I Asked 7 Chefs for Their Favorite Chocolate Bar, and the Winner Was a Total Surprise

Come trick-or-treat season or any time you’re presented with a choice from a candy jar, selecting just one chocolate bar from the mix is about as difficult as picking a favorite child (or so I’ve heard from parents). Sweetness levels vary widely, as does the source of the chocolate, the mix-ins or fillings, the texture, and more.

To help us narrow down the competition and build a shortlist of the best bars for s’mores, snacking, and sneaking into cakes, we called up a handful of our favorite culinary pros from coast to coast for some sweet talk. Read on to discover which chocolate bar these chefs love—plus, brilliant ways to add it to your menu this week.

Our Panel of Chocolate-Rating Chefs

• Jeanette Donnarumma, a Ridgewood, New Jersey-based, Emmy Award-winning producer, recipe developer, content creator, and digital media producer
• George Duran, a celebrity chef in New York City
• Ashutosh Gairola, pastry chef at La Quinta Resort & Club in La Quinta, California
• Dominic Iannarelli, chef-owner of Prime & Providence in West Des Moines, Iowa
• Leslie Rohland, chef-owner of The Cottage Cafe, Bakery and Tea Room and The Juice Hive in Bluffton, South Carolina
• Peter Som, a New York City-based, award-winning fashion designer, culinary creator, lifestyle expert, and the author of “Family Style“
• Reina Telin, chocolate buyer for Zingerman’s Delicatessen and manager for Next Door Café in Ann Arbor, Michigan

Qualities of the Best Chocolate Bars

The array of rainbow packages at the movie theater snack counter and candy aisles is proof that options abound in the world of chocolate bars. In their quest for the best, here’s what chefs tell us they seek out:

• A glossy sheen and a notable snap when you break it. Any chocolate that’s matte, chalky, crumbles, or has a wax-like texture probably hasn’t been tempered correctly, explains cookbook author Peter Som. The best chocolate bars give a good, clean snap when you break off a piece. “This distinct sound is a sign of proper tempering, which aligns the cocoa butter crystals and results in a smooth, satisfying texture,” notes pastry chef Ashutosh Gairola. “Equally important is the bar’s appearance. A glossy, well-finished surface indicates skilled craftsmanship and that the chocolate has been stored correctly.”
• A smooth melt. As you lift that piece of chocolate toward your mouth, a warm, chocolaty aroma should waft up to your nose. Once the piece hits your tongue, it should feel smooth and silky as it melts in your mouth. One big red flag, according to Gairola, is if the chocolate gives way to a waxy, grainy, or greasy mouthfeel. This is often the result of a manufacturer employing inexpensive vegetable oils instead of cocoa butter. “It’s a shortcut that compromises the integrity of the chocolate, leaving you with a less satisfying experience,” Gairola believes. 
• Balanced flavor. The best chocolate has a rich, balanced flavor—not too sweet, not too bitter. Quality chocolate may have tasting notes like fruity, nutty, floral, or earthy, Gairola explains. “Skip anything with an overly sweet, almost plasticky aftertaste. If it tastes more like sugar than chocolate, it’s not worth your time,” says recipe developer Jeanette Donnarumma. Extra sugar is often a mask for low-quality cocoa, according to Gairola.

• Higher cocoa content doesn’t necessarily mean it’s better. Although a wildly sweet chocolate might not be the top pick for most of our culinary pros, they readily admit that good chocolate bars need not be 100 percent dark. A cocoa content of around 50 percent for milk chocolate and 70 percent for dark chocolate is ideal, Som says. At these levels, you should notice “complex chocolate flavor and a rich, nuanced experience,” Gairola adds. Bonus: High cocoa content also tends to mean higher antioxidant levels. Ideally, the label lists the origin of their cocoa beans—and the fact that they are ethically sourced, says chocolate buyer Reina Telin.
• Chocolate or cocoa should be the first ingredient on a short list. Regardless of the cocoa percentage, some form of cocoa should be the first ingredient. Cocoa, cocoa butter, and sea salt are all invited to the party. Celebrity chef George Duran tells us, “If I need a chemistry degree to understand the label, it’s a no-go!” The presence of vanillin (imitation vanilla), milk solids in dark chocolate, palm oil, artificial flavorings, and stabilizers are “usually signs that a chocolate is over-processed and mass-produced,” Gairola tells Allrecipes.
• The ingredient list should include mix-ins that you crave. Still, there’s a place in our candy jar for some of those nostalgic favorites from childhood. Chef Dominic Iannarelli loves chocolate bars that offer multiple components and textures, such as those with nuts, which are a favorite.

The Best Chocolate Bar, According to Chefs

Just like with chocolate chip cookies, many of us have a different definition of “perfect” when it comes to chocolate bars. The chefs shared quite a diverse collection of favorites, ranging from trick-or-treat mainstays to trendy artisan chocolates. But only one drew multiple votes, earning the crown from chefs in our poll: Tony’s Chocolonely. 

Donnarumma describes it as “fun, bold, and easy to find,” with balanced flavor. “Bury me in it,” she jokes. Rich and bursting with deep chocolate flavor, regardless of the additions (nuts, pretzels, and caramel are among the chefs’ favorites), Tony’s Chocolonely earns bonus points for its focus on fair-trade sourcing and paying cocoa farmers a higher price than the industry average for their beans.

The ingredient list is refreshingly short, allowing the cocoa flavor to truly shine: chocolate, sugar, cocoa butter, cocoa powder, and soy lecithin (a natural emulsifier).

Honorable Mentions for the Best Chocolate Bar

A handful of other bars deserve their flowers too, the chefs say:

• Theo Chocolate. For Duran, “Theo Chocolate takes the cake! Their commitment to ethical sourcing and bean-to-bar craftsmanship results in a product that’s delicious and responsible,” he says. Flip over Theo’s dark chocolate bar, for instance, and you’ll spy an ingredient list that mentions cocoa beans, sugar, cocoa butter, ground vanilla bean—and nothing else. That doesn’t mean the flavor is boring, though. Theo mixes things up with flavors that are “not just inventive…they’re a work of art [from a] mad scientist with a sweet tooth,” Duran adds. With options ranging from Gingerbread Toffee to Brown Rice Quinoa Crunch to Peanut Butter Brittle Dark Chocolate, Duran says, “it’s like they hired Willy Wonka as a consultant!”
• Lindt Excellence. For Gairola, “Lindt Excellence is the gold standard—particularly their 70 percent and 85 percent cocoa bars. They’re widely available, consistently well-made, and deliver a flavor experience that rivals more exclusive or boutique brands.” Crafted with chocolate, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, and bourbon vanilla beans, “Lindt chocolate bars stand out for their exceptional texture, glossy sheen, clean snap, and meltability, which make them ideal for both eating and baking,” Gairola explains. Besides the dark, milk, and white chocolate varieties, Lindt also offers sweet and spicy remixes, such as chili dark chocolate, caramel-sea salt dark chocolate, and a trendy Dubai chocolate bar.

• Askinosie Chocolate. For an under-the-radar option that exceeds expectations, Telin swoons over the story behind—and flavor of—Askinosie Chocolate. Based in Springfield, Missouri, the “Askinosie team travels around the world, sometimes to remote locations, to directly source exotic cocoa beans. They also share the profits with these farmers, often with a focus on empowering women cocoa farmers,” Telin explains. After they source the beans, the bars are made by hand in small batches, often with just cocoa beans, organic sugar, and cocoa butter. If Telin had to choose a favorite from their collection, it would be the Dark Chocolate and Red Raspberry Bar, which she says tastes just like chocolate-covered raspberries.
• Baby Ruth. To feel like a kid again, “Baby Ruth is supreme,” Iannarelli says. Created more than 100 years ago and originally called Kandy Kake, Baby Ruth is admittedly not a gourmet, small-batch option. That doesn’t mean it’s not delicious, though. “It’s all about the chocolate and peanuts, and even the nougat is milk chocolate-flavored,” Iannarelli explains.
• Mounds. For another chocolate bar with serious brand name recognition and stand-out stuffing, Chef Leslie Rohland recommends “the nostalgic Hershey’s Mounds bar, which is a classic in its own right,” she says. Chewy, smooth, and as tempting today as it was when first sold in 1919, these bars star sweet coconut wrapped in a generous coating of dark chocolate. (This is not to be confused with Almond Joy, which is a coconut-filled bar topped with almonds and wrapped in milk chocolate.)

How To Enjoy Chocolate Bars Like a Chef

While their personal preferences about the best chocolate bar vary from bougie to budget-friendly, the chefs agree that eating any of the above au natural is ultra-satisfying. In fact, Som says, “breaking off a piece as a snack or at the end of the meal is perfection.”

If you’d like to sneak them into other scrumptious scenarios, the pros recommend: