[Review] Vegan Treats 'My Vegan Valentine' Chocolate Box Assortment

• Shop name: Vegan Treats
• Location: Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States
• Known for: Specialty patisserie and chocolate made without animal ingredients; gluten-free options available
  

I bought the 'My Vegan Valentine' assortment box from the Vegan Treats website in 2021 as part of their rotating seasonal offerings. The listing described this box as:

This beautifully handcrafted assortment of Valentine's Day chocolates is a great gift for yourself or your Valentine. Each box is filled with 18 pieces of handcrafted premium Swiss and white chocolate with decadent handmade fillings, precision detail and gold leaf adornments. There's 6 varieties of chocolate, 3 of each flavor. This item is also gluten-free.

The full box cost $55.95, which is in line with their similarly-sized assortments, and was available as a pre-order.

TL;DR: I liked these overall but wasn't blown away. I would be open to another purchase if something sounded incredible and couldn't be found anywhere else. That said, I do think these are a great option if you want a highly-stylized vegan chocolate.

 

Items

🖤Vanilla Bean Caramel Roses

On the first try, I think these are really good. The caramel is smooth and flavored well, and the chocolate has a snap to it, which I love. It's not terribly original but is very tasty. The rose shape adds a little bit of fun, too.

Trying another one, I am still enjoying the ratio of filling/chocolate (I prefer an even split) and the fact that the chocolate is present but not overpowering the caramel, which is the star here. The caramel is still very soft and flavorful with a nice, chewy consistency.

🖤Black Espresso Ganache-Filled Swiss Chocolate

 

The first one I tried was lovely; it's so smooth. The espresso is subtle, and the chocolate has a little bit of a snap. It's a little bit of a darker chocolate, which means that it isn't too sweet. I always worry about that when trying a chocolate that has a lot of filling (looking at you, Sjaak's). The design on the top is lovely, too.

 

Returning to this, I am enjoying it immensely. This chocolate is so soft and fudgy with a teeny bit of snap. It's one of my favorites, no doubt.

🖤Chocolate Almond Butter Toffee Crunch

I loved this! It was buttery and crunchy, with a nice, nutty flavor and a lot of chocolate snap - so much so that it fell apart as I ate it. Yum.

Trying this one again, I got more of an artificial and somewhat cheap-feeling note from the chocolate this time. Still, the filling is good and benefits a lot from the toffee texture.

 

 

🖤Strawberry Buttercream Filled Swiss Chocolate

This chocolate was definitely my least favorite. Strawberry here has a tang that I don't like, which might be some people's preference - it reminds me of yogurt or something more sour than sweet, though the texture does remind me of sticky buttercream frosting. I was most excited for this, as an avid lover of strawberry flavoring, and I was disappointed. It does have a good texture, though.

A second taste test was different but not much better, as I couldn't taste much at all this time. The strawberry still has a tangy note but tastes realistic overall. It's a decent chocolate but not winning any flavor awards for me.

🖤Swiss Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

These are okay, not bad. The peanut butter is definitely on the drier side but adds a nice flavor that the chocolate needs. I wish I got more of it, though - maybe some salt would have brought it out more.

After trying another one, the peanut butter almost has that same cheap, artificial taste I experienced before. Again, these are just okay.

🖤White Chocolate Hearts with Hazelnut Praline and Toasted Hazelnuts

Ooh, very tasty! I love the nutty flavor, and the inside is super creamy with a delightful crunch. The snap to the chocolate is nice, and the filling is pleasant.

A few weeks later, I still find the white chocolate to be smooth and pretty good but a little on the artificial side now. The filling doesn't seem as flavorful but still has the nice crunch.

 

Thoughts

I remember learning about Vegan Treats when someone posted about their Valentine assortment in 2020. By the time I saw it, the collection had sold out, so I was determined to watch until a new collection was released. While they do have other assortments throughout the year, I am a sucker for red-and-pink as an aesthetic and also tend to get antsy for chocolate in the springtime. Thus, this box found its way into my cart! They bring back assortments of items at random, from what I can tell, so I would expect many/all of these chocolates to be available at some point, even if the decorations or accompanying pieces change. Even so, I feel like I have a good idea of this company and their shippable offerings.

I think the price of these is in line with gourmet and/or other vegan chocolates, though I personally would have been fine with a smaller box and price point. It was a challenge to eat the majority of these by myself when I was not in love with all of them. I don't think any of the chocolate was bad; rather, it seems to cater to a specific preference, and I'm not sure that whatever 'Swiss chocolate' is fits my idea of the best chocolate. That said, I do think this brand is doing unique things and seems to do them well! I love seeing the creativity of their seasonal releases and wouldn't be opposed to trying something else in the future. I enjoyed this assortment and am glad I tried it, if for no other reason than to satiate that curiosity!

My order shipped right on time, as advertised in the pre-order description; I received a tracking notice after two weeks, and my package arrived safely four days later.