17 unique gifts for chocolate lovers that go beyond the traditional box of sweets

My wife is a card-carrying chocolate lover and a harsh critic of sweets, and she referred to these Gourmet White Chocolate Raspberry Cookies from the Giorgio Cookie Company as "maybe the best cookies I've ever had." Yes, this is one expensive jar of cookies, but they really are amazing. Your lucky gift recipient will be talking about their taste long after the last crumbs are eaten.

With so many companies making great chocolate bars, it's hard to choose just one to recommend. I'm going with Alter Eco first and foremost because I've tried about a half dozen of their bars, from the Dark Blackout Organic Chocolate Bar to the Deep Dark Salted Burnt Caramel Bar and beyond, and they are all amazing.

What sets this company apart is how they make their sweets. Alter Eco products are made with cacao exclusively harvested in Ecuador from sustainable, Fair Trade farms, and all of their chocolate is gluten free, non-GMO, and vegan, and purchases help direct funds to reforestation.

Chocolate fountains are great, but they tend to make a mess, they are hard to clean, and they can't also be used with cheese for traditional fondue. So give the melted chocolate aficionado the trusty (and affordable) Nostalgia FPS200 6-Cup Stainless Steel Electric Fondue Pot and you're giving the gift of chocolate covered strawberries, chocolate dipped marshmallows, and... well, really a guy could dip any foodstuff in there.

Few companies know their way around chocolate like Ghirardelli. If you want to give the gift of perfect cups of hot chocolate, give the gift of a can of Ghirardelli Sweet Ground Chocolate & Cocoa Gourmet Powder. Mixed into warmed milk, it makes a heavenly beverage, but this sweet stuff can also be used in baking or to decorate confections. And it also comes in a Sweet Ground White Chocolate flavor.

The Waxing Kara Haute Cocoa Body Set comes with a honey cocoa body scrub, a honey cocoa body butter, and a cocoa blueberry renewing mask. It's the gift of ultimate indulgence, inviting the recipient to have a good, long, sweet-smelling soak in the tub that will leave their skin clean, soft, fresh, and of course scented like that ethereal treat — you guess it! — chocolate.

If there's one thing that goes great with chocolate, it's wine. If there's another, it's coffee. Ah, but when you blend the flavors of chocolate and coffee into one tasty beverage, you have a real winner. (Not quite so with the vino, FYI.) Crazy Cups Coffee Chocolate Lovers Cups work with most single serve coffee makers (Keurig, e.g.) and come in flavors ranging from Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup to Peppermint Chocolate Mocha. Get your cocoa-and-coffee-loving buddy a mixed pack and they can try them all.

When in doubt, go big. And the Wine Country Gift Baskets Godiva Milk and Dark Chocolate Tower is pretty big. It comes with multiple flavors of truffle, chocolate bars, and chocolate-dipped pretzels. The lovely presentation is a big part of the gift, but the delectable deliciousness is the main event. There might even be enough to share.

Giving someone the gift of a chocolate bar is great, but it's also fleeting. A few chomps later, and it's gone. Ah, but give the gift of a custom chocolate bar mold, and your friend can make their own delightful chocolate bars at home just by melting some of the sweet stuff and pouring it into these molds. You can order a custom chocolate bar mold with a name, a logo, a message, or a basic graphic, whatever you think your sweet-toothed friend will love the most.

The true chocolate aficionado can appreciate not just the taste of the sweet eat but also its rich history and its place in culture. "The Book of Chocolate" is jam-packed with information about all things chocolate, from its ancient history among Mesoamerican cultures to how it spread around to world to its place in modern society today. Along with the gripping text, the book is filled with lavish images.

There's nothing like a relaxing, warm beverage. And there's really nothing like a cup of Chocolate Hazelnut Black Tea from Stash for warming you up and calming you down at the end of a long day. This decaffeinated tea is flavored with natural cocoa, hazelnut, and vanilla extracts, and makes a delightful hot beverage with just a few minutes of steeping. When served over ice, it's an invigorating drink that will pep you up sans sugar or caffeine.

Just because a person can't eat chocolate every minute of the day doesn't mean he or she can't enjoy its essence at all times. With a large 13-ounce hot chocolate-scented candle from Our Own Candle Company, the home (or office or spa) will be filled with the luscious aroma of chocolate for hours on end. In fact, this candle has a 100-hour burn time, so it can last for weeks even if burned for an hour or two daily.

The gift of sweet, sweet relaxation is close at hand. Get a Hot Chocolate Bath Bomb and you can give your friend or special someone soft skin thanks to ingredients like cocoa butter and shea butter, and a calming, aromatic break from the rest of life thanks to scents created by cocoa, cinnamon, citrus, and more. Each bath bomb is a bit pricey, but your gift-getter will appreciate their quality.

For the uncultured choco-fanatic, the original "Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory" with Gene Wilder blows the Johnny Depp version out of the chocolate river. Gift them a remastered Blu-ray version of the movie so they can gain a true appreciation for the wonderful world of Wonka. — Danny Bakst

Don't worry, the 80 recipes included in the cookbook "Chocolate Covered Katie" aren't a one-way ticket to a larger pant size; in fact, it's quite the opposite. Chef and author Katie Higgins has put together a book filled with foods that are sweet and tasty and chocolaty but actually (pretty) healthy, too. So go ahead and get a copy for your friend. Maybe she'll make you some Peanut Butter Pudding Pops.

The Brits are known for some fine candies, and many of their finest can be found in this Great British Treats box from Cadbury. In it, your gift-getter will get candy bars including a Flake, a Twirl, a Crunchie, and other sweets beloved in the UK but harder to find on the American side of the pond.

Chocolate is delicious, but it's not exactly a health food. Like at all. This Base Culture Raspberry Cocoa Brownie almost is, though, as are all the other flavors of brownie (and blondie) this women-owned, paleo-friendly company makes. This 270-calorie brownie has 5 grams of protein, zero trans fats, and it's free of grain, soy, and dairy and approved for paleo diets.

This Too Faced makeup palette that's shaped like a chocolate bar looks and smells like the real deal. That's in large part because the eyeshadows are pigmented with pure, antioxidant-rich cocoa powder. — Danny Bakst