The flavor of love

Illustration: Blair Kelly; Photographs: Roxana Marroquin/Virginia Rollison

Spicy

Havana Heat truffle
The snap of this bonbon’s outer shell gives way to a smooth interior of 64 percent Madagascar chocolate ganache infused with habanero chili. The spice kicks in only after you’ve swallowed—a subtle counterpoint to the fruity chocolate. Order 12 pieces for $32 (212-229-4797, chocolatmoderne.com); Mention Time Out New York when you place your order

Chili-sesame truffles
After you bite into the crunchy, smoky sesame seed coating, the heat of Thai chili whipped into the dark-chocolate ganache core spreads across your tongue like wildfire. $2.35 a piece at Kee’s Chocolates, 80 Thompson St between Broome and Spring Sts (212-334-3284)

Pink-peppercorn wafers
These disks of the not-too-sweet, delightfully potent 75 percent single-varietal dark chocolate are as pretty as they are hot. About a dozen pink peppercorns decorate each, adding a crisp, capsaicin-loaded pop to every bite. $7.50 for a box of five at VereChocolate, 12 W 27th St between Broadway and Sixth Ave, sixth floor (212-279-4448, verechocolate.com)

Sweet

Vanilla-orchid chocolate
Judging by the name, you might expect floral notes from this delicate sweet. But the dominant essence comes from the ultrafragrant vanilla bean that’s whipped into the center, a prim square of 72 percent bittersweet chocolate. $17 for a ten-piece box at L’Atelier du Chocolat, 59 W 22nd St between Fifth and Sixth Aves (212-243-0033)

Passion-fruit molded bonbon
The tartness of passion fruit is balanced with mild, cocoa-buttery Venezuelan white chocolate—plus a little butter and vanilla—in this heart-shaped candy. $2.25 a piece at Bespoke Chocolates, 6 Extra Pl off 1st St between Bowery and Second Ave (212-260-7103, bespokechocolates.com)

White rose truffle
A beautiful blend of rose liqueur, fresh-dried rose petals, rose-hip marmalade, rose petal jam and rose syrup in a white chocolate ganache filling makes this Valentine’s Day exclusive, in the words of creator Rhonda Kave, “flowers and chocolate in one.” $30 for a dozen at Roni-Sue’s Chocolates, Essex Street Market, 120 Essex St at Delancey St (212-260-0421); $5 benefits the Coalition Against Domestic Violence

Salty

Chocolate bar with almonds and sea salt
Slivers of almonds give this small-batch 60 percent chocolate bar from the Mast Brothers some crunch, but it’s the flakes of giant sea salt that accentuate the toasty flavor and linger pleasingly on the tongue. $7 for a 2.5-ounce bar (mastbrotherschocolate.com)

Hand-dipped salted caramels
These creamy delights pack a one-two saline punch: a dusting of fleur de sel on the outer shell, followed by that fast-growing favorite, a salty caramel center. $7 for a box of five at Nunu Chocolates, 529 Atlantic Ave between Third and Fourth Aves, Boerum Hill, Brooklyn (917-776-7102)

Chocolate-coated corn nuts
The Fritos-like flavor of salted corn kernels tastes much more sophisticated once they’ve been submerged in milk chocolate and dusted with cocoa. Dog-ear these for the armchair quarterback in your life. $5 a tin at Bond Street Chocolate, 63 E 4th St between Bowery and Second Ave (212-677-5103)

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