When you’re going to indulge in chocolate, you should really indulge. Make it sumptuous luxury chocolate. Life is too short for cheap, waxy imitations when the real thing is this good. These are the best chocolate gifts you can buy without leaving your home.
Godiva Chocolatier is one of my favorite brands for chocolate truffles because of their unmistakable Belgium chocolate taste paired with unique and luxurious fillings. If you’re shopping for Valentine’s Day, check out their Godiva Heart Collection that has indulgent assortments in a range of price points.
The beauty of Belgium chocolate is in its simplicity. There’s an intense chocolate taste that’s very pure and uncomplicated. It has a satisfying snap that quickly melts into unexpected creaminess. I like that Godiva dark chocolate isn’t too bitter and their milk chocolate isn’t so mild that it’s boring.
Their truffle fillings are to die for. Their Gold Box is a classic and contains sumptuous flavors like Almond Praline, Macadamia Mosaic, Cinnamon Blush, Raspberry Ganache, and Butterscotch Caramel Lions.
Their seasonal releases are even more creative and tempting–not to mention beautifully decorated. I recently got a media sample of their summer Festival Collection and was very impressed with their flavor combinations including Dance (dark chocolate, dark chocolate ganache, salted caramel), Passion (milk chocolate, white chocolate mango ganache, chili pepper), and Fun (milk chocolate, milk chocolate mousse, popping candy.)
I’ve tried a few brands of truffles that tried to include popping candy and Godiva is the only one that got it right. The popping candy isn’t flavored so it doesn’t add a cloying sweetness or interfere with the chocolate flavor. What it adds is a fun texture with a nostalgic feeling.
Is it the most gourmet on the list? No, but it’s well-made and accessible in flavor and price. There’s comfort in the familiar and because of its wide appeal, I’ve included them in several of my guides including Gifts for the Woman Who Wants Nothing.
You really can’t go wrong with Godiva. (They’re also certified Kosher.)
Of all the truffles I have ever had, Rimini Chocolates stands far above all the others for me. They taste expensive in the very best of ways. I’m not sure I’ve ever been able to have one without closing my eyes. They’re that good.
The chocolates are larger than your average truffle and are probably two-bites each. I suppose you could split them with someone but you are not going to want to share these.
Working from the outside in, these chocolates are gorgeous. They have a sleek, dome shape that is painted with these lovely jewel-tone colors and patterns. The chocolate itself has a lovely tempered snap and is creamy. For dark chocolate, it isn’t bitter at all.
But it’s the fillings that are the stars of this show. There are favors like Tahitian Vanilla (silky caramel infused with rich vanilla), Tropical Fruit (mango, passionfruit, and pineapple with white chocolate in a dark chocolate shell), Banana Rum (banana infused caramel with Jamaican rum), Sicilian Pistachio (pistachios in white chocolate ganache), and Raspberry Caramel (raspberry-infused caramel in a dark chocolate shell).
The Tropical Fruit truffle was my favorite. It’s bright and tangy next to the smoothness of the white chocolate ganache and dark chocolate shell was just perfection in my mind. I don’t tend to like banana desserts but even I loved the Banana Rum truffle.
I got to test out a media sample of their Nine-Piece Chocolate Box (one of each flavor) last year, with no promise of a review, and there wasn’t a single chocolate truffle I didn’t love and wish I had a dozen of. They also offer 16-Piece Boxes and 25-Piece Boxes.
Rimini Chocolates are made by hand in the Rimini Gelato and Chocolate Cafe in Colorado. They contain no preservatives.
For Valentine’s Day, right now you can save 10 percent on Rimini Chocolates using the discount code “VALENTINE10” when you check out.
Jcoco by Seattle Chocolate Company has some of the best and most unique flavor combinations I’ve ever had. This Prism set includes 10 miniature chocolate bars in flavors like Crisp Quinoa Sesame in Milk Chocolate, Orange Blossom Espresso in 60% Dark Chocolate, Mango Plantain in 43% Milk Chocolate, and my favorite: Edamame Sea Salt in Milk Chocolate–it has actual crispy dried edamame beans that you can see embedded in the chocolate.
I got to test out some media samples of these little bars last year (with no promise of a review) and I actually went back and bought more as a Christmas gift for my mother-in-law. (She loved them.) They’re in my top five personal favorite chocolates.
The chocolate itself, whether milk, dark, or white, is silky smooth and dreamy. Jcoco is one of the only brands of white chocolate that I really enjoy because it tastes like more than just sugar.
With every purchase of Jcoco, they’ll make a donation of fresh food to food banks across the country. Seattle Chocolate Company does not include GMOs, preservatives, or artificial flavors or colors in their chocolates you can feel good about your tasty treat.
For truffles that are as beautiful as they are delicious, check out Astor Chocolate. I love the unique beveled angles and bright colors of the 29 truffles in this assortment. The truffles come in both classic favorite and uncommon flavors like Creamy Peanut Butter Cup, Dark Chocolate Raspberry Pomegranate, White Chocolate Hazelnut Praline, and Dark Chocolate Caramel Buttered Sea Salt.
Astor is Belgian-style chocolate so it has that signature snap to it and this box has a combination of milk, white, and dark chocolates. They come in a beautiful box with a bright red bow.
If you’re looking for something a little more cheeky and fun, check out their Moodibars which are sold separately or in several different bundles. They have a bar of chocolate for different emotions and each bar has a cute emoji face for that feeling. The flavors go with each theme like Dark Chocolate Espresso for their Tired bars and Dark Chocolate Strawberry Champagne for their Flirty bars.
Astor Chocolates are made in America in facilities that have a goal to be self-sustaining through solar power.
These make an ideal gift for fan’s of the Netflix show Nailed It which features the loveable Jacque Torres as a judge.
On the whole, his chocolate bonbons are not overly sweet or too bitter, but what they are is rich. These aren’t the sort of chocolates you feel like you could plow through the whole box at one go as they have a much richer and more filling experience.
His collections feature a mix of traditional flavors (Cappuccino and Creamy Raspberry) along with fun departures from the norm like Chai Tea, Pineapple Pastis, and Earl Grey.
For those who want to really taste the essence of unadulterated cacao, Original Beans has your number.
They are not in the business of flavoring chocolate and instead present it wholely and pure so you can taste the intricacies of each cacao varietal.
You won’t find any long ingredient lists in these bars. The longest I could find was on their ‘Esmeraldas Milk chocolate: cacao beans, cacao butter, raw cane sugar, milk, and fleur de sel. Most of their bars consist of cacao beans, cacao butter, raw cane sugar, and that’s it.
Each bar in this four-bar set is entirely single origin so you can get a real sense of the flavors of different cacao growing across the globe in Bolivia, Ecuador, Congo, and Peru.
The Beni Wild Harvest Bar is the most exciting to me because it is sustainably harvested wild-growing cacao of Bolivia instead of plantation planted cacao. This is a hint of what the cacao our ancestors would have tasted thousands of years ago.
Original Bean is a very ethnically conscious company. For every bar that is purchased, they fund a tree being planted, whether it’s cacao or reforesting lost rainforests. They work closely and personally with local farmers to prevent slash and burn farming methods.
Their chocolate is entirely organic and both their wrappers and packing peanuts are biodegradable. They’re a guilt-free option to taste the true heart of cacao.
It might not be the fanciest, but Tony’s Chocolonely is, hands down, the most enjoyment I’ve ever had from a square of chocolate.
The flavor and textures are incredible, but let’s talk a second about the unassailable ethics of Tony’s Chocolonley. The company was started not by a chocolatier, but by a Dutch journalist who was devastated to learn that slavery was being used in cacao farming and when he couldn’t get manufacturers to make changes, he decided to produce his own slave-free chocolate–probably not predicting that it would take off on its own merit beyond making a statement.
Tony’s Chocolonely is fair-trade, uses traceable beans, has direct relationships with their cacao farmers, and is environmentally conscious by refusing to work with farmers who employ deforestation, reducing and offsetting their emissions, as well as switching to recycled paper for their wrappers. The brand name refers to the founder feeling like he was the only chocolate maker in the business who cared about ending slavery.
On to the taste. It’s amazing. It’s the creamiest, silkiest chocolate I’ve ever had. I love unique and experimental high-end chocolates, but this is the stuff I crave. It definitely has a higher sugar content than say French chocolate but if you’re in the mood for comfort chocolate, this is the one.
They’re also one of the few chocolate makers I’ve ever seen make a dark milk chocolate, carving out that perfect space between milk and dark.
They’re bars are enormous at 6.35 ounces. In comparison, a full-size Hershey bar is 1.55 ounces. The bar itself isn’t divided equally so when you’re breaking off pieces, they’re all different sizes. This is to keep people mindful of the inequality of profits for everyone involved in the making of a chocolate bar. Generally, the farmers make little or depend on slavery and Tony’s Chocolonely is working to end that cycle.
This is a set of 10 chocolate bars in five flavors like Cinnamon Horchata, Bread and Chocolate, Root Beer Barrel, and Hazelnut Crunch. It’s a nice mix of milk and dark chocolate.
It’s a great set to try out with friends. Theo Chocolate is fair-trade, organic, certified Kosher, non-GMO, and soy-free.
For those on a budget who are looking for more accessible chocolate, Baci Perugina Classic is an Italian favorite for chocolate and hazelnut.
The truffles are filled with silky hazelnut cream, dotted with crushed hazelnut and topped with a whole hazelnut. I actually prefer this design compared to the more famous Ferrero Rocher which has the hazelnut in the center.
They’re simple and have the most obscure flavor profiles on the list but if you’re looking for some quality chocolate comfort, they’re a nice place to turn to because they’re indulgent and every chocolate has a hidden message of love and affection printed on the inside of the wrapper.
This Italian chocolate house has been called the best chocolate in the world by some experts.
Amedei is a bean to bar operation that shines a spotlight on lesser-known varieties of cacao for a rare chocolate experience you won’t find elsewhere. Their chocolate is a sumptuous treat that brings all the deep flavors of dark chocolate without the overwhelming bitterness.
If you can only try one, I’d go for one of their single-origin bars like the Porcelana Bar which uses one of the rarest cacao varietals you can buy: the white Criollo cacao bean. These Peruvian beans were ignored in the past because of their unusual color but they’ve since been recognized for their incredible taste.
Genetically, white Criollo beans contain less of the chemicals that produce the bitterness you taste in dark chocolate so you can have a richer darker chocolate bar without compromising the mild sweetness many prefer to the sharp bite of bitter chocolate.
If you’re more into flavored chocolate check out their Toscano Blond (dark chocolate, peaches, apricots) or Pistacchi (white chocolate, pistachio).
For an indulgent treat with all the smooth, melting goodness you could ask for, check out Loacker Tortina.
Still made where they were founded deep in the Dolomite mountains of Italy, Loaker chocolate doesn’t get nearly enough recognition for how delicious their treats are.
You may be familiar with their wafer cookies which are much more accessible here in the United States, but harder to find are their Tortina convections and extra creamy Specialty Chocolate Bars. They have the silkiness that you’d expect from a Swiss chocolate but that rich hazelnut depth that you can only get from Italian creations.
I recently got my hands on some media samples and I have to tell you, I am profoundly sad that I have run out. The Tortina have this decadent chocolate and hazelnut that is just barely offset by thin layers of wafer, adding the perfect amount of texture. The bars dive unabashedly into the realm of creamiest chocolate you can find. They feel sinful is the absolute best way.
If you’re looking for vegan options, Hu Kitchen is where you want to be.
They’ve proven to me that you don’t need dairy to create a stunning chocolate bar. Hu chocolate is vegan and doesn’t contain any of the following: gluten, refined sugar, cane sugar, sugar alcohols, GMOs, emulsifiers, soy lecithin, or vanilla extract. Their Simple bar (coming in packs of four) only contains three ingredients: organic cacao, unrefined organic coconut sugar, and organic fair-trade cocoa butter.
I got a media sample pack from Hu last year and I was a little wary because I love milk chocolate, but with the texture and strong cocoa taste, I didn’t find myself missing the dairy like I expected. My partner even loved them and he’s not the biggest fan of dark chocolate.
Plus there’s this added component that you know you’re supporting an ethical company and that’s where I want my money to go.
All of Maison du Chocolat’s confections are made by hand in France where they are one of the most famous French chocolate houses and are credited with inventing French chocolate as we know it today.
French chocolate is distinctly less sweet compared to British or Belgium chocolates allowing the pure chocolate flavor to stand for itself. Their chocolate has more depth of flavor than other styles and the lower sugar and butter content allows those notes to shine.
This chocolate shell is thin and crisp which melts slowly so each piece is savored. Inside are delicate ganaches and pralines in flavors like Madagascar bourbon vanilla, almond paste, citrus zest, and Moroccan mint.
For old-school Belgium chocolates with the benefit of all non-GMO ingredients using UTZ-certified sustainable cocoa, check out Neuhaus.
Jean Neuhaus Jr. invented the Belgian praline in 1912 bringing the world it’s first chocolate shell filled with ganache. So when I say Neuhaus knows chocolates, it’s because they wrote the book on these types of confections.
If you like your chocolates a little sweeter than other mainstream houses like Godiva, Neuhaus may be a good fit for you. It has that straightforward Belgian chocolate taste in a crisp chocolate shell.
The chocolates have classic fillings in fancy names like Prestige Milk (milk chocolate, caramel) and Napoleonette Milk (milk chocolate, Arabica coffee praline) but they also have some more unique centers like Jade Milk (milk chocolate, honey ganache, walnuts) and 1857 Milk (milk chocolate, speculoos cookies praline).
Just do be aware that while these chocolates contain cocoa butter, some do also contain palm oil or other oils as well.
If you’re partial to British confections, check out the historic Fortnum & Mason.
Fortnum & Mason was founded in 1707 and if it hasn’t kicked in how long ago that was, let me just say that Peter the Great was the Tsar of Russia and Johann Sebastian Bach was only 22 years old in 1707. They’ve been around since between chocolate as we know it existed.
British chocolate is distinct from others as being fairly mild in taste and homey. This Milk and Dark Chocolate Selection Box includes plenty of British favorites like stem ginger, rose, orange creams, caramels, and marzipan.
When you're indulging, go all the way. Treat yourself (or a lucky loved one) to the best luxury chocolate you can buy that's leagues above the rest.