The chocolate, too, is a party. Among classic French ganaches, a thick outer chocolate shell is considered a flaw, the mark of an amateur. Bon Bon Bon turns this into a virtue, a dramatic crack of hard chocolate giving way to creamy or crunchy or spicy secrets within. These might include a “praline” made with Detroit-famous Better Made potato chips, a liquid gush of strawberry balsamic, cookie crumbles, or a “cake” that tastes like a toddler’s birthday party.
Subtlety is not a strong suit. Sweetness, irreverence, and unexpected textures reign. And if the French cocoa establishment might blanche, our lone French taster was delighted, saying the box made her feel “like a kid again.” In a word, Bon Bon Bon is fun. And who would hate fun? (Don’t answer.)
Delivery and presentation: For someone with a sense of humor and play, this is a delightful gift: a bright-colored variety bag filled with nostalgia and surprise. Gift wraps are offered for $3 more. Gift dedications come on the packing slip. Google Pay accepted.
Shipping: Plan ahead. After one to three business days fulfillment time (these bonbons are packaged quite extravagantly), UPS ground shipping will cost $10 on a mixed box, or it’s free for orders north of $100. Overnight is a lot, depending on where you are. See here for shipping timelines for holidays.
Truffles From a Goat Farm: Big Picture Farm
Love comes in many forms. On the one hand, the nostalgic chocolate caramels and truffles from Vermont’s Big Picture Farm arrive in a classic chocolate box format, tried and true. On the other, the box is rustic cardboard and arrives alongside winsome pictures of grinning goats. “I like goats,” reads a card with the chocolate. “Do you like goats?”
We do, it turns out. Our tasters universally enjoyed the simple, pastoral presentation and complex goat-milk character of Big Picture Farm’s nostalgic confections, whether goat-milk caramels and truffles or chocolate turtles with goofy little eyes. Each chocolate tasted just a bit better than expected, with nary an off note nor an off-temper.
