What Is National Choose Your Chocolate Day?

National Choose Your Chocolate Day is a celebration encouraging people to explore the wonderful variety of chocolate available and choose the kind they enjoy most.

Chocolate comes in far more forms than the familiar candy bar.

You can find chocolate in:

Candy bars
Truffles
Brownies
Cakes
Cookies
Fudge
Ice cream
Cheesecake
Hot chocolate
Chocolate-covered fruit
Chocolate-covered pretzels
Chocolate-covered nuts
Chocolate mousse
Chocolate pie
Chocolate milkshakes
Chocolate fondue
Chocolate candies
Chocolate chip pancakes
Chocolate croissants
Chocolate-dipped cookies

And that is only the beginning.

The spirit of National Choose Your Chocolate Day isn’t about deciding which chocolate is objectively “best.” Taste is personal. The perfect chocolate is simply the one that makes you happy.

The Wonderful World of Chocolate

Chocolate begins with cacao beans, which grow inside cacao pods on cacao trees. Through harvesting, fermentation, drying, roasting, grinding, and additional processing, cacao eventually becomes the chocolate products we recognize.

Chocolate has an incredibly long history.

Cacao was important to ancient civilizations in Mesoamerica long before the creation of the modern chocolate bar. Early chocolate beverages were very different from the sweet hot cocoa many people enjoy today. They could be bitter and were sometimes combined with spices.

When cacao eventually reached Europe, chocolate drinks began changing as ingredients such as sugar were added.

Over the centuries, advances in chocolate production transformed chocolate from a beverage primarily enjoyed by wealthy consumers into bars, candies, desserts, and other treats available around the world.

Today, chocolate is one of the world’s most recognizable flavors.

And National Choose Your Chocolate Day celebrates that incredible variety.

Milk Chocolate

For many people, milk chocolate is the classic choice.

Milk chocolate combines cocoa ingredients with sugar and milk ingredients, producing the creamy and relatively sweet flavor that has made it incredibly popular.

It works beautifully in candy bars, cookies, cakes, brownies, s’mores, and countless other desserts.

Milk chocolate is also an excellent choice when paired with ingredients such as:

Caramel

Sweet caramel and creamy chocolate create one of the most famous candy combinations.

Peanuts

The salty crunch of peanuts balances chocolate’s sweetness.

Peanut Butter

Chocolate and peanut butter might be one of the ultimate dessert combinations.

Pretzels

Salty pretzels dipped in chocolate offer sweetness, saltiness, crunch, and creaminess in every bite.

Marshmallows

Chocolate, marshmallows, and graham crackers create the campfire classic we know as s’mores.

If you want something familiar, creamy, and comforting on National Choose Your Chocolate Day, milk chocolate is difficult to beat.

Dark Chocolate

Prefer something richer?

Choose dark chocolate.

Dark chocolate generally contains a higher proportion of cocoa ingredients and less milk—or none, depending on the formulation—than milk chocolate. Depending on its cacao percentage and recipe, its flavor can range from slightly sweet to intensely bitter.

Dark chocolate pairs wonderfully with:

Raspberries
Strawberries
Cherries
Orange
Almonds
Hazelnuts
Sea salt
Espresso
Mint
Coconut

Try tasting several percentages of dark chocolate side by side.

You may discover that you love a moderately dark chocolate but find extremely high-cacao varieties too intense—or perhaps the darker, the better.

That is part of the fun.

White Chocolate

Then there is the chocolate that always seems to start a debate: white chocolate.

White chocolate is different from milk and dark chocolate because it does not contain cocoa solids. Instead, genuine white chocolate is made with cocoa butter along with ingredients such as sugar and milk solids.

Its flavor is creamy, sweet, and delicate.

White chocolate works especially well with fruit.

Try it with:

Strawberries
Raspberries
Blueberries
Lemon
Coconut
Cranberries

White chocolate macadamia nut cookies are another classic way to celebrate.

Whether white chocolate is your first choice or your occasional treat, National Choose Your Chocolate Day is the perfect opportunity to enjoy it.

Don’t Forget Chocolate Truffles

If you want to make the celebration feel luxurious, choose a chocolate truffle.

Traditional chocolate truffles typically feature a rich chocolate ganache center coated with cocoa powder, chocolate, nuts, or another finishing ingredient.

Modern chocolatiers have taken truffles in almost every imaginable direction.

You might find fillings and flavors such as:

Salted caramel
Raspberry
Espresso
Hazelnut
Coconut
Mint
Orange
Peanut butter
Cherry
Vanilla
Almond
Cheesecake
Toffee

Buy a small assortment and turn National Choose Your Chocolate Day into a tasting experience.

The hardest part might be choosing which one to eat first.

Chocolate-Covered Strawberries

Chocolate-covered strawberries prove that something doesn’t have to be complicated to feel special.

Fresh strawberries dipped in melted chocolate create a beautiful combination of juicy fruit and rich sweetness.

You can use milk, dark, or white chocolate.

For something extra special, drizzle a contrasting chocolate over the top. A dark-chocolate strawberry with a thin white-chocolate drizzle can look nearly as impressive as something purchased from a professional chocolate shop.

Add chopped nuts, coconut, sprinkles, or crushed cookies if you want even more flavor.

Chocolate and Peanut Butter

Some flavor combinations simply belong together.

Chocolate and peanut butter are among them.

If this is your favorite combination, National Choose Your Chocolate Day gives you plenty of options.

Try:

Chocolate peanut butter cups
Peanut butter brownies
Chocolate peanut butter cookies
Chocolate peanut butter fudge
Peanut butter chocolate cheesecake
Chocolate peanut butter milkshakes
Chocolate-dipped peanut butter balls
Chocolate peanut butter ice cream

You could even make a chocolate peanut butter sundae with vanilla ice cream, warm chocolate sauce, melted peanut butter, whipped cream, and chopped peanuts.

Sometimes choosing your chocolate means choosing everything that goes with it.

Caramel and Chocolate

Another unbeatable combination is chocolate and caramel.

Sweet, buttery caramel tucked inside chocolate creates contrasting textures and flavors that make it difficult to stop at one piece.

Take it further by adding sea salt.

Salted caramel chocolate combines sweet, salty, creamy, and rich flavors in one bite.

If you are shopping for chocolates to celebrate the day, pick up a box containing several caramel varieties and conduct your own taste test.

Chocolate-Covered Pretzels

Not every chocolate treat has to be complicated.

Chocolate-covered pretzels are easy to make and even easier to eat.

Melt your favorite chocolate, dip the pretzels, place them on parchment paper, and allow the chocolate to set.

Before the chocolate hardens, you can add:

Chopped peanuts
Crushed candy
Sprinkles
Coconut
Cookie crumbs
Sea salt
Toffee pieces

Make several varieties and let everyone choose their favorite.

Bake Something Chocolate

National Choose Your Chocolate Day is also a great reason to turn on the oven.

Few things make a home smell better than freshly baked chocolate desserts.

Consider making:

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Warm cookies with melted chocolate chips are a timeless favorite.

Fudgy Brownies

Choose a recipe that delivers a dense, rich chocolate center.

Chocolate Cake

Add chocolate frosting for the ultimate chocolate-on-chocolate celebration.

Chocolate Cupcakes

Perfect for sharing with family, friends, neighbors, or coworkers.

Chocolate Cheesecake

Rich cheesecake and chocolate make an indulgent combination.

Chocolate Lava Cakes

Cutting into a warm cake and watching the chocolate center flow onto the plate makes dessert feel like an event.

Whatever you bake, enjoy at least one serving while it is still warm.

Create a Chocolate Tasting

Want to make the day more interesting?

Create your own chocolate tasting.

Purchase several different chocolates and place small pieces on a plate.

For example:

White chocolate
Milk chocolate
Dark chocolate
Salted chocolate
Caramel-filled chocolate
Nut-filled chocolate
Fruit-flavored chocolate

Taste them individually and notice the differences.

Think about sweetness, bitterness, creaminess, texture, aroma, and aftertaste.

If you are celebrating with friends or family, have everyone rank their favorites.

You might be surprised by the winner.

Visit a Local Chocolate Shop

National Choose Your Chocolate Day is also an opportunity to support a local chocolatier or candy shop.

Independent chocolate makers often offer flavors and creations you won’t find in an ordinary grocery-store candy aisle.

Ask the chocolatier about their specialties.

Try something you’ve never ordered before.

Instead of automatically choosing your usual favorite, consider picking one familiar chocolate and one completely new flavor.

You may discover a new favorite.

Give Someone Chocolate

Chocolate doesn’t have to be something you buy only for yourself.

Use the holiday to brighten someone else’s day.

Bring chocolate to a coworker.

Give your partner their favorite candy.

Surprise your children with a small treat.

Leave chocolates for your office staff.

Bring a box to a friend who has been having a difficult week.

Chocolate is a simple gift, but the thought behind it can make it meaningful.

You don’t need a birthday, anniversary, or major holiday to remind someone you’re thinking about them.

Host a Chocolate Party

If one chocolate isn’t enough, invite friends or family over for a chocolate-themed evening.

Ask everyone to bring their favorite chocolate dessert or candy.

One person might bring brownies. Another might bring truffles. Someone else could arrive with chocolate-covered strawberries.

Set everything out buffet-style and sample the different treats.

You could even vote on categories such as:

Best overall chocolate
Best homemade dessert
Best chocolate-and-fruit combination
Most creative chocolate
Richest chocolate
Best salty-and-sweet combination

Just make sure there is plenty of milk or coffee nearby.

Build a Chocolate Sundae Bar

Another fun celebration idea is creating a chocolate sundae station.

Start with chocolate and vanilla ice cream and provide toppings such as:

Hot fudge
Chocolate chips
Brownie pieces
Crushed cookies
Caramel sauce
Peanuts
Pecans
Strawberries
Bananas
Whipped cream
Marshmallows
Sprinkles
Cherries

Then everyone gets to build their own dessert.

It perfectly captures the idea behind National Choose Your Chocolate Day: you choose exactly what you want.

Try Chocolate for Breakfast

Dessert doesn’t have to wait until nighttime.

Celebrate from the moment you wake up with a little chocolate at breakfast.

Try chocolate chip pancakes, chocolate waffles, chocolate croissants, chocolate oatmeal, chocolate banana muffins, or a smoothie made with cocoa and banana.

You don’t have to turn breakfast into a giant dessert. A small amount of chocolate can make an ordinary morning feel special.

Chocolate Around the World

Chocolate is enjoyed around the globe, and different cultures and culinary traditions have developed countless ways of using it.

Depending on where you travel, you may encounter rich European-style drinking chocolate, elaborate pralines, filled bonbons, chocolate pastries, chocolate confections flavored with spices, and desserts combining chocolate with local fruits and nuts.

That makes this holiday an opportunity for exploration.

Instead of choosing the chocolate you already know, choose one inspired by another part of the world.

Food can be one of the most enjoyable ways to experience another culture.

How to Celebrate National Choose Your Chocolate Day

There are countless ways to participate.

Choose one—or several—of these ideas:

Buy your favorite chocolate bar.
Try a chocolate you’ve never tasted.
Make homemade brownies.
Bake chocolate chip cookies.
Visit a local chocolatier.
Make chocolate-covered strawberries.
Create a chocolate tasting board.
Give chocolate to someone you appreciate.
Make homemade hot chocolate.
Order a chocolate dessert after dinner.
Build a chocolate sundae.
Make chocolate-covered pretzels.
Try dark chocolate with different cacao percentages.
Host a chocolate-themed gathering.
Pair chocolate with fruit or nuts.
Make chocolate fondue.
Share your favorite chocolate with friends or family.

Most importantly, choose something you genuinely enjoy.

A Sweet Reminder to Enjoy the Little Things

National Choose Your Chocolate Day may sound like a simple food holiday—and it is.

But sometimes simple celebrations are exactly what we need.

Life moves quickly. Between work, responsibilities, bills, appointments, family obligations, and everything else competing for our attention, small moments of enjoyment can easily get pushed aside.

You don’t always need a major event to celebrate something.

Sometimes happiness looks like sitting down for ten quiet minutes with a cup of coffee and your favorite piece of chocolate.

Sometimes it is baking brownies with your children or grandchildren.

Sometimes it is bringing someone their favorite candy because you remembered what they like.

The chocolate might disappear in a few bites.

The moment surrounding it can last much longer.

Celebrate Your Favorite Chocolate

National Choose Your Chocolate Day is ultimately about having choices.

You can choose milk chocolate or dark.

Caramel or peanut butter.

Truffles or brownies.

Chocolate cake or chocolate-covered strawberries.

A fancy handmade bonbon or the candy bar you’ve loved since childhood.

There is no wrong answer.

So on September 16, give yourself permission to enjoy something sweet. Try something new, return to an old favorite, bake a chocolate dessert, share a treat with someone you love, or turn the day into a full chocolate tasting adventure.

After all, when the question is “Which chocolate should I choose?”, sometimes the best answer is:

The one that makes you happiest.

If you could choose only one chocolate treat to enjoy today—milk chocolate, dark chocolate, truffles, brownies, chocolate-covered strawberries, peanut butter cups, or something else—what would you choose?

National Choose Your Chocolate Day – Celebrate the Sweet Treat You Love Most