Chocolate Gift Baskets

Chocolate Gift Baskets Buying Guide

Milk, Dark or White: Choosing Chocolate They'll Actually Eat

Most people have a firm preference, so it's worth a quick check before you order. If you can't find out, an assortment that mixes styles is the safest route.

• Milk chocolate is creamy and sweet, with milk solids softening the cocoa flavor. It's the crowd-pleaser for kids, offices and mixed groups.
• Dark chocolate has more cocoa and less sugar. The percentage on the label is the share of the bar that comes from the cacao bean, so a 72% bar tastes more intense and less sweet than a 55% bar.
• White chocolate is made from cocoa butter, sugar and milk with no cocoa solids, which is why it tastes like vanilla cream rather than chocolate.

Read the ingredient list, not just the photo

Real chocolate lists cocoa butter among its fats. When a listing mentions a "chocolatey coating" or "confectionery coating," other vegetable fats are standing in for some or all of the cocoa butter, which is common on budget dipped snacks. Compare boxes by net weight rather than piece count, too: a big number of tiny pieces can weigh less than a smaller box of generous truffles.

Heat, Timing and Shipping: Keeping Chocolate Intact

Chocolate softens well before it looks melted, and a delivery truck or a sunny doorstep in summer gets far warmer than any kitchen. When softened chocolate sets again, it often develops bloom, a gray streak or dusty white film. Bloomed chocolate is safe to eat, but it no longer looks like a gift.

How to send chocolate in warm weather

1. Read the shipping notes. Many sellers add insulated liners and ice packs from late spring to early fall, and some pause chocolate shipments to hot regions.
2. Time the delivery. A Monday or Tuesday order is less likely to leave the parcel stranded in a hot depot over the weekend.
3. Make sure someone's home. Warn the recipient it's coming so the box gets indoors fast, or send it to an office where someone signs for packages.
4. Switch formats in summer. Powdered cocoa, brownie mixes and baked goods tolerate heat far better than truffles, and cookie and bakery gift baskets make a good fallback.

Storage once it arrives

Tell the recipient to keep chocolate in a cool, dry cupboard, away from sunlight and from strong-smelling foods like coffee or spices, since cocoa butter readily absorbs odors.

Allergens, Dietary Labels and Shelf Life

Chocolate gifts frequently contain, or are made near, several major allergens: milk, tree nuts, peanuts, soy (soy lecithin is a common emulsifier) and wheat in pretzels, cookies and wafers. Always check the ingredient list and allergen statement on the listing, including any "may contain" or shared-equipment note.

• Dairy-free: plain dark chocolate is often, but not always, free of milk, and many bars are made on lines that also run milk chocolate. Look for an explicit dairy-free or vegan label.
• Nut allergies: skip assortments with pralines or gianduja, a hazelnut chocolate, and look for a maker that states its facility is nut-free.
• Kosher: check the package for a trusted certification symbol, or hechsher, from agencies like OU, OK or Star-K. A "D" beside the symbol means the product contains dairy or was made on dairy equipment.

How long does it last?

Fresh-cream truffles are the most perishable item in most boxes, and many chocolatiers suggest eating them within a few weeks. Solid bars, especially dark ones, can keep for many months, while chocolate-covered pretzels and nuts fall in between. The printed best-by date is your best guide; if a gift may sit unopened for a while, favor bars and dipped snacks over truffles.

Chocolate Brands to Know

Familiar names are a reasonable shortcut when you're buying for someone you don't know well, because the packaging and taste are predictable.

• Godiva is the Belgian chocolatier founded in Brussels, known for gold gift boxes and truffles. Our guide to Godiva chocolate gift baskets covers its formats.
• Ghirardelli comes from San Francisco and is famous for individually wrapped squares, which makes it practical for sharing. See our Ghirardelli chocolate gift basket page for tins and baskets.
• Lindt, the Swiss chocolatier, makes the popular Lindor truffles, whose soft, smooth centers are lovely in winter and among the first treats to suffer in summer heat.

For a bigger spread, a gift tower stacks candy and baked goods for a crowd, and snack gift baskets mix chocolate with chips and popcorn for people who like savory bites between the sweet ones.