Super sweet: Shopping for Valentine’s Day? Here are candy and chocolate options
Date nights have practically become a thing of the past. Sure, you can order takeout from your favorite restaurant and enjoy it from the comfort of your own home, but it’s not quite the same as getting dressed up for pre-concert or -movie dinner and drinks.
In order to still make Valentine’s Day sweet, consider stopping by one of the following chocolate and candy shops for dessert. Save it for after dinner from your restaurant of choice, or eat it first. It is a holiday, after all.
Spokandy
Spokandy (1412 W. Third Ave., (509) 624-1969 and spokandy.com) is a one-stop shop no matter what your valentine craves. The shop, active since 1913, sells caramel and fudge, truffles, in flavors like cookie dough and pink champagne, huckleberry treats and a variety of mints. In this year’s Valentine’s Day collection, Spokandy is offering solid chocolate ($2.25) and chocolate-covered rice crispy lollipops ($3.99), pastel mints ($4.75), 4- to 16-oz. boxes of assorted chocolates ($6.99-$35.99) and much more.
Pete & Belle’s Ice Cream & Chocolate ShoP
Expand your candy and chocolate horizons at Pete & Belle’s Ice Cream & Chocolate Shop (1330 N. Argonne Road, Spokane Valley, (509) 924-4718 and petebelles.com). Will you and/or your significant other be that upset if sweet treats include chocolates, candy and ice cream? The chocolate and candy selection from this mom-and-pop is always impressive, abundant and varied, alongside the nearly 50 flavors of ice cream, while all the concoctions are rotated with a nod to the holidays and seasons. Bonus: Pricing is very reasonable for ice cream and individual chocolates and candy.
Bloem Flowers, Chocolates and Paperie
Another one-stop shop, Bloem (221 N. Wall St., Suite 127, (509) 456-8466 and chocolates-flowers.com) makes shopping easy with its selection of flowers and chocolates. Grab a bouquet of your valentine’s favorite flowers, then pick up a box of chocolates to complete the gift. Bloem sells two- ($49) and four-layer ($79) boxes of chocolate, a box of assorted sea foam ($25), boxes of dark and milk chocolate pieces ($45), heart-shaped boxes of chocolates and truffles in a variety of sizes ($30-$65) and much more. To make Valentine’s Day last even longer, you can purchase weekly, bi-weekly or monthly flower deliveries.
Bruttles Gourmet Candy Shoppe
It’s nearly impossible to walk past the pink-and-brown banner-adorned Bruttles Gourmet Candy Shoppe downtown and not think about popping in for signature soft peanut brittle made from a 68-year-old recipe. On Valentine’s Day, treat your sweetheart or yourself with a purchase of peanut brittle, bruttles, cashew butter brittles, butter toffee or white chocolate bark.
In the Valentine’s Day collection, Bruttles (12609 E. Sprague Ave., Spokane Valley, (509) 228-9509; 828 W. Sprague Ave., (509) 624-2394; bruttles.com) is offering two pounds of soft peanut butter brittle for $26.95 or three pounds for $39.95. Also on the menu: mini ($12.95), medium ($22.95) and large ($39.95) samplers, chocolate-dipped peanut bruttle ($12.95) and more.
Hallett’s Chocolates Factory Store and Coffee
Hallett’s has made things easy for shoppers this Valentine’s Day. The first option under the Shop menu on its website is Valentine’s Day Gifts. There you’ll find heart-shaped boxes of chocolate in a variety of sizes and designs. Hallett’s (1419 E. Holyoke Ave., (509) 484-6454 and hallettschocolates.com) sells a 2.5-ounce box ($5.95) with an image of Cupid shooting his arrow and a 4-ounce box ($11.25) with a sweet dinosaur on the lid, perfect for the little valentines in your life. An animal print 8-ounce box is $20.50, while one pound of assorted chocolates is $32.50 and $37.95, depending on the box’s pattern.
See’s Candies
See’s (4302 N. Division St., (509) 489-6837; Silver Lake Mall, 200 W. Hanley Ave. #1117, Coeur d’Alene, (208) 719-6002; sees.com) has got you covered no matter who your valentines are this year. For the little ones and family members in your life, you might consider the Layers of Love box of chocolates ($25), a dark chocolate raspberry heart ($7) or the Puppy Love or Sweet Kitten boxes of treats ($9.75).
There are plenty of options for your galentines, too, including the Happy Galentine’s Assortment ($8) or the Pretty Petals Box ($27). For the extra-special person in your life, there’s the Romantic Gifts section, which includes the Sweet Indulgence Heart ($73) and the Elegant Heat ($116), as well as plenty of other options.
Sandpoint Chocolate Bear
Don’t let the name fool you: Sandpoint Chocolate Bear (11425 E. Trent Ave., Spokane Valley, (509) 324-2424, and sandpointchocolate.com) calls Washington home. At the shop, you can purchase boxes of 12, 18, 24 or 30 truffles ($23-$48) or caramels. For $25, you can purchase 15 pieces of salted caramel or 20 wrapped caramels. There is also plain chocolate bark, salted bark or dark chocolate bark with cacao nibs for $8. Don’t forget about the hard or soft peanut brittle, which starts at $5. You can also buy an assorted brittle tin for $22.
Hermine’s Old World Confections
If chocolate isn’t the first thing your valentine reaches for when they’re craving something sweet, consider stopping by Hermine’s (2415 N. Government Way, Coeur d’Alene, (208) 664-9580 and marzipanlove.com) for all things marzipan. There are candy logs ($15), candy apples ($28 for a box of eight), candy rings ($25) and marzipan potatoes ($15 for a box of six).
Hermine also sells Lebkuchen Hearts, a cookie that consists of honey, five spices and unbleached flour, which she covers in dark chocolate and a roasted almond ($8.50 for a bag). The pièce de résistance is Hermine’s own creation, the “2005” truffle. The truffle combines Belgian nougat, hazelnut and marzipan, all covered in dark chocolate. To add an extra dose of elegance to the truffle, customers can request a sprinkle of edible gold dust on top. The truffle is $27 for a box of six.