15 Grocery Store Holiday Chocolates Of 2024, Ranked

There are so many ways to know that the holiday season is upon us. The Salvation Army bells are ringing, your email inbox is getting flooded with Black Friday promo offers, and the candy aisle at your local grocery store is absolutely bursting at the seams with holiday treats. While there are some gummy and sugar-spun confections in the holiday candy aisle, chocolate is arguably the most prevalent candy type.

In order to decide which chocolates are worth adding to your cart (and under your tree, in your stockings, and more), I sampled an array of options from the candy aisle at my local grocery store before ranking them from worst to best. Besides the obvious taste and texture assessment, I also considered the seasonality of the product to help me determine its ranking. These candies should be very holiday-adjacent, meaning that they should use flavors tied to the holiday season, as well as feature festive packaging that makes them worth gifting. 

This Rudolph chocolate, complete with a red nose and all, is basically the chocolate Easter bunny of Christmastime. In other words, its the candy that you got as a kid from the relatives that knew you existed, but didn't really know you well enough to get you an actual Christmas gift. 

The chocolate bar is awfully sweet — and not much else. There's no chocolatey flavor, so much so that I would have guessed it was white chocolate rather than milk chocolate. Plus, part of the problem is that it's so dense — and all chocolate. There's no reprieve from the sugar, which makes eating it unpleasant. While it is seasonal in shape and design, it's not a chocolate I'd eat for pleasure. 

You probably don't want to have a handful of coal in your stocking, but at least you can eat this variety. R.M. Palmer's holiday coal is one of those gimmicky candies that you find in your stocking as a gag gift, but then proceed to eat it as you're unwrapping gifts anyway. Each one is "double crisp," thanks to the addition of toasted rice cereal. 

But this chocolate is not nearly the same quality as the Crunch bar you know and love. It's cheap, chalky, and oddly fruity. There's no luscious mouthfeel like some of the other brands on this list offered, and the crunchiness from the rice cereal is almost nonexistent. If you're buying this gift for a white elephant (or a Yankee swap, if you're from my neck of the woods), then maybe it would work — but don't expect that the flavor will be any better than coal. 

Some may argue that a box of chocolates is an overplayed Christmas gift. However, I see it as an opportunity for re-gifting when Valentine's Day comes around. Such is the case for this Whitman's sampler — which is just seasonal enough to be used for a Christmas present ... or for something else. The box contains 22 pieces of candy — the most out of any of the samplers that I looked at for this review — in 11 unique flavors. If you're after variety, this is the box you're going to want to buy. Chocolate-covered peanuts, vanilla crémes, peanut caramel, and chocolate butter cream (not buttercream — which is odd) are all included in this box. 

We might be here until next Christmas if I share details about every type of candy in the box, but here's what you need to know: There's nothing special here. The nut caramel, for example, is 99% fudgy chocolate with the flavor of caramel — all without the actual gooeyness of a proper caramel. The chocolate butter cream just tastes like a low-quality truffle with sugary frosting stuffed inside of it. 

That being said, the chocolate covered peanuts were a highlight of this box because I've never found them in a candy sampler before. Everything else, though, is so overwhelmingly sweet that it's not really worth eating. Granted, it's more thoughtful than my lower-ranked candies. 

Money is a great holiday gift, but it's even better when you can actually eat that money. Russell Stover's milk chocolate Santa money bars are basically just plain chocolate bars wrapped up neatly in green, dollar bill packaging. 

I've never tasted grassy chocolate before, but this one really embodies that description. The chocolate was also not of very high quality, as I could detect some lingering mintiness and florality that made eating more than a couple bites of it off-putting. It wasn't necessarily sweet either — which kind of defeats the purpose of eating a chocolate bar in the first place. Russell Stover should stick to the truffles, since it can use those other flavors to hide its chocolate behind. As it stands, you're probably better off writing that special someone on your list a check. 

I am a big, big fan of Reese's trees. But in an effort to branch out to more seasonal offerings, I decided to add the brand's sugar cookie-stuffed chocolates to this list in lieu of the classic seasonal shape. At first, I pondered how the strong flavor of the peanut butter would balance with the crunchy sugar cookie. And I quickly learned that the peanut butter was no match for the cookies.

This candy wins some points for its small size. Put it in a stocking or a little treat bag for a holiday party, and you've got a winner. The flavor also isn't that bad — at least in terms of the peanut butter and the chocolate. But the second I opened this bag, I noticed that my entire house was perfumed with vanilla — and not high-quality vanilla, either. It was sickeningly sweet, vanilla Frappuccino territory. The sweetness of the cookie piece eclipsed the saltiness of the peanut butter, too — rendering these dry cups syrupy against the back of my throat. I'll take my Reese's trees back, please and thank you. 

I was initially drawn to this box of Russell Stover's chocolates because of its festive blue wrapping. Each box contains a total of 17 truffles, split across four flavors: milk chocolate confetti, dark chocolate cheesecake, red velvet, and brownie. However, the box makes it abundantly clear that these are dessert inspired — they don't contain any actual cake or cheesecake. 

The red velvet was the first one that I tried. It was overly sweet and not really reminiscent of a slice of my favorite type of cake. The filling was sweet, and it had that syrupy finish that follows with red velvet cake, but I wouldn't be able to point at this candy and decipher its flavor if I wasn't looking at the handy guide that Russell Stover included in the package. The brownie truffle was a little better; I can confidently say that I enjoyed it. The filling was dry and fudgy, just like a brownie, while the little bits of gritty chocolate really added to the overall mouthfeel. If the brand sold me a box of those, it would be all golden. The Funfetti was a little bit less of a win. It was pure white chocolate, with a milk chocolate coating. The sprinkles wedged inside only served to make this candy gritty and sweeter (which, as you can expect, it didn't need). Though, the bite was dry and cake-like, so I will give them praise for that. The chocolate-covered cheesecake was the biggest miss in the whole box; it didn't taste like anything, really — besides sweet. 

This was one of Russell Stover's better truffle selections, but it's not on par with the holidays. Combine it with some sub-optimal candies inside, and you've got a recipe for a low-ranking candy.

Hershey's has been known to come up with a range of whimsical holiday items. But I was particularly drawn to its hot cocoa Kisses, which have a classic milk chocolate shell and marshmallow-flavored cream inside. 

I can't get over how beautiful these candies are. While the wrapping is not holiday-adjacent, it would still make you reach for one of them in a bowl of assorted Kisses flavors. The flavor of these Kisses isn't as saccharine and sweet as I expected. Normally, marshmallow-flavored things taste super artificial, but these Kisses are comparably mild. However, I think that's because this filling screams "vanilla cream" — not marshmallow. It doesn't have the signature puffiness of the mallows I'd find floating atop a hot chocolate, which is a bit of a let-down. These are far from being the worst Kisses flavor, but the lack of holiday essence forces them down on my list. 

I present to you, the Reese's trees of the Kit Kat world. These chocolate-coated wafer Santa candies are a step up from the ho-hum Kit Kat bar, and they gain some brownie points for having that holiday charm. The flavor of these bars are just what you'd expect — a solid balance of Kit Kat wafer to chocolate. The chocolate quality on these bars is about average; it's not any better than normal Kit Kats. 

These aren't as inventive as other chocolates I sampled. They're just shaped into Santas — there's nothing else special about them. Moreover, these candies are subject to the Reese's trees effect; due to their shape, they have a higher ratio of dry wafer to chocolate. As a result, the mouthfeel is a bit dry, which is also why I ranked them low. 

I wasn't aware that M&M's carried a special holiday flavor until this review. The toasted peanut candies have the same chocolate coating that everyone knows and loves, as well as the yellow M&M wearing a Nutcracker costume on the package. 

I expected the peanuts inside of these M&M's to taste just like the regular peanut M&M's, but I was wrong. They were indeed toastier and almost lacquered with a honey-like essence. Peanut M&M's aren't my favorite type of M&M's (that would be the peanut butter one), but I would confidently take the toasty version over the plain ones any day. That being said, if you put it in a bowl of holiday candies, I would proclaim this one to be the odd man out, simply because there's nothing "holiday" about it. Other products on this list had mint, gingerbread, and other seasonal flavors — which this M&M's candy couldn't offer. In a ranking of great candies, it would do well, but it's better suited for a trick-or-treat bag than the Christmas tree. 

Hershey's milk chocolate Santas are what you give to the people on your list who want something sweet for Christmas, but don't want to venture too far away from what they're familiar with. These holiday Santa chocolates are essentially just a Hershey's chocolate bar that's been pressed into a Santa shape. In other words, its shape is the only thing really seasonable about it. 

The flavor was the milky, creamy, and overtly sweet Hershey's chocolate that I remember from my childhood. It's not something that I would spend more than the convenience store price for, so I don't think the value component is really here for these candies. Though, they beat out Kit Kats because there weren't any textural issues associated with their newfound shape. I wouldn't be mad to find these in my stocking, but I'm also not going to claim them as a Christmas miracle, either. 

I liken the silky smoothness of Dove chocolates to that of the Lindor truffles. These candies feature a dark chocolate candy interspersed with mint swirls. Compared to the rest of the candies on this list, though, the Dove chocolates' flavors really left something to be desired. 

The flavor on these candies leans about 90% chocolate and 10% mint — on a really, really good day. But the bright side is that the mint flavor is really solid, in that it's not cloyingly sweet, nor is it too artificial. I also appreciate that the chocolate was smoother and creamier than brands like R.M. Palmer, Russell Stover, and major competitor Hershey's. It's just that the candy needs a better balance between the mint and the chocolate. Something like a 60% chocolate to 40% mint would be a little more appropriate for each bite-sized candy. If the mint were stronger, I also think that it would really drive home the fact that this is a holiday candy, not just an after-dinner treat. 

These Christmas turtles have everything I could want from a holiday candy. Not only do they have a crunchy pecan layer, but they also have soft, luscious caramel and a chocolate coating around the entire thing. I'm always wary of whole pecans and walnuts in candy, as they can taste very rancid if they're left out on the shelf for too long. But the pecans inside of these candies were fresh, crunchy, and quite inviting. They exuded that beautiful fattiness and makes me wonder why pecans are so underutilized in the world of chocolates. Nevertheless, the caramel was a great complement to these divine, but not necessarily sweet on their own, nuts. 

I would have loved to rank these candies as my top option, but unfortunately, the consistency was just so dense that I grew tired after eating just one. I didn't find my hand wanting to go back into the bag for more because they were just so heavy, dense, and sweet. It's a great indulgence from time to time, but it wouldn't be a candy I would eat more than one of in a single sitting. 

Tony's Chocoloney has a range of whimsical chocolate bars, including a dark chocolate one with almonds and sea salt that's one of the best vegan chocolate bars I've ever tasted. So, I knew I had to pick up its seasonal chocolate bar: milk chocolate gingerbread. This was the only gingerbread-flavored chocolate that I sampled, and I knew going into this review that the warming spices in gingerbread, like cinnamon, cloves, and ginger, go really well with chocolate. I was excited, to say the least.

Not only did this bar have a delectably seasonal spice profile, but there were also pieces of gingerbread cookies interspersed throughout the bar — which gave it a more profound crunch than the other candies I reviewed. You could tell that this bar was made with high-quality chocolate — or at least, higher-quality chocolate than some of the other chocolate brands I sampled. 

The only real drawback that comes with this candy is the fact that the bar is so large, you can't possibly eat it in one sitting. Other, smaller candies can be easily and quickly enjoyed. But I think that a gingerbread lover would absolutely have to have one of these in their stocking this holiday season. 

Lindt's peppermint cookie truffles essentially combine an array of seasonal holiday flavors into a single bite. Peppermint, cookies, and milk chocolate — what's not to love? These limited-edition truffles are packaged in a very festive green holiday bag, which gave me high hopes for the silky-smooth filling inside. There was no gooey, oozy mint filling. Rather, the entire truffle was flavored with a smooth, minty (but not toothpaste-like) flavor. I almost forgot that there were chunks of cookie hidden inside there, as they didn't make themselves immediately known to my taste buds or my molars. But when I bit down, it was the perfect symphony of textures and balance of flavors. 

I'll admit that the consistency of Lindt truffles, regardless of flavor, is not for everyone. Not everyone is a mint person, either (myself included). But these chocolates are truly delightful. Their flavor is like 70% chocolate and 30% mint, which makes for a pleasant, but not overwhelming bite. 

It wouldn't be a complete holiday chocolate review if I didn't sample one of the most popular candies on the market this time of year: the Ghirardelli squares. The holiday chocolate assortment that I picked up had three types of squares in it: milk chocolate caramel, peppermint bark, and milk chocolate mint cookie. The first one seems a little less than seasonal, while the other two are par for the course when it comes to holiday chocolates. 

The peppermint bark was mildly minty, but I definitely think that the mint thankfully overpowered the subtle sweetness of the bar. I can appreciate that the mint flavor here is shivery, rather than toothpaste-like. I don't really like mint, but I wouldn't mind adding a bag of these to my gift list. The milk chocolate mint cookie fulfilled that chocolate craving that I missed out on with the peppermint bark; it had a solid balance of crispy cookie pieces, mint, and perfectly sweetened milk chocolate. Moreover, this bar had more texture than the mint cookie Lindt truffles, which earned it a higher spot on the ranking. 

Last but not least in this bag was the oddball: the milk chocolate caramel-filled square. The caramel was oozy and sweet, as I expected, which made this the sweetest of all the Ghirardelli squares that I sampled. Though, the more I eat it, the less I think of it as an oddball — the more it's like a bonus to two already excellent, seasonal chocolates. 

I sampled an array of different holiday chocolates for this review. I tasted each candy (and all of the candies in each box, if it was a sampler) and noted their taste and texture right off the bat. Although holiday chocolate is meant to be seasonal, it should also taste good. In terms of seasonability, I wanted a chocolate that was seasonal in flavor, design, and/or packaging.