Decode A Valentine's Day Box Of Chocolates Without A Map (Slideshow)
Coconut
Ah, coconut, such a divisive flavor. As many love coconut as despise it, and if you're in the hater camp, you'll be bummed if you pick one of these out. Coconut chocolates are usually round, with ripples on top of the candy. Easily mistakable for nuts, be on the look-out for the types of ripples. If one of them looks like a thinly shredded ripple, it is likely you have coconut.
Peanut Butter Cup
Thankfully the good old peanut butter cup is generally pretty easy to spot. The zig-zag bordered cup is usually in a paper liner and has a smooth top. Plus, all it takes is one sniff and you'll be able to detect the coveted cup.
Cherry Cordial
The favorite of grandmother's everywhere, a cordial can usually be spotted pretty easily by its narrow dome shape that is often wrapped in red foil.
Vanilla Creme
The vanilla creme, a source of many disappointed "I thought this would be chocolate" groans, , is generally a round candy. Generally speaking, you'll notice a rippled top with a slight dent to denote a creamy center. Give this one to your significant other to try, then claim to be allergic to vanilla when they try to give it back.
Caramel
According to Russel Stover's website, caramels are usually square with a drizzle. Since they're one of the most widely sold chocolates in the US, we'll take their word for it. Made of condensed sugar, they're a bit weighty and dense for their small size, so try weighing them out if they're your favorite.
Nut Clusters
Nut clusters are usually pretty easy to identify — which is a plus for anyone with a nut allergy. They're basically just super lumpy, bumpy chocolate piles, full of nutty goodness. Offered in both dark and light varieties, they often come in their own paper liner like peanut butter cups.
Fruit Crème Centers
Fruit cremes seem to get a mixed reception depending on the crowd, so proceed with caution when approaching all round chocolates. With a gentle squeeze to the bottom of the chocolate, you can at least identify that there is some sort of filling in the center. Also, fruity crèmes often have a distinct, sharp smell that indicates an artificial (and some natural) aroma.
Molasses Chew
Does anyone really eat these? If you are looking to avoid them, they are generally long and rectangular. Weigh them in your hand and you should notice that they're close to the density of a caramel —but with that shape, you'll know the truth.
Truffle
Chocolate truffle-y ganache sweets and whips are often round and smooth. Sometimes they have a drizzle of an alternate flavor chocolate to indicate something decadent is instead. But likely, a whip will be light since there is a lot of air incorporated into the filling, and a fudge a bit denser. These will probably the first to go when selecting your treats.