While most of us (this writer included) admit to preferring gourmet, high end, high cocoa content chocolate bars and confections, most of us (me, too I admit) have secret chocolate obsessions. Those one or two particular candies that, despite how much our palate has grown up, we always have a hankering for, hankerings that cannot be denied. So, I’ll start the discussion by telling you what some of mine are, fully expecting that you’ll share yours ...

... There is one time of year when the siren call of secret chocolate obsession calls so loudly that I cannot deny it: Hallowe’en. However, despite the burgeoning sacks of candy collected by my three daughters and the huge bowl we keep on hand to satisfy the sweet tooths of countless neighborhood trick-or-treaters I am able to resist the beckonings of Kit-Kat bars (not a wafer fan); miniature Snickers, Milky Ways, and Three Musketeers; Jolly Ranchers; and Sugar Daddies and Babies.

No, the only items that I will ransack those candy bags for are are Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and Peter Paul Almond Joy bars. Maybe one a night (each—oh, all right two (each)) when I go out to walk Homer, our dog. It’s not a chocolate fix I am looking for, it’s a nostalgia fix, hearkening back to the simpler days of my childhood, connecting to the wild abandon I felt cruising the neighborhood for candy - especially when I was older and could go without parental supervision. Sigh.

While the rest of the year I am generally able to resist the urge, there is a new (well new to me) item I was turned on to from a Canadian confectioner I had never heard of before but has been around since 1873: Ganong’s of St Stephen, New Brunswick. The company has a long and checkered past (I just finished reading the official history). Along with the book came a box of chocolates (chocophile rating: Good). In the box, however, were short lengths of cinnamon-flavored candy “straws” filled with unsweetened chocolate that I learned from the book were called Chicken Bones.

Oh man. The sweet/hot bite of the cinnamon candy coupled with the bitterness and richness of the chocolate ... all I can say is, Wow! (Oh, okay, I can say more: I give it a Superior on the chocophile scale.) Invented in 1885, Chicken Bones cost $9.00/lb Canadian—less than $7.00/lb US at current exchange rates—making them an Extraordinary value, too. Try them if you dare, they may become your secret obsession, too! Visit Ganong’s online to order.

Previous Questions and Answers:

1. See's nuts and chews. I love them. The dark nougat, the walnut squares and the raspberry creams but with the raspberry I pick off all the chocolate and eat the raspberry filling straight with no chocolate. It's intense and one of those things good for people who like sour patch kids. I'm a huge Reese's peanut butter cup addict but the craving of choice right now is Snicker's bars. Take one bite, chew a little and then add a small pretzel twist and chew them together. The whole sweet, salty, crunchy, chewy thing...it's just my version of heaven right now.
   Posted by  on  08/26  at  11:50 AM
2. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups win all the time. I don't think I'll ever tire of them. Reese's Pieces are also on my A-list. The pieces are great in an icecream sundae (like Friendly's makes - or used to make when I was a kid). As I got older, I appreciate dark chocolates over milk chocolates. Especially chocolate like Astor makes - their thin dark chocolates with a hint of mint are perfect and their line of Le Belge truffles includes delicious dark chocolate ganaches. They have a website, I think it's astordirect.com.
   Posted by  on  08/27  at  09:24 AM
3. Peanut M&Ms. I really love them. At work, when gourmet chocolate is out of reach, the vending machine is my friend. But my absolute chocolate obsession is Seattle Chocolate Company's dark chocolate orange truffle. Mmmmm - heaven! Unfortunately they are hard to find in the wilds of North Carolina, so I stock up when I go to the sophisticate capital of NC, Chapel Hill.
   Posted by  on  09/03  at  06:06 AM
4. raw chocolate chip batter. runner-up, chocolate chip cookie barely cooled from the oven, the chips still meltingly warm. irresistible.
   Posted by  on  09/28  at  11:31 AM
5. My favorite chocolate anything is raspberry creams. But the one thing I miss and can't find anywhere, including around Easter, is Fruit & Nut Chocolate eggs. So, I have to make them homemade. The time and effort are VERY much worth it!
   Posted by  on  09/29  at  07:45 AM
6. It has to be the good old mars bar, heated in the microwave so that it still holds its shape but when you bite into it the hot, goey centre oozes out. Perfection!
   Posted by Little Miss Mars  on  10/04  at  09:23 AM
7. Secret chocolate obsession: For a quick fix, i keep (the word is probably "hide"!) a bag of classic Hershey's Kisses. It's not too sweet, it's handy and, here in the tropics, it's not so bad melted! And at 25 calories a Kiss and some calcium, it feels healthy. Eating the entire bag probably takes care of our calcium RDA. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are also great when we can get them back here. But what we do have in great quantity are Chocolate Tableas - Cocoa Butter and Sugar pressed to form lovely, giant lozenges. They're supposed to be made into drinks (probably like the Mexican xocolatl) but the strong of heart (and those desperate for their dark chocolate fix) can bite into them, with or without sugar!
   Posted by  on  10/08  at  01:22 AM
8. My secret chocolate obsession: See's Bordeaux (dark, not milk). We had See's candy every Christmas and I always used to pick them out of the assorted box. My other chocolate obsession: dark chocolate covered marzipan from a little chocolatier in Eureka, California called Sjaak's. They are to die for!
   Posted by  on  11/01  at  09:31 PM
9. My weakness varies between a creamy caramilk candy bar and those frozen bite size snickers bars. I will sip the caramel from the chocolate and savor the chocolate until it has melted away. As for the snicker's bars they provide a chewy treat and frozen as they are your not stuck with candy in your teeth!
   Posted by  on  11/06  at  05:43 PM
10. My wife and I just love Chocolate Covered Potato Chips from Executive Sweets here in Cleveland. The salty chip with the delicious dark chocolate is my favorite, my wife prefers the milk chocolate variety. We just have them for special occasions, thankfully there is a "special occasion" at least once a month. http://WWW.executivesweets.com is on my favorites list!
    Posted by  on  01/17  at  07:13 PM
11. No question-- hands down.... plain hersheys. I mean almonds are okay.. but if I need to feel emotionally better....always a hershey bar. I have been to Europe and I am not impressed. I love our watered down version here in the U.S. I would love to go to Hershey, PA. to the resort and park there... all things chocolate. Maybe I am partial because I took the school trip to the hershey factory in oakdale,ca as a kid.. more than once, and the smell of chocolate floating down the street...mmmmmm..... nothing compares. But I will say -- the starbucks chantico.. that is one heck of a choco-pick-me-up!!!
    Posted by  on  01/19  at  06:26 PM
12. I have a weakness for anything made with Kinder Shokolade from Germany-- but particularly I like the sticks that come in a bar box and Kinder Country bars, which are not generally available here. Once in a while a relative will send me some and MMMM! Also they turn up on the web, god bless the internet!
    Posted by  on  02/08  at  04:31 PM
13. I really love the plain "Galaxy" bars made by Mars in the UK. I buy a suitcasefull every time I go over. The Green & Black's "Darker Shade of Milk" chocolate is good too.
    Posted by  on  02/10  at  05:35 PM
14. DOVE Chocolate - Milk or Dark!! Smooth, Rich and Delicious.
    Posted by  on  03/01  at  07:45 PM
15. My favorite: Cadbury's Dairy Milk Chocolate - the one at Long's Drugs, not the one at Cost Plus.
    Posted by  on  03/03  at  01:16 PM
16. Here is my handy and affordable chocolate fix. Long ago I recognized that what I was seeking at the candy rack is just chocolate. I do not like all the other ingredients. And all that packaging and ads costs bucks they must pass along to me. So for years I have bought semi-sweet chocolate chips at the grocery store. I put them in a zip lock bag. They sit on my desk that is near my computer and reading chair. When I feel the slight urge for a chocolate fix I just take a few or many.
    Posted by JSO123  on  03/04  at  03:15 PM
17. JSO123 (re post 16):: That's a great idea and I know a lot of people who do the same thing. If you want to take the idea and kick it up a notch, many chocolate manufacturers mold their couverture into small shapes (called pistoles, callets, and other names) that are the same size and therefore melt uniformly. These couverture drops give you a very wide-ranging selection of tastes and cocoa percentages, therefore giving you a lot more variety. Couverture usually does have a higher cocoa butter percentage than a chip would, but there are many choices about 70% cocoa content, which means you'd be eating a lot less sugar. Also, because the chocolate is going to be much higher quality, you'll find that you need to eat less to satisfy your craving, so in the end, although the couverture will be more expensive than chips you can get in the grocery store, it won't be that much more expensive. Thanks for sharing with us. ::Clay
    Posted by  on  03/05  at  10:16 AM
18. Ritter Sport Chocolate bars from Germany are my absolute favorite. But when it comes to US chocolate it's all about Reese's Peanut Butter cups.
    Posted by Tpaxie  on  03/08  at  03:25 PM
19. I love M&M's semi-sweet mini baking bits but I cannot find them anymore. I do occasionally find the milk choc. minis in the baking section but where is the semi-sweet? Help! I am down to my last 2 bags! Another favorite (that I can no longer find, of course) is dark choc.espresso malted balls. So rich they can be lethal,I think. I used to get them at The Sweet Factory here on the west coast.Where are they now?
    Posted by  on  03/16  at  11:03 AM
20. Cadbury mini-eggs! Easter has the best candy (in my humble opinion) and this is the only time I can stock up. Cadbury chocolate isn't all that plentiful during the rest of the year, a crime against humanity, if you ask me. And when it's not Easter, I love just barely underbaked, fresh-from-the-oven brownies. And if not in a baking mood, gimme a York peppermint patty.
    Posted by  on  03/25  at  03:14 PM
21. Dove chocolate - Dark ONLY - if there's only one left my daugther and I fight over it. Luckily she's married and doesn't live at home anymore! I have a stash for "whenever"; the smallish Dove dark chocolate bars are getting harder to find. Don't know why.
    Posted by Marilyn  on  03/26  at  12:42 PM
22. I have to enter a passage from my novel "And Grace Will Lead Me Home," regarding chocolate obsessions: " . . . 'You're into chocolate?' 'Oh, definitely . . . Godiva is best, naturally, but Russell Stover or even a Whitman's Sampler will work.' . . . Some married friends of mine and I share this particular practice. We even formed a club, calling ourselves Chaste and Monogamous Chocoholics Anonymous, where we are able to maintain fidelity or purity by indulging in a chocolate binge whenever we get the hots for someone to whom we are not wed.'"
    Posted by  on  03/30  at  06:20 PM
23. Why, or WHY, did I have to find this site tonight, after I have vowed today to lose 25 pounds? What is almost entirely responsible for packing those pounds on must be the 5-pound Hershey's Milk Chocolate bar I put in the shopping cart on Christmas Eve 2003 whem my friend whom I was shopping with realized he hadn't gotten me a gift. That was the gift that kept on giving! It took a hammer to break that bad boy up. Needless to say, Hershey's is my #1 guilty chocolate pleasure. Other faves are the peanut butter/chocolate eggs in the yellow paper wrap (Reese's?) that hatch for Easter season. M&Ms never fail me. And I also love raw chocolate chip cookie dough. And raw brownie mix - any brand. I never met chocolate I didn't like!
    Posted by  on  03/30  at  09:17 PM
24. Has anyone out there have a recipe for a brownie tahat you put carmilk bar pieces in it .I can't seem to find my copy and it is so good. Thanks Lenora
    Posted by  on  04/04  at  06:04 PM
25. Dove dark - I always have some on hand. Also See's maple/walnut creme covered with dark chocolate. Scharffen Berger milk chocolate bar & just about any chocolate made in Germany. I wish they were more easily available in the US.
    Posted by  on  04/06  at  04:32 PM
26. I like milk chocolate at body temperature so I sometimes pop a few Hershey's Kisses in my bra and hope I don't forget they are there! It has happened! I also like a type of Yogurt chocolate from Germany but sorry I forgot the name.
    Posted by  on  05/24  at  05:12 PM
27. Dove MILK Chocolate. Always have some on hand. I've done the European, Canadian, etc. chocolate thing but Dove still tops them all! I must admit that Reeses Peanut Butter Cups runs a close second but it's the chocolate I love. If they just made a bar of the chocolate it would be on top - maybe. Dove does it every time for me!!
    Posted by  on  05/25  at  05:22 AM
28. My favorite obsession is Dark Chocolate Zitner's Butter Krak eggs. They are in Philadelphia, PA where I was raised. They have the right amount of dark chocolate, crunchy cocoanut, and cream. Our local Wawa Convenience Stores carries them around Easter. Why can't we get them all year? I stash them in the freezer, so whenever I want one, hopefully some are left!
    Posted by  on  05/25  at  10:41 PM
29. What a leading question!!!! MY list is huge!!! but I'll settle for just a couple. Cadbury's peppermint cream filled milk chocolate, Snickers bars, chocolate coated teddy bear biscuits, and that WONDERFUL Aussie icon, the TIM TAM!!!!!
    Posted by  on  06/19  at  02:40 AM
30. Memories: I grew up near NYC and I remember chocolate covered marzipan - green, sweet, half covered with a dark chocolate, on the Upper West Side. The box that my great aunt bought never made the subway ride home. My dad had a candy store for a bit - a stiff raspberry jelly covered with a dark chocolate. I still can taste both of these in my dreams.
    Posted by  on  06/26  at  09:20 PM
31. The absolute best chocolate is ofcourse all chocolate and it's never to late for chocolate. Hershey's kisses with carmel are fantastic and you must, must try Lindt Lindor truffles (balls) they melt in your mouth, they are fantastic and wonderfull!! There is a Lindt store in North Carolina. And also in San Francisco Ca. There is/was a store called Chocolate heaven on pier 49 I think that's the right #. My #### isn't red it's chocolate brown. And so is my brother-in-laws. Thank God for chocolate Thanks Ana
    Posted by  on  07/01  at  08:13 PM
32. Oh, sigh, where do I begin? For the cheap stuff, I hanker after Cup O' Gold candy bars with their flecks of coconut and semi-liquid marshmallow creme filling. Also U-No Bars. For medium quality, well: as a native Californian, I hanker after many varieties of See's from growing up with them as our local finest (at that time). Did you know they use some commercial Guittard chocolate as their couverature? Higher end: Someone brought me a box of fresh made Godiva in a ballotin from the Brussels airport. It was so much better than the Godiva shops here, and much more alcohol in the fillings. The chocolate coatings were more "tender." I couldn't lower myself to have See's for a month or two after that! I get wildly passionate for Ethel M dark chocolate couveratures on their candies, too! I think I'll stop before getting into the higher-end chocos before I faint. Besides, I want to try BruCo's Rum-Vanilla bar, so how could I possibly answer my craving ratings until then.
    Posted by Iguana  on  07/10  at  06:40 PM
33. As far as expensive goes... Leonidas (from Belgium) dark chocolate is really, really good... esp. wrapped around some candied lemon peel... Chocolate covered strawberries from Rocky Mountain chocolate factory. Ritter Sport hazelnut bars- which we lived on while hiking in England (that and beer) Dark chocolate non-pareils. And- last but not least- *vegan* dark chocolate sauce from Real Food Daily. (an L.A. thing mos' def. but so good. none of that "milk" crap to get in the way!)
    Posted by shelly  on  07/12  at  12:43 AM
34. RE: Sharla Gonzolas w/Number 11 comment I agree Plain Hersheys bars -- nothing else to take away from the chocolate -- to me better than expensive chocolate. Must be soft and then break off one "bar" at a time and allow it to sit on my tongue until melted. Ohhh -- RE: Wayne Keith Number 11 comment -- I do love chips before or after a Hershey bar. Never found chocolate covered chips around here though. Lucky you!
    Posted by  on  08/12  at  08:14 AM
35. how do you make the perfect chocolate tablea. the ones use to make chocolate drink. the early spaniards in the philippines makes this. there is a demand for this kind of drink but we need to know the receipe for this. could you help us
    Posted by  on  09/12  at  06:12 AM
36. I love a little bit of Vermeer Dutch Chocolate Cream Liqueur on the rocks. This stuff is heaven. After I put the kids to bed and can relax for the night, Vermeer really hits the spot! What an indulgent drink.
    Posted by The Senator  on  09/21  at  11:51 AM
37. My all-time chocolate obsession is Kee's in Manhattan, but they're so fresh and delicate that I almost always have to eat them all before I get home (sigh). Her honey-saffron truffle may just be the best thing I've ever put in my mouth. When I have to rely on commercial, readily-available product to satisfy my chocolate cravings, I often turn to Dove (milk or dark - love them both). I dare not buy a jar of Nutella, as I've been known to sit with a spoon and devour half the contents at one sitting. Crazy about malted milk balls, too, though it's hard to find ones of decent quality. I've encountered some peanut-butter malt balls that are pretty darn good. Used to be able to find Seattle Chocolates' truffles locally.... even discounted at TJ Maxx, but, alas, no longer. I was particularly fond of the espresso and mint ones. My true junk-chocolate favorites are Mounds, Kit-Kat, and Three Musketeers. Gee, have I left anything out?
    Posted by  on  09/24  at  09:11 PM
38. Peanut Butter cups. I first came across them about 20 years ago (I live in Australia), then they disappeared from the market, to return about 10 years ago -- but you had to hunt for them. Now I know 2 stores in my city which sell them and a mail order company, so I'm set!
    Posted by  on  10/15  at  08:22 PM
39. My downfall, chocolate-wise, are Hershey Kisses. My mom used to buy bags of them for the X-mas holidays as a treat for us kids, and now that I am in my 50s, I still buy them at X-mas time, but also during the whole year, as well. Even tho they are very good, I'm sure I equate them with the memories of my mom.
    Posted by  on  10/26  at  01:28 PM
40. I will never tire of a good Reese's cup. I will still buy them in the store when I need a chocolate fix. I just bought the whole bag for Halloween and had no trick or treaters. yummy!
    Posted by Brenda  on  11/01  at  07:20 PM
41. I love Vermeer Dutch Chocolate Cream Liqueur too. Delicious stuff and now available in London. See http://www.vermeeruk.com for information.
    Posted by  on  12/09  at  08:33 AM
42. Ok I had made my wife those special personalized M&Ms. After paying 40 bucks for one bag i was hoping she wouldn't eat them. So for our 10 year anniversary I gave her "Keith loves U" and "U R Only 4 Me". My wife was moved by her bag of M&Ms. I'll do anything for herLike i knew she would be and she didn't eat them either. Goes to show you I'll do anything for her and it was worth it. K Hoydn
    Posted by Keith Hoydn  on  12/09  at  06:57 PM
43. Do Reese's pieces (the ones that look like M&Ms) have any kind of chocolate in them??? :: Kristin; If the label and/or the ingredients list says "chocolate," then yes, there is chocolate in Reese's Pieces. How much is very difficult to assess exactly and is probably a pretty closely-held secret. If they're chocolate-flavored they might also contain chocolate but in amounts below the federal minimum to actually be called chocolate. Does this answer your question? :: Clay
    Posted by  on  12/15  at  11:47 PM
44. Cadbury Crunchie bars. Chocolate-covered honeycomb. I could eat one every single day.
    Posted by Tina  on  01/11  at  06:27 AM
45. Dark Chocolate anything, but most recently I have found dark chocolate Reese's cups in a limited edition in the snack bag size. These are absolute heaven, and I was never a Reese's Cup fan before. Dark chocolate peanut M&M's were great, as well as dark chocolate Kit Kat's. Why oh why don't more companies make their candies in a dark chocolate version??? I would rather eat spinach than milk chocolate!
    Posted by Vicky  on  03/02  at  12:17 AM
46. does reeses pieces have chocolate in them? :: Kim, See my reply to Kristin a few posts back to figure out how to tell for yourself. :: Clay
    Posted by  on  03/25  at  01:43 PM
47. My family and I wait all year for Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs at Eastertime. How can they be so much better than he regular peanut butter cups? :: Leslie; I can think of several reasons. 1) They are fresher. 2) The ratio of peanut butter to chocolate is different -- in a direction that you prefer. 3) It's Easter and the festive nature of the family aspects of the holiday adds an intangible something special. :: Clay
    Posted by  on  05/10  at  06:21 PM
48. I didn't become a chocoholic until 50 years old - then became a dark chocolate fan only. Love Fran's chocolate from Seattle but for "everyday", Dove DARK is the best!
    Posted by  on  08/18  at  01:59 PM