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Contrary to popular belief, you can go wrong when gifting chocolate. That’s because not all chocolate is created equal. There’s a big difference between the bag of off-brand Nutella wafers you pick up on a whim while standing in line at T.J. Maxx and a collection of handcrafted luxury chocolates made with the freshest Piedmont hazelnut paste. And while I’d likely eat any kind of chocolate that came my way, a low-quality piece of candy doesn’t exactly utter “you are special to me.” There’s a time and place for your standard supermarket milk chocolate bar, but I implore you to use this as an opportunity to get creative—it’ll make your gift all the more memorable.
After giving and receiving my fair share of chocolate gifts (including some hits and some misses), I’ve learned that the best chocolate gifts go beyond the cliche box of chocolates. Think Japanese chocolate-infused strawberries, artisanal hand-painted bonbons, and thick, gooey chocolate chip cookies delivered from one of New York City’s most iconic bakeries. Below, I’ve rounded up some of the very best chocolate gifts around, all of which are BA editor–approved.
Compartés Chocolate
With gorgeous bars and equally gorgeous packaging, Compartés is the cool kid of American chocolate makers. Here, you’ll find a gift for every kind of Chocolate Person you know. There are pink chocolate–covered cookies for your girlfriend who loves Oreos, a luxe set of vegan chocolate bars for your mom who’s really into superfoods, and the brand’s signature chocolate gift box for your dad who appreciates a good chocolate truffle. While you’re here, scoop up a few chocolate bars (like the bourbon pecan pie, avocado toast, or potato chip crisp) for yourself.
Murray’s Cave Aged Triple Crème de Cocoa
Murray’s limited-edition Cave Aged Triple Crème de Cocoa combines two heavy hitters in a flavor combo that really, really works: chocolate and cheese. It starts with a wheel of St. Stephen triple cream, a dense, buttery cow’s milk cheese that gets sliced in half and filled with a thin layer of melted dark chocolate from French chocolatier Pralus. Then the round ages for two weeks, allowing the flavors to meld and intensify. BA contributor MacKenzie Chung Fegan loves this chocolate cheese: “The chocolate is a fruity, bitter foil to the richness of the triple cream, but it’s also measured and subtle, playing nice with both sweet and savory flavors.”
Bokksu Chocolate Strawberries
We’ve raved about Bokksu’s top-tier Japanese snacks before (see here and here), and we wouldn’t make a list of the best chocolate gifts without including its signature chocolate-infused strawberries. The strawberries are harvested, freeze-dried, infused with either dark chocolate or white chocolate, then cooled to create a rich, chocolaty treat that has all the flavor of fresh fruit. Whether you go with black or white, this gift box is the epitome of elegance.
andSons Chocolatiers Signature Collection
This second-generation chocolate shop in Los Angeles makes modern bonbons in flavors like hibiscus honey, masa hot chocolate, and double yuzu as well as classic flavors like dark chocolate and sticky toffee pudding. All of its products are made with artisanal ingredients like ethically sourced cacao and farmers market produce. This box of chocolates features 24 of andSons’ most popular seasonal confections, and it’s the perfect gift for anyone who is serious about high-quality chocolate.
Levain Bakery cookies
Give the gift of Levain’s iconic chocolate chip walnut cookies, which are thick, gooey, and clock in at a third of a pound each. If your recipient lives in New York City, they likely know these treats in all their glory—if they don’t, they’ll be pleasantly surprised after one bite. Levain ships nationwide, and its cookies are baked and shipped the same day, which ensures they’ll arrive crispy at the edges and soft in the middle. For gifting, go with the signature cookie assortment. It’s available in three different sizes, and the assortment includes four bestsellers: chocolate chip walnut, dark chocolate chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, and dark chocolate peanut butter chip.
Fruition Chocolate Works Milk Chocolate
Yes, there is such a thing as high-quality milk chocolate, and BA food director Chris Morocco prefers it over the bitter dark stuff. “Sometimes I just want to eat something accessible and enjoyable without embarking on a cerebral tasting exercise,” he writes. For that, there’s Fruition’s dark milk chocolate bar, which is made with 68% cacao sourced from Peru’s Marañón Canyon. It’s craveable, balanced, incredibly satisfying, and most important, approachable. May we recommend its award-winning milk chocolate bar set?
Venchi Gianduia N.3 Gianduiotti
These ingot-shaped, rose gold wrapped chocolates are made from cocoa mass, cocoa butter, Piedmont hazelnut paste, and raw sugar. With a rich hazelnut flavor that’s still light and creamy, each piece is basically solid Nutella. Plus, they don’t contain any milk, which makes them a delicious option for both vegan chocolate lovers and non-vegan chocolate lovers. Gianduiotti used to be hard to find outside of Italy, and now you can get it online at Venchi.
Raaka Mixed Chocolate Pack
Unlike most chocolate, which is made by roasting fermented cacao beans, Raaka’s sustainably sourced, single-origin bars are entirely unroasted. This lends a brighter, fruitier flavor that lets the raw ingredients shine (kind of like light roast versus dark roast roast coffee). Surprise the chocolate connoisseur in your life with this 30-piece set, which includes four flavors: oat milk, coconut milk, pink sea salt, and dark chocolate.
Vosges Chocolate
Vosges Chocolate is a Chicago-based gourmet chocolatier known for creating unique flavor combinations featuring premium ingredients from all over the world. Think curry powder from India, Piemonte hazelnuts from Italy, and high-phenolic olive oil from Greece. They have a ton of stunning gifts, but we’re partial to the Comfort Food Tower, which puts a luxurious twist on three chocolate classics with Caramel Toffees, Caramel Marshmallows, and Peanut Butter Bonbons. If you want something with a bit more personality, the Tom Petty x Vosges Limited Edition Chocolate Bar Gift Set is “infused with the music of Tom Petty,” which is something your parents will probably be very into.
