Locally-Crafted Sweets for Your Sweet
Valentine’s Day is the Super Bowl of chocolate, and Colorado is in love. Here are some of our favorite homegrown chocolatiers, sweetshops and choco-centric cafes
photo courtesy Colorado Crafted
Robin Chocolates pursues perfection from Longmont – and succeeds. Named one of the top ten chocolate makers in North America in 2013, Robin Autorino refers to her astonishing creations as edible art. 600 S. Airport Road, Building B, Suite D, Longmont. robinchocolates.com
Telluride Truffle makes fresh, mountain-shaped chocolates from organic Colorado cream, Belgian chocolate, fine liqueurs and all natural ingredients. With wonderful high-country names like “Mud Season,” “Black Diamond” and “Powder Day,” these triangular delights are real mountain originals. 101 N. Fir Street, Telluride. telluridetruffle.com
Ritual Chocolate is for serious connoisseurs. The Denver-based “craft chocolate” company specializes in single origin chocolate made with ethically sourced cacao. They process the beans from sorting through roasting and on through aging to ensure optimal flavor ripening in each extraordinary bar. ritualchocolate.com
Chocolove crafts small batches of premium bars in 24 yummy flavors, using Belgian chocolate and all natural ingredients, before wrapping them up in love poems and shipping them off from the Boulder factory. chocolove.com
Enstrom Candies, of Grand Junction, has four generations of family experience making their delicious confections. Rich, handcrafted almond toffee has been a hit since 1960. Specialty shops in Grand Junction, Denver, Arvada and Fruita. enstrom.com
Serendipity Confections, based in Denver, specializes in salty-sweet, buttery caramels coated in high-quality chocolate. serendipityconfections.com
Veree Chocolate, of Denver, offers an artful selection of beautifully embellished chocolates incorporating lively tastes of spices, spirits, fruits and herbs. vereechocolate.com
The Chocolate Therapist, a chocolate & gourmet coffee emporium in historic downtown Littleton, believes in the “extraordinary health benefits” of all natural chocolate. Try a handcrafted sample and see if you agree. 2560 W. Main, Littleton. thechocolatetherapist.com
Piece, Love & Chocolate, in Boulder, is a magical chocolate boutique that offers a fun and imaginative selection of “cocoa products from bean to bar.” Special Valentine’s Day chocolate fountains and fresh strawberries await holiday visitors. 805 Pearl Street, Boulder. pieceloveandchocolate.com
Colorado Crafted sells delightful gift boxes of artisan-made goods from a fantastic array of local purveyors. Their Chocolate Tasting Box, Valentine’s Day Box and Maroon Bells Box all feature sumptuous treats (bars, caramels, truffles) made in Colorado. coloradocraftedbox.com
And don’t despair when all the Valentine’s Day chocolates have disappeared. Because the Colorado Chocolate Festival sweeps into Denver’s Merchandise Mart May 9 – 10, so Mother’s Day can be dipped in chocolate too! chocolate-festival.org
