It’s Valentine’s Day month, but fancy chocolate deserves to be enjoyed year-round. We visited chocolatiers around the city to find the best bonbons to sink your teeth into.
1. Fleur de Sel at Christopher Elbow
There are two types of people: people who love chewy caramel and people who prefer more liquidy caramel. The Fleur de Sel at Christopher Elbow (1819 McGee St., KCMO) is for those who prefer the latter. The candy’s dark chocolate shell is speckled, and milky caramel spills out as soon as you take a bite.
2. J. Rieger & Co. Whiskey at Andre’s Chocolates
When I chose this chocolate out of the case at Andre’s (5018 Main St., KCMO and 4929 W. 119th St., Overland Park), the cashier kindly told me: “Make sure you pop the whole thing in your mouth.” She wasn’t kidding. The square chocolate has straight-up J. Rieger & Co. whiskey at its center, which explodes in your mouth as soon as your teeth crack it open.
3. Sea Turtle at Bliss Chocolatier
Every piece of chocolate in Bliss’ Blue Springs shop (3100 MO-7, Suite D, Blue Springs) is delectable and so eloquently lacquered you almost feel guilty taking a bite. But the Sea Turtle is especially delightful: The delicate bonbon’s milk chocolate shell is painted blue and is shaped like a turtle, and its inside is filled with salty pecan praline and caramel.
4. Lavender at Panache Chocolatier
Leawood chocolate boutique Panache (11555 Ash St., Leawood) leans sophisticated and is known for its floral and fruit chocolates. The lavender-infused truffle is comforting and luxurious all in the same bite.
5. Dark Chocolate Mint at Laura Little’s Candies
Laura Little’s Candies (2100 W. 75th St., Prairie Village) feels like a fudge factory straight out of a mountain town—because it is. The cute shop that stands in Prairie Village is based out of Estes Park, Colorado, and has a case of bonbons that are—wait for it—sugar-free. Don’t let that deter you. Every bite of the dark chocolate mint confection is as delectable as a Girl Scouts Thin Mint.
