13 of the Best Chocolate Advent Calendars for 2023

With the holiday season approaching, it’s time to think about advent calendars, countdowns to Christmas that often come with little gifts. Most are gorgeously designed works of paper art that let people open a little door each day starting from December 1 until Christmas. Some reveal artwork surprises, while others contain little objects or gifts. But of course, the best ones (according to us, anyway) contain chocolate. That’s right, your favorite chocolate company might make a chocolate-filled advent calendar, providing you daily bites of fudgy joy. Just as we did last year in 13 of the Best Advent Calendars for 2022, we’ve rounded up our favorite chocolate advent calendars for this year so you can order your favorite—or favorites, no judgment—and enjoy the Christmas season countdown filled with chocolate.

1. Compartés

This Los Angeles chocolate brand known for outside-the-box inclusions in their funky bars has created a new advent calendar this year. It contains 24 different-flavored pieces of their award-winning chocolates, each hiding behind a lush, garden-themed door. The enchanting, vibrant design showcases tropical vegetation and birds that remind us of an island vacation. Chocolate flavors inspired by California’s orchards include Honey Lavender, Caramel Apple, Peanut Butter Banana, Lemon Poppyseed, Passionfruit, Strawberry Cheesecake, Coffee Toffee, and Raspberry Rose.

2. Chocolat de Kat

Chocolate maker and owner Kata Ambrus moved into her current shop in Toronto in 2021, selling shiny, beautifully hand-painted bon bons in delectable flavors. For her advent calendar this year, flavors include classics, holiday all-stars, and limited-edition numbers. Expect flavors like Popcorn Praline, Opera Cake, Berry Streusel, and Citrus Olive Oil hidden inside the charming, snow-covered depiction of the Toronto street that’s home to the chocolate shop.

3. Venchi

The Italian chocolate and gelato company makes whimsical chocolate advent calendars every year. For 2023’s Prestige Advent Calendar, the company teamed up with New York artist Andrew Bannecker for a design with a classic wreath on the outside and cuddlt Christmas teddy bear on the inside. The 25 tiny drawers contain an assortment of individually wrapped chocolates in an array of flavors, including their classic Cremino and Nougatine varieties.

4. Dandelion Chocolate

The San Francisco-based craft chocolate maker Dandelion is known for going all out for its advent calendar, and 2023 is no different. This year’s is a spectacular collaboration with 25 acclaimed chocolatiers from coast to coast and astronomer and artist Dr. Tyler Nordgren, who presents 25 celestial events, as seen from various Dark Sky-certified locations in the northern hemisphere. Inside the circular box are 25 individual, gift-worthy, chocolate-box “ornaments,” each highlighting one of the stunning locations. Each “ornament” contains a chocolate like a bonbon, caramel, or chocolate-covered nuts. And, if you don’t like sharing your chocolate, you can order a box with two chocolates per night.

5. Hilliards Chocolates

This advent calendar by the family-owned-and-operated Massachusetts chocolatier founded in 1924 is a fun rendering of their landmark Easton, MA, shop filled with 24 pieces of Hilliards rich milk chocolate. The original watercolor artwork was created by their window artist, Jonathan Winchell and each piece is wrapped in foil that looks like a tiny Christmas present. As you open each window, you can read a sweet saying before you eat your creamy chocolate.

6. Delysia Chocolatier

The calendars from Austin-TX-based Delysia are always creative, although the plainly numbered chocolates appear simple from the outside. This year, chocolatier and chef Nicole Patel was inspired by some favorite chocolate pairings, like how chocolate can be paired with certain cheeses, drinks, and other foods. Each truffle combines an iconic pairing into one delectable truffle. The box includes a daily hint for each chocolate, to help you guess the flavor, which you’ll discover written behind each chocolate when you remove it. Delysia even provides daily pairing suggestions for each truffle through an interactive webpage. The 25 truffle flavors include both a sweet and savory assortment, such as Honey Sriracha, Banana Bread, Caramelized Apricots, Maple Glazed Ham, and Dry Martini.

7. MarieBelle

MarieBelle’s Manhattan shop is a turquoise jewel box known for its gourmet bon bons and truffles and opulent hot chocolate room in the back. Bring some of the magic home with their chocolate advent calendar, with this year’s calendar designed to mimic peering through an enchanted golden window to see a woman playing a cello. Each of the 24 white drawers opens to reveal miniature bite-size treats, from chocolate-shaped snowmen, nutcrackers, trees, bells, candy canes, and snowflakes to chocolate crispy toffee, chocolate covered orange slices, chocolate MarieBelle caramels, and more.

8. Mirzam

This calendar comes from Dubai chocolate maker Mirzam, which has been crafting single-origin chocolate using cacao sourced from Vietnam, Indonesia, Madagascar, Papua New Guinea, and India, since 2016. Inside the spice route-themed box are individually wrapped mini square bars made from cacao sourced around the world. A Moorish style door opens up to reveal a colorful tile-inspired mosaic, with a chocolate inspired by the spice route behind each of the 24 drawers. Learn more about how Mirzam brings the spice route chocolate.

9. COCO Chocolatier

COCO is known for collaborating with artists on bright and bold papers that wrap their single origin chocolates, and their advent calendar is no different. The cheerfully modern box is designed by London-based artist Adam Nathaniel Furman and contains 24 single-origin mini bars, including a Colombian 40% milk and a Colombian dark bar with Isle of Skye sea salt—the company is from Edinburgh, Scotland.

10. Amedei

Luxury Tuscan chocolate maker Amedei went all out on their hot pink and chocolate brown advent calendar for 2023, with 25 drawers containing a variety of sweets, including truffles, small bars, pralines, and more. Best of all, the entire package is made out of recycled cocoa bean shells.

11. Harbor Sweets

Harbor Sweets has had their original, flagship shop in Salem, Massachusetts, for 50 years. Artist Mary Charles created the charming New England seaside village depicted on the front of this advent calendar, while inside are 25 chocolates in the shape of marine-inspired items such as chocolate seashells and sand dollars, a lighthouse made out of dark chocolate raspberry truffle, and a sailboat shaped almond buttercrunch toffee covered with white chocolate and dipped in dark chocolate and pecan spindrift.

12. Fauchon

This year’s Fauchon calendar cover is inspired by the whimsical winter circus, surrounded by snow-covered pines. Inside, circus favorites like tightrope walker, jugglers, and clowns make an appearance, while behind each drawer are 24 assorted French sweets in 15 varieties, including gianduja, Neapolitan, caramel, calissons, nougat, and fruit paste.

13. Neuhaus

This pop-up chocolate advent calendar from the famous Belgian chocolatier depicts a traditional Christmas scene in front of the Grand-Place in Brussels. It is filled with an assortment of 25 chocolates and playful figurines filled with a soft praliné. Neuhaus created the first Belgian praline and all of their chocolates are made in Belgium, composed with care using only fair and natural ingredients.