“God gave the angels wings, and he gave humans chocolate.” – Anonymous

My mother has always said that chocolate is the fifth food group. I would have to agree with her. I don’t always want sweet things; but when I do, the craving is usually for chocolate. In my opinion chocolate is perfect. Have you seen the movie, Chocolat? Ever since seeing that movie, my chocolate tastes have changed. A little chili pepper or lavender is nothing strange to my palate. I adore artisan chocolates especially. The flavors always seem like they were made just for me!

Of course, many people with food allergies can’t eat chocolate. Plus, there are always concerns of fat and ingredients like corn syrup. Truffles from Dear Coco Chocolate are dairy-free, gluten-free and are handcrafted without corn syrup, trans fats or preservatives. Did I say truffles? Dear Coco has truffles in every flavor imaginable. If you joined their Truffles of the Month Club, you will get to sample chocolates inspired by various regions and holidays.

Just check out their truffles for Christmas: Bavarian Gingerbread and Austrian Linzer Torte. W ate all of my gingerbread ones before I could try them; but C and I shared the linzer tortes. They were made from dark chocolate and hazelnuts (a personal favorite) with cinnamon, clove, and raspberry powder. Such lovely flavor!

Dear Coco also has a signature collection featuring truffles from around the world. The Around the World Collections features the following unique flavors:

• Belgian Chocolate Velvet
• Kyoto Green Pearl
• Mauna Loa Salted Caramel
• Milano Double Espresso
• Mumbai Masala Chai
• New Orleans Bananas Foster
• Peppermint Powerball
• Peruvian Peanut
• Polynesian Toasted Coconut
• Puebla Hot Chocolate
• Smoky Mountain
• Tahiti Lime

I was torn to choose a favorite out of  this collection. The Peruvian Peanut was a new twist on the classic peanut butter cup. It had a hint of unexpected spice. But then the Tahiti Lime also had a burst of flavor with lime oil and candied lime peel. Don’t even get me started on the Smoky Mountain… I really wanted to try the Kyoto Green Pearl which has green tea in it, but C snatched that up before I could try it. The same goes for the Puebla Hot Chocolate with cinnamon, almond, and vanilla; W ate that one. Next time–I’ll just hide the box!

I’m so glad to find a place that carries my favorite type of chocolate for when the craving strikes me. It seems that I have a couple of kids following in my footsteps. And that means I have to share.

Disclosure: I received two chocolate collections gratis in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.