13 of the Best Chocolate Advent Calendars for 2022
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 little 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 advent calendar, providing you daily bites of joy. We’ve rounded up our favorite chocolate advent calendars 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 out-of-the-box inclusions in their funky bars has created their first-ever advent calendar this year. It contains 24 different-flavored pieces of their award-winning chocolates, each hiding behind a wintry-themed door. The bright graphics are inspired by an enchanting holiday night under the Northern lights, complete with polar bears and penguins. Chocolate flavors include Apple Pie, Butter Pecan, Original Dark Chocolate Ganache, Salted Caramel, Gingerbread, Kona Coffee, Birthday Cake, Cookie Butter, Cheesecake, and Raspberry.
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 Gingerbread Mans, Très Leches, Brown Sugar Oatmeal, Rum Nog, Mint Hot Chocolate, Mulled Wine, and Spiced Nut Praline 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 2022, the new Prestige Advent Calendar is a tribute to a fairy-tale world filled with magic: a colorful Christmas tree creates the backdrop to celebrating forest animals assisting Santa in his gift-giving journey. This luxurious advent calendar has an assortment of 25 individually wrapped chocolates in a variety of flavors hidden in small drawers that actually pull out.
The San Francisco-based craft chocolate maker Dandelion is known for going all out for its advent calendar, and 2022 is no different. This year’s is a spectacular collaboration with seventeen acclaimed chocolatiers from coast to coast; British artist Harry Goldhawk; and the California Academy of Sciences, whose assistant planetarium director, Bing Quok, and team curated this year’s theme: Moonlight & Daylight. There are 25 individual, gift-worthy, chocolate-box “ornaments,” each highlighting a December constellation, lunar phase, or celestial event. Inside, there is a serving of chocolate like a bonbon, caramel, or chocolate-covered nuts by a chocolate artisan. There is an accompanying illustrated booklet that provides instructions for viewing nightly celestial events, as well as shares stories, history, and even some science behind each event. And, if you don’t like sharing your chocolate, you can order a box with two chocolates per night.
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.
This one from Austin-TX-based Delysia is for the music lovers: each day reveals a new chocolate truffle, and a new holiday song lyric that inspired the flavor, giving you the perfect holiday play list in the process. Flavors include both a sweet and savory assortment, such as Candy Cane and Roasted Marshmallow and Corn Chowder and Cranberry Sauce.
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, beautifully designed to mimic their whimsical holiday storefront. Each of the 24 red drawers opens to reveal miniature bite-size treats, from delectable chocolate caramels to petit chocolate pearls to mini chocolate bars, and more.
8. Mirzam
This modern 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 maritime spice route-themed box are individually wrapped mini square bars made from cacao sourced around the world. A moving quote about falling stars from Rainer Maria Rilke adorns the inside flap of the box, and the artwork displays a modernized night sky with a ship sailing across the sea below. Learn more about how Mirzam brings the spice route chocolate.
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. Available in the US from Food52.
10. Amedei
Luxury Tuscan chocolate maker Amedei went all out on their hot pink advent calendar for 2022, 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. Amedi advent calendar available in the US from DiBruno Bros.
11. MOMA NYC x Le Chocolate des Francais x Jenny Bowers
The Museum of Modern Art in New York partnered with Les Chocolat des Francais and New York artist Jenny Bowers for this exclusive advent calendar. The 24-day journey will take you through the streets of New York, all decked out for the holidays, with stops at the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, a hot dog cart, the Staten Island Ferry, the Flatiron Building, and more. The shaped chocolates are made in the South of France and have 14 different flavors of chocolate, from praline to caramelized hazelnuts.
12. Fauchon
This stunning French chalet opens up to reveal a snow-filled ski scene, complete with a gondola and the majestic French Alps in the background. The advent calendar contains 24 assorted French sweets, including nougat from Montélimar, dark and milk chocolate Neapolitans from Ecuador, caramel with fleur de sel, mini calissons, and dark and milk gianduja.
13. Neuhaus
This is a classic chocolate advent calendar from the famous Belgian chocolatier, 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.