiscent of a chocolate malted milkshake, or that last bit of melted chocolate ice cream on a warm summer day, to recreate the sweet, creamy flavor of summers past.” Prices for a grande chocolate cream cold brew range from $5.25 to $5.45 depending on which US city customers order from.

The first Hershey’s Chocolate World, located off of Hersheypark Drive, in Hershey, Pennsylvania, is in an entertainment complex that also includes Hersheypark, Hersheypark Stadium, Hersheypark Arena, Hershey Museum, and Giant Center, and sets the world record for being the World’s Largest Chocolate Visitor Complex, according to the WORLD RECORD ACADEMY. The main candy store is one of the largest stores of its kind in the world selling Hershey’s products including new items not widely released, and premium chocolate brands such as Scharffen Berger Chocolate. Learn more HERE.

 

There’s chocolate, and then there’s gianduiotto chocolate. An ancestor of Nutella, the melt-in-the-mouth treat is as rare as it is delicious. Like most renowned Italian artisan chocolate, gianduiotto originates from Piedmont, Italy, where it’s considered the “king of Italian chocolate.” Made of a rich paste consisting of fine cocoa mixed with the premium hazelnuts that grow in Piedmont’s Langhe region, it’s hugely popular with locals. Some have it with an espresso for breakfast, and/or after a meal, along with snacks and aperitifs. Usually wrapped in a thin silver, golden or colored aluminum foil, the ingot shape treat has been produced by local chocolatiers here for centuries. Its birthplace is the region’s capital, Turin, which has been known as Italy’s “chocolate capital” ever since maître chocolatiers began making their sweet artisan delicacies for the House of Savoy, the royal dynasty established in the Savoy region of Italy, here in the 1500’s. Learn more, HERE.

Those of us astonished by what people can do with food are probably familiar with Amaury Guichon. The chef, who runs the Pastry Academy in Las Vegas, is very popular online—and his recent masterpiece is a good example why. The chocolatier spent five whole days creating a giant squid, made entirely out of chocolate. And if we hadn’t seen the full video of him constructing the huge chocolate sculpture, we might mistake it for the real thing. (Or, at least a sculpture made out of non-edible materials.) Check out the video, HERE.

If you have a sweet tooth, chances are chocolate brands are high on your snack radar. And if you agree that chocolate might as well be the eighth wonder of the world, keep reading. Per Insider, the chocolate industry is a more than $100 billion business, and to keep that business alive requires a lot of cocoa beans. According to the National Confectioners Association, it takes 400 cocoa beans to make just one pound of chocolate — and a cacao tree will, on average, produce some 2,500 beans a year, or about six pounds of chocolate. To put this into context, for Valentine’s Day alone, an estimated 58 million pounds of chocolate are sold every year (via Good Housekeeping). As for chocolate makers, as with any food product, some brands are killing it in this space, while others aren’t quite living up to the hype. Tasting Table taste testers hit the ground running to round up 20 chocolate brands with the end goal of ranking them from worst to best. As self-proclaimed chocolate fanatics, they found so many good ones, it  was truly a challenge to organize them for this list. But they did, so grab a glass of milk, a cup of tea, or whatever beverage fits your fancy (and pairs with chocolate, of course), and get ready for some serious deliciousness. Read more, HERE.

When you were a child, you might recall having to take bitter medicine when you were sick and your mom told you to hold your nose so you wouldn’t taste it. Of course, doing so was to prevent you from throwing up the medicine, but this concept can also be applied to the enjoyment of chocolate. According to The Kitchn, if you give your nose a little squeeze and hold it for 2 to 3 seconds as your favorite chocolate rests on your tongue and begins to melt in your mouth, when you release your nose, you will discover you have a heightened sense of what the chocolate tastes like. In fact you may even detect subtle notes of other flavors in your chocolate. Read more at TastingTable.com.

 

While Reese’s might be the most popular and best-known brand of chocolate nut butter cups, Trader Joe’s also makes its own version of the creamy, cocoa-covered candies. And in a recent Reddit thread, Trader Joe’s fans didn’t shy away from sharing their opinions about the dark chocolate peanut butter cups found at the TJ grocery retailer. While they might not be new, they’re still highly talked-about, as proven by a recent post on Reddit. “I made the dangerous decision of buying the big box of the dark chocolate peanut butter cups. And I regret nothing,” the original poster wrote. After all, love means never having to say you’re sorry to the loved one you ate – when it comes to candy. One person in the thread claimed that the massive one-pound tub is in fact a single serving size. The dark chocolate peanut butter cups were one of the runners-up for the most popular product overall in this year’s Trader Joe’s Customer Choice Awards, an honor that Redditors would agree with. “I actually swore the first time I tried these,” one fan admitted. “I didn’t expect them to be that good.”

 

There’s a new vegan-friendly Trader Joe’s product hitting shelves: oat chocolate bars. The new spin on vegan chocolate bars were spotted at an Agoura Hills, California store and shared by Trader Joe’s fan Instagram account @traderjoeslist on March 13. The oat milk chocolate bars, which are described as having “a smooth and creamy texture without the milk” on the box, clearly have fans excited, as the post had already received more than 10,500 likes just one day later. In addition to being vegan, the product packaging states that these new chocolate bars are also soy-free, gluten-free, and kosher, making them great for people with a variety of diets and allergies.

Alana Al-Hatlani, a professional baker, made devil’s food cake with Pillsbury, Duncan Hines, and Betty Crocker mixes. The Duncan Hines version was moist and had the strongest chocolate flavor of the three. Betty Crocker’s cake was also moist but lacked flavor and tasted bland without frosting. For more details, click HERE.

Your body requires protein to build muscle. And while professional athletes have trainers and dieticians to help them get enough protein to optimize their workouts, other people have to find high-quality protein on their own. Whether you want to build muscle mass or your doctor recommends you eat more protein, a daily protein shake can give you enough nutrients to be strong and healthy. If you want a delicious chocolate treat that packs a whopping 32 grams of protein into each delicious serving, the Muscle Milk Pro Series Knockout Chocolate Protein Shake is for you. You can find it on Amazon and for detailed info about how to choose the best protein shake mix, click, HERE.

They say don’t judge a book by it’s cover. But when it comes to this tuxedo chocolate mousse cake with its dark chocolate ganache at Costco, it definitely tastes as great as it looks.

You can find damn-near everything at Costco. Every day grocery essentials? Of course. Quick, ready-to-bake weeknight dinners? Plenty of it. Lounge chairs and other outdoor furniture to deck out your patio this upcoming summer? Check, check, check. But our favorite Costco finds? Decadent, creamy, ooey-gooey desserts, from their popular oversized cheesecakes to the most recent Costco find that’s already become a shopper-favorite, Death by Chocolate Dessert Cups. Because not only are these individual dessert cups filled to the brim with layers upon layers of chocolate, but these desserts also put reusability and sustainability first. La Vie Gourmand’s Death by Chocolate Dessert cups are dubbed “the ultimate chocolate experience” — and that they are. Each of the six, 2.3-ounce jars boast layers of varying textures of chocolate, from chocolate cake and chocolate mousse to chocolate cookie crumbles and chocolate cream. You can find La Vie Gourmand’s Death by Chocolate Dessert cups in the refrigerated section of Costco stores. They’re just $10.99 for a six-pack.

If you have a sweet tooth, chances are chocolate brands are high on your snack radar. And if you agree that chocolate might as well be the eighth wonder of the world, keep reading. The chocolate industry is a more than $100 billion business, and to keep that business alive requires a lot of cocoa beans. It takes 400 cocoa beans to make just one pound of chocolate — and a cacao tree will, on average, produce some 2,500 beans a year, or about six pounds of chocolate. To put this into context, for Valentine’s Day alone, an estimated 58 million pounds of chocolate are sold every year. Tasting Table taste testers hit the ground running to round up 20 chocolate brands with the end goal of ranking them from worst to best. Click HERE to see if your favorite brand made the cut!

 

 

PETER WHO? Inc. was founded in 2021 by a group of Swiss chocolate enthusiasts who were frustrated by the lack of premium vegan chocolate alternatives and the lack of transparency in the chocolate industry. With their vision to create the best Swiss Premium chocolate for conscious connoisseurs, Peter Who? launched their first chocolate bar in December 2021. But the founders of Peter Who? won’t stop here: They are already working on new recipes and are set to write a new chapter in the long and successful history of Swiss chocolate making. Peter Who? is proud to present their first chocolate bar to US consumers. Their Vegan Salted Caramel chocolate has deep aromas of cacao and coffee which are paired in harmony with elegant notes of plum, pineapple, and black tea. Add crunchy vegan caramel crisps with a touch of sea salt and you have a chocolate that will have chocolate lovers craving for more. Peter Who? is on a mission to change the Swiss chocolate industry by committing to 100% vegan, 100% organic, and fair-traded ingredients and to producing great chocolate without harming animals or the environment. Their vision: To create the best Swiss Premium chocolate for conscious connoisseurs. Peter Who? chocolate contains no palm oil, no soy lecithin, no refined sugars, and no gluten. All ingredients used at Peter Who? are certified organic and sourced from ethical suppliers. Grown without antibiotics, synthetic fertilizers, or GMO technology. At Peter Who? a lot of attention is given to sourcing only the best raw materials for their chocolate to offer a product of outstanding quality, pureness, and incredible taste. For their Vegan Salted Caramel, a single-origin Cru cacao, grown in the dry, sandy soils of the Suhum district of Ghana was chosen and only the very highest quality, complex, and intensely flavored beans were selected & hand-picked. Peter Who? Vegan Salted Caramel chocolate is currently available on their online store and on Amazon.

 

Nestlé Toll House has announced that it is bringing back its line of Baking Truffles with new varieties and packaging. This June, the brand is releasing Bite-Sized Filled Baking Truffles in two flavors: Chocolate Lava Cake and Caramel Dulce De Leche. Filled with rich, decadent flavors, these new truffles help to elevate everyday baked goods like cookies, brownies or pancakes. They can also simply be enjoyed right out of an all-new re-sealable stand-up bag.

While visiting Niagara Falls visit Hershey’s Store! Stop by for rich milkshakes, HERSHEY’S Candy souvenirs and bakery-fresh sweet treats. If only the falls were made of HERSHEY’S Chocolate!

 

In order to capitalize on the emerging vegan trends taking center stage in the food industry, Lindt  just launched a new kind of vegan chocolate made with oat milk. Lindt is expanding its existing line of oat milk chocolate bars with three new vegan-friendly flavors: original, hazelnut, and salted caramel. These are still considered milk chocolate, but the traditional dairy milk has been swapped for a plant-based version made with gluten-free oat milk powder and almond paste. They’re not yet available in the United States, but all three flavors can be found in Canada, and the United Kingdom has all but the salted caramel variety.

 

 

Health-conscious chocolate lovers, rejoice! There is a wonderful chocolate product that is perfect for Valentines that will satisfy your loved ones’ chocolatey cravings without regret. Instead of heart-shaped treats, try RED chocolate. RED Chocolate is European crafted, decadent chocolate that has up to 50 percent fewer calories and 30 to 40 percent less fat. Formulated by European Master Chocolatiers, and beloved throughout Europe for nearly 15 years, you know we’re talking about the good stuff here. So how do they do it? Most of the sweetness you experience when indulging in RED is from the cocoa bean itself. However, the RED secret is out—they are the first in the world to use the natural sugar from fruits such as melons to lightly sweeten their no-sugar-added chocolate recipe. Five flavors are available in full bars sizes, four flavors in the grab-n-go size, and two amazingly decadent (and widely popular as they simply can’t keep these in stock!) flavors are available in diamond stuffed pralines, mom will indeed be happy this May. For more info, click HERE.

Many times, chocolate is oh-so-much more than just candy. In its natural form, it’s a superfood packed with antioxidants and cardiovascular benefits, and studies show chocolate boosts energy, reduces stress, increases concentration and even improves maternal health. This playful, nutrient-dense treat is the perfect pick-me-up and superfood recharge. So we know chocolate is good for us. But what about the farmers who grow it? The International Labor Organization estimates that there are millions of child laborers working to produce many of our everyday purchases such as coffee and cocoa. As you might imagine, forced laborers are exploited for their work, forced to work long hours with little or no pay, and have little rights. These 11 conscious chocolate brands (click HERE) have made it an integral part of their mission to develop mutually beneficial partnerships by employing fair trade and direct trade practices with the farmers who cultivate their cocoa crops. Oh—and they make delicious good-for-you chocolate.

 

Avid philanthropist and massive digital creator, MrBeast, AKA Jimmy Donaldson, announces the launch of Feastables, a better-for-you snacking brand rooted in gamified experiences. With the mission to deliver high-quality snacks to the masses, Feastables’ first launch is the MrBeast Bar, a gluten-free chocolate bar that starts with four simple ingredients, including organic cocoa. The MrBeast Bar is launching in three delicious flavors: Original Chocolate, Almond Chocolate, and Quinoa Crunch Chocolate. Check out the website, Feastables.com.

Both Kit Kat Duos Strawberry + Dark Chocolate and Kit Kat Thins Chocolate Hazelnut are permanent editions to the Kit Kat lineup, and are available in retailers nationwide now. Like its predecessors, Strawberry + Dark Chocolate combines two flavors — in this case, the sweet, fresh taste of strawberry with the rich, decadent flavor of dark chocolate. (It’s meant to taste like a chocolate-covered strawberry.) The bar is out in both standard and king size. Chocolate Hazelnut, on the other hand, is the first-ever new flavor for the Kit Kat Thins offering, which hit shelves last year. It joins Hershey’s “thins” candy lineup, including York Peppermint Pattie Thins and Reese’s Thins. Be on the lookout for the hazelnut slimmed-down treat in both 3.1 oz. and 7.37 oz. bags.

Mars Wrigley’s DOVE® Chocolate announced the release of its newest innovation, DOVE® Large PROMISES®. The treats are three-times the size of the original DOVE PROMISES, bringing consumers a more premium experience to share, enjoy individually or take on the go. DOVE Large PROMISES are available in two indulgent flavor variations, Milk Chocolate & Caramel and Dark Chocolate & Peanut Butter and feature the iconic DOVE PROMISES messages. DOVE Large PROMISES Milk Chocolate & Caramel and DOVE Large PROMISES Dark Chocolate & Peanut Butter are available in a shareable pack (2.75 oz) at retailers nationwide beginning in January 2022.

Salted, studded or oozing with a tangy truffled center, these mouthwatering dark, milk, white and ruby chocolate bars are some of the very best — and they’re shockingly easy to get your hands on. check them all out HERE.

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that nothing says “I love you” quite like a box of chocolates. That’s why it’s the ideal Valentine’s Day gift for your sweetheart or even yourself (self-care, anyone?). A box of truffles or bonbons also makes an excellent dessert if you’re cooking a romantic dinner at home. Instead of worrying about your soufflé falling or fussing with tempered chocolate, serve the chocolates as your grand finale. And while there’s a time and place for the drugstore variety, why not take your token of affection to the next level by picking out something more unique? Click HERE for some suggestions.

Beginning Jan. 7 and available for a limited time at participating shops across the U.S., Krispy Kreme fans can enjoy Chocolate Glazed mini doughnuts packed with a unique blend of chocolate “flavor on flavor on flavor.” Chocolate being a top “crave flavor” during New Year’s resolutions, these all-new doughnuts arrive just in time to help fans stay on track: Mini Chocolate Glazed Cake Batter Doughnut, Mini Chocolate Glazed Cookies & KREME™ Doughnut, Mini Chocolate Glazed Peanut Butter Doughnut, and Mini Chocolate Glazed Doughnut – KK’s iconic doughnut made mini and covered in chocolate glaze.

Next time you have a craving for chocolate, consider heading out to your local Trader Joe’s. While the chain has earned a reputation, in part, for producing healthy versions of classic dishes (yes, we’re talking about you, Cauliflower Gnocchi!) it also stocks plenty of sweets that chocolate fans (and others) will love. Click, HERE, for suggested treats.

Chocolate is a vast category. From bars and bonbons to cakes, frozen desserts, drinks, and sauces, you can get your chocolate fix in any number of ways. Traditional chocolates are usually non-vegan because they contain some amount of milk. Fortunately for vegans, the advent of dairy-free milks—such as soy, coconut, cashew, and almond milks—has sparked new ideas in the minds of artisanal chocolate producers. While we’ve got a ways to go before vegan chocolate takes the world by storm, it is much more prevalent than ever before. Here, we explore the sweet, sweet world of plant-based chocolate products (click, HERE).

Gathered, were pounds and pounds of chocolate chips, callets, mini-grammes, feves, discs, and more, from industry-leading brands based on recommendations from other pros, previous experience with the brands, and some best-selling brands widely available in most grocery stores. To test, a panel of tasters were offered raw chips straight from the container to taste blind and gathered their feedback. Then baked the offerings from every brand in batches of chocolate chip cookies (somewhere in the realm of about 600 cookies, total). Each batch of cookies was prepared identically, with ingredients weighed to the gram each time to remove any variation. The cookies were presented to tasters while still slightly warm (the best way to have a cookie!). In both tastings, the tasters provided feedback, including tasting notes and texture, and each taster was asked to vote on their favorites. After compiling their feedback, here’s how each brand did (click HERE).

GoodSam Foods, a chocolate brand supporting small farmers, is introducing gluten-free baking mixes formulated with almond flour, allulose and organic cocoa powder sourced from Columbia. Products include Chocolate Cake Baking Mix, Fudgy Brownie Baking Mix and Cacao Pancake Mix. The mixes contain four to seven ingredients and are available for $10.99 at goodsamfoods.com.

Moo-ville Creamery, the Nashville, Michigan-based dairy company with three locations across mid-Michigan, makes some of the best chocolate ice cream in the United States, according to the North American Ice Cream Association. The family-owned company won a blue ribbon last month at ConeCon, NICRA’s annual trade show and ice cream competition. It also received a red ribbon for vanilla and a white ribbon for strawberry, the second- and third-place awards for those flavors respectively.

There are few occasions that aren’t made better by Swiss chocolate. The Movenpick group incorporates this universal knowledge into each of their hotels, and their newest offering in Melbourne, Mövenpick Hotel Melbourne On Spencer, is no exception. Every afternoon a long grazing table in the lobby is laden with luscious treats for Chocolate Hour. The chocoholic’s dream begins; ice cream parfait in cut glass jars, crunchy churros with bowls of ganache, and delicately crusted macarons are piled on plates.

Why spend $10 on a bar of chocolate when you could buy a bar for less than half that price in your local supermarket or corner shop? Good quality chocolate and the cheap stuff are worlds apart, as you’ll soon discover when you look at the ingredients, learn a bit about how they are made, and compare how they taste. Click HERE to find out what to look for in buying chocolate.

As Christmas approaches, chocolate tubs make their annual appearance in households across the country. Few homes will be without a tub of Celebrations, Quality Street, Roses or Heroes over the festive period, but research from consumer experts has found that some brands have a better mix of sweet treats than others. The research looked at which chocolate box gives consumers the best value, and which has the best selection. Which? Click HERE for the reviews.

 

DINERS with a taste for the unusual are in for a treat from today — mayonnaise mixed with Terry’s Chocolate Orange. Creator Heinz says the sweet festive concoction is for slathering on crumpets or pancakes — or even eating straight from the jar. The creamy condiment, usually added to savoury sandwiches and salads, has been transformed just in time for Christmas. Heinz’s experts have blended mayonnaise — made with free-range eggs, vinegar and mustard seeds — with melted Terry’s Chocolate Orange segments and added a dose of orange oil. A limited number of jars of Heinz Seriously Good Terry’s Chocolate Orange Mayo have been made and can be won on the Heinz website.

If you’re looking to give someone chocolate for the holidays, you might want to check out this Southern delight. Atlanta chocolate-maker Xocolatl is known for sourcing cacao beans from all over the globe to produce single-origin chocolate bars that surprise with their variations in flavor. You can try bars in 14 different variations, or you can decide you want to nibble on chocolate while also drinking chocolate. One of their best-selling holiday combinations is A Sweet Lil’ Sampler, featuring a bar of peppermint bark (a layer of almond butter white chocolate, a layer of minty dark chocolate and lots of crushed peppermint candy), a bar of Tanzania 73% (organic cacao from Tanzania and cane sugar) and 8 ounces of drinking chocolate (crumbles and bits of Nicaraguan dark chocolate, combined with organic cane sugar). There are directions for hot chocolate (the mix plus water), drinking chocolate (the mix plus milk) and sipping chocolate (mixed with just enough water to make a thick, rich drink you’ll just want to sip). This is hot chocolate for connoisseurs. $42 for A Sweet Lil’ Sampler, with 8-ounces of drinking chocolate, a 2.7-ounce Tanzania chocolate bar and a 4-ounce bar of peppermint bark. Available at xocolatlchocolate.com.

This year avoid the guessing work. Send the gift of copious amounts of decadent chocolate to your friends and loved ones! Some may think it’s boring or predictable, but is a milk chocolate covered truffle filled with an unknown type of delicious filling ever get old? Sweet and salty, fruity and creamy, Nutty and chewy… the combinations are endless. We’ve rounded up the most indulgent chocolate offerings from around the country guaranteed to please any chocolate lover. Whether you’re looking for artisanal chocolates with unique flavor combinations or classic chocolate boxes filled with traditional treats, we’ve got you covered (CLICK HERE).

 

Have you tried Chocolove chocolates yet? If not, the holidays may be a perfect time, especially if you are looking to add some sweets to someone’s stockings. Whether you want to add full size chocolate bars to your holiday gift giving or are looking to add some chocolate trees to the mix, then they have us covered with some delicious chocolates that are also available in no sugar added varieties. Check out their website for their huge selection (click HERE).

There is a new flavor of DOVE Chocolate joining the festive, seasonal line up. Introducing the new, Milk Chocolate Toffee Almond Crunch. These little DOVE Chocolate squares are festively wrapped in silver, gold, and blue foils, perfect for the entire holiday season. And of course, these delightful squares are a perfect serving every time. The limited-edition innovation deliciously nods to a holiday classic flavor, and is made with real almonds, smooth milk chocolate and hints of toffee, with each bite of milk chocolate mixed with the crunch of toffee almonds to create a true moment of pleasure. The luxurious, festive treat is a true complement to holiday tables, with each festive foil-wrapped chocolate holding a special message. DOVE Milk Chocolate Toffee Almond Crunch PROMISES are available at retailers nationwide and come in a 7.94 OZ pack.

Whenever the winter weather rolls in, nothing warms quite like a cup of steaming hot chocolate. We love being able to make our own by warming up a cup of water in the microwave, dumping in a packet of hot chocolate mix, and adding a small mountain of mini marshmallows before sipping away. Of course, we’re always on the hunt for the best hot chocolate mixes to buy to add to our holiday beverage lineup. There are just so many options out there! Check out these choices of the Better Homes & Gardens editors (click HERE). You will not be disappointed in their picks.

Barry Callebaut launched a complete portfolio of dairy-free chocolate compound, expanding the company’s plant-based options. These new options are 100% plant-based and are processed in segregated facilities where no dairy is present. The new line includes dairy-free EZ Melt Compound, Compound Chip/Chunk, Compound Soft Chunk, Compound Soft Shaped Chunks and Bulk Liquid for different applications. This line complements Barry Callebaut’s Plantcraft chocolate range, which was first introduced in early 2020. That higher-end line has dairy-free chocolates, nuts, cocoa powders and cacao fruit ingredients.

Hot cocoa is such a good cold-weather treat. It can warm up even the coldest hearts and hands with its creamy sweetness and rich chocolatey flavor. Fans can now get their hot cocoa fix at Dunkin’ like never before with the new Dunkin’ Hot Chocolate Bombs. The new Hot Chocolate Bombs come in two festive flavors. The Dunkin’ Hot Chocolate Bomb features a Belgian milk chocolate exterior, while the Dunkin’ Mint Hot Chocolate Bomb has a mint-flavored Belgian milk chocolate outside shell. Both bombs have mini marshmallows inside.

It’s that time of year when brands start bringing back their beloved seasonal flavors to enjoy through the holiday season. Two years ago, Breyers released its Frozen Peppermint Hot Chocolate flavor and, spoiler, it was a hit. Better check your local freezer aisle STAT, because a PR rep confirmed to Best Products that the limited-edition flavor is back!

You can’t argue the fact that hot chocolate is glorious on its own, especially on a cool and crisp evening. But you’ll love it even more when included in one of these hot cocktail recipes, as you get a one-two punch of comfort via the warm chocolate and hooch. Hot chocolate cocktail recipes are more than just throwing in a splash of Bailey’s or dark rum in your mug of instant cocoa; you deserve something even better. Think complimentary flavors like coconut and banana as well as suitable spirits like brandy and vodka. Hot chocolate may seem like a kid thing (and drinking it should, by all means, make you feel like one), but you can give it the bona fide adult treatment in style. Get the marshmallows ready and stoke the fire, these are the best hot chocolate cocktails to take the sting out of the cold. Click HERE for the recipes.

The imminent arrival of winter should have you changing up dessert plans. We’re moving from ice cream cone season into hot chocolate season. Dairy Queen, which knows a bit about frozen treats, is tweaking its menu to recognize the change in seasons. Though, it is not quite abiding by the spirit of the change. You’re getting the hot chocolate, but it’s not really going to be hot. Dairy Queen is bringing back the frozen hot chocolate. The Blizzard chain says that the frozen cocoa snack has been requested repeatedly by fans. It has decided to listen to the will of the ice cream-loving people by putting it back on the menu. The chilly cocoa mixes a “rich cocoa fudge” with its familiar vanilla soft serve. The treat is finished with whipped topping and a drizzle of chocolate syrup. The drink is available now at select locations around the country.

The bargain grocery store chain, ALDI, recently released a hot chocolate melting snowman and fans are very excited. Made by the brand Choceur, the melting snowman is similar to the hot cocoa bombs that went viral on TikTok last year. According to the instructions, all you have to do is place it in piping hot milk and the snowman will “melt” (a.k.a. dissolve) into a tasty mug of hot chocolate. The snowman, which costs just $1.99, is made of white chocolate and is filled with mini marshmallows and dark chocolate drops.

 

While many of us know it in the form of bars, candies or baked goods, for most of its 5,000-year history, chocolate has been a drink. It’s the original form of consuming chocolate, and it carries the importance of culture with it. Regional variations on drinkable chocolate abound, particularly in Latin America, where there are as many recipes as there are towns or families making it. Since chocolate is beloved around the world, you’ll find local hot chocolate drinks almost everywhere, especially in destinations where cocoa beans grow. The exception is Western Africa. While 70% of the world’s cocoa supply comes from Ghana and the Ivory Coast, people typically drink the big-name Nestle brands. The same could be said for the United States where, for many, hot chocolate means hot cocoa, made with Dutch-processed cocoa powder. Thankfully, there’s a wide world of chocolate drinks available. Here are seven you should try immediately, if not sooner, click HERE.

Many of us have beloved holiday memories of taking part in advent calendars when we were young, usually containing little boxes filled with chocolate. That chocolatey goodness made the lead-up to Christmas almost as good as the day of! We’ve got good news: just because you’ve aged a little doesn’t mean you’re too old for that special holiday treat! Chocolate advent calendars have grown better with age, and you can now find options that run the gamut, from delectable luxury chocolates to fan favorites that have been around for generations. We’ve even included a few for the kids so your little ones can make treasured holiday memories just like yours. Click, HERE, to discover them.

After asking fans to vote between two options for November’s Sweet-of-the-Month, See’s Candies has made both Milk and Dark Chocolate Coffee Scotchmallows available to fans. Milk Coffee Scotchmallow and Dark Coffee Scotchmallow are available in a six-piece box for $10 in shops and online, while supplies last.

Hershey’s has released limited-edition oat made bars in the US. The new bars are part of a very limited test release and mark the first-ever vegan offering from the candy giant. The newest products are available in two flavors: Classic Dark and Extra Creamy Almond & Sea Salt. The bars are dairy-free, vegan, non-GMO, and made with Rainforest Alliance Certified cocoa. The non-dairy treats are available at retailers such as Target.

When you think of hot chocolate, you probably think winter, holidays, snow, cold, and all things December. That makes sense, because what feels better than wrapping your icy hands around a warm mug of chocolatey goodness after being out in the freezing weather? That feeling can only be beat by one thing: Instead of regular hot cocoa mix, you use a hot cocoa bomb. You remember the craze from last year? It’s a chocolate hollow shell that’s filled with cocoa mix and little marshmallows. When you drop it into a warm cup of milk or water, the shell disintegrates oh-so-satisfyingly, revealing the mix and ‘mallows on the inside. Since it’s fall, Target has us covered. They are selling a hot chocolate bomb that is pumpkin spice-flavored!! It’s called the Frankford Halloween Pumpkin Spice Hot Chocolate Melting Bomb, and it’s just an autumn version of the trendy drink. The chocolate is flavored with pumpkin spice, and the inside is filled with mini marshmallows and hot cocoa mix.

If you’ve ever gone trick-or-treating on a cold Halloween night, you know nothing quite hits the spot like enjoying your (or your kids’) candy haul with a cup of hot cocoa. Now, you can keep the spookiness going even as the night winds down with this skull-shaped hot cocoa bomb that will turn a cup of warm milk into hot chocolate in minutes. Available at Dylan’s Candy Bar for $10, the skull hot cocoa bomb comes in milk or white chocolate and is filled with marshmallows. Try Sam’s Club and find some Halloween hot cocoa bombs there.