Pistachio Cubigusto
We've carried these tiny little cubes of gianduja in traditional hazelnut and sugar-free hazelnut in the past. Now we have creamy, dreamy pistachio! Put them on the pillows in your guest bedroom. Take them in your carry-on for that long plane ride. Don't be without them this month.

Italian Almond and Hazelnut Bark
An authentic taste of northern Italy. We get this bark in just for the winter and when we sell out, we're out. There's nothing particularly fancy about it — just good dark chocolate from Cuba Venchi and great roasted nuts. The hazelnut bark is made with Nocciole Piemonte, or Piedmont Hazelnuts. These hazelnuts are identified as "I.G.P," which means they come from a "Protected Geographic Origin." The I.G.P. status of Piedmont Hazelnuts indicates their specific cultivar, region of production (the Piedmont) and protects their reputation as THE best hazelnut in the world. Both kinds of bark come to us in big slabs and then we weigh it out and bag it up at the Deli. If you want, you can take home a chunk the size of a windowpane. Just let us know.

Antica Bonajuto Dolceria Vanilla and Cinnamon chocolate bars
These bars JUST arrived at the Deli a couple of days ago. They were made to order for us in Sicily and we're really excited to have them back in stock. I call them the "pink and red bars" — the Cioccolato Alla Vaniglia is pink and the Cioccolato Alla Canella is red. The chocolate is minimally processed, which makes it gritty and crunchy. Prepare yourself to chew a bit. A fun treat for the person who thinks he's tried everything!

Big Pralus Pyramide: Grande (1.1 lb)
For me, the holidays officially started when these arrived on the back dock at the Deli. The big Pralus Pyramides win the award every year for the most festive looking gift — ten different chocolates wrapped in ten different colors and tied with a ribbon. Makes my mouth and my eyes water (in a good way). This collection gives you the chance to taste and compare the flavors, aromas and mouthfeel of ten single-origin chocolates from the great French chocolate maker François Pralus. Got a friend who's been itching to host a chocolate tasting? This is the gift for her! She'll have everything she needs all wrapped up in a cute little bundle.
(The Pyramides have chocolates from the following countries of origin: Jamaica, Indonesia, Sao Tome, Trinidad, Venezuela, Papua New Guinea, Ghana, Madagascar, Colombia and Ecuador.)

Cacao Beans from Claudio Corallo
It is really fun to sell "raw" cacao beans at the Deli. Especially when they come from Claudio's plantation on Principe. The beans are unpeeled, so you'll want to gently peel them before you eat them. You can even try your hand at removing the tiny peg-shaped germ from the bean — which is what Claudio and his team do after the beans are roasted, in order to remove any extra bitterness from the finished product. Once you've peeled the bean andremoved the germ, you'll have a handful of little brown cacao-bean bits. Just pop them in your mouth. They are absolutely delicious. Nutty and surprisingly sweet!

RJ's Soft Natural Eating Licorice
Black licorice lover, do yourself a favor and treat yourself to a bag of RJ's — a sweet, soft licorice from New Zealand. And since you're going to be seeing your friends and family this month, buy a couple of bags to share with them. Show them just how great licorice can be! Bring them over to the dark side.

Béquet Caramel Bags
Everyone who has tasted these caramels agrees that they are perfect — buttery, brown-sugary and chewy. I just can't get over them. I love them. The Chipotle Caramel is smoky and spicy, the Soft Caramel is toasty and rich, and the Celtic Sea Salt is mouth-watering. Available in 5-piece, 20-piece and Monster 40-piece bags.

Bistro Bars à la 1910 from Chocolat Moderne
Inspired by a chocolate mold from 1910, these 9-square bars are easy to eat one square at a time. And because each fat square is filled to bursting with either caramel or praliné, breaking off a piece is like treating yourself to a bonbon! The Caramel Caresse — a caramel made with pear purée and Poire William eau de vie — is my favorite.

Vosges Mini Chocolate "Libraries"
This collection of miniature exotic chocolate bars is colorful and compact. The bars read like book titles from the side — Barcelona, Black Pearl, Macha, Naga, Woolloomooloo, Gianduja, Red Fire, Oaxaca, Creole. The whole thing is tied with a silky purple ribbon.

Fran's Award-Winning Salt Caramels
When I say "award-winning," I really mean it. The Gray Salt and Dark Chocolate Caramel won the NASFT Outstanding Confection Award in 2003 and the Smoked Salt and Milk Chocolate Caramel followed it in 2005. The 7-piece sleeve (available in Gray or Smoked) is the perfect size to tie to an envelope and slip in someone's mailbox and the 15-piece mixed box needs no wrapping — it already comes in a dark brown box with a gold satin ribbon.

Hammond's All-Natural Candy Canes
We have a very limited supply of these traditional treats. Available in mint or cherry, these candy canes are flavored and colored with natural ingredients. We're dressing them up with a little ribbon and tag.

Pâte de Fruit Boxes from Charles Chocolates
With their bright colors and glittering appearance, I think pâtes de fruits are the cheeriest of all holiday sweets. And, I must say, these delicate little fruit jelllies provide a nice contrast to other, heavier, sweets that make appearances during this season. Chuck's pâte de fruit is delicate yet firm, with a thin layer of sugar crystals clinging to the jelly. The flavor explodes in your mouth -blood orange, papaya, passion fruit, raspberry and white peach. The taste is sweet, bright, and utterly refreshing.

Rabitos Chocolate Covered Figs
These little boxes of figs generate a huge amount of excitement around here. Maybe it is because they are a great buy — 9 figs for $10.99. Or maybe it is the presentation — each individually wrapped fig is nestled in its own little compartment, like a jewel. But mostly, I think it is that they are delicious. A silky, brandy ganache tucked inside a soft and seedy fig and then dunked in chocolate. I'd get a couple boxes if I were you!

Honey Nougats from Montellimar, France
This is my friend Anne's favorite winter treat. This nougat is luxuriously soft and almost melts in your mouth. This year, we have three different kinds. Lavender Honey Nougat, dotted with pistachios and almonds (this batch has a stronger lavender flavor than the last one, for those of you who remember it!); Chestnut Honey Nougat, with chestnut purée, chestnut honey and almonds; and my favorite — Fig Nougat, with orange blossom honey and big chunks of dried figs.

Vosges Couture Cocoa Sampler
At last! A sampler of all three of Vosges' famous cocoas. Now you don't have to fret about which one to choose. Includes two-servings of each of the following: - Bianca: White chocolate, lemon myrtle and lavender. - Aztec: Dark chocolate, cinnamon, chilies, and cornmeal. - Parisienne: Dark chocolate and vanilla bean.

Yummy Earth Artisanal Candies
These candies are getting great marks from kids and grown-ups alike around the Deli. Everything from Chili Mango Mambo and Tickled Pink Grapefruit to Hopscotch Butterscotch and Googly Grape. There are 50 candies in a bag!

Almond Cookies
These cookies are so-named because they look like dollops of dough. Really, they are carefully-shaped circles of raw-almond marzipan from Tricasse in Southern Puglia (pronounced "pool-ya"), Italy. The pastry shop, or "pasticceria," that makes these very small and was passed down from generation to generation. You'll find them in the truffle case Next Door. Ask for a sample — you will be floored.

Kakawa
Have you tried these yet? They are whole roasted cacao beans dipped not once, not twice but THREE times in white, milk and dark chocolate. Then they are dusted with cocoa powder and packed in a bright red bag. If you love the taste of cacao beans/nibs, you will feel right at home biting into this crunchy, creamy nugget of goodness.

Candy Bars from Zingerman's Bakehouse
These are the most unique chocolates we carry — because we invented them! Charlie Frank out at Zingerman's Bakehouse is doing something no one else in the country is doing — trying to bring the traditional American candy bar back to life. His Zzang!, Ca$hew Cow, and What the Fudge bars are really revolutionary. They taste fresh and they actually aren't super duper sweet (even though they have lots of sweet things in them, like honey, nougat, fudge, fondant, etc.).

Hazelnut and Almond Tins from Charles Chocolates
These nuts are the size of giant marbles. That's because each organic hazelnut and almond is triple-dipped in a blend of milk and dark chocolate. So when you bite into one, you're sinking through three layers of chocolate before you hit that great roasted nut.

Got any questions about our chocolates or tastings? Trying to figure out what to get your Aunt Betty for the holidays? Email me (eanderson@zingermans.com) or call 734-663-JAVA anytime.

Best,

Chocolate Lady Duff