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From artisan designs to crowd-pleasing favourites, here are the best chocolate countdowns for Christmas
While chocolate is many people’s go-to treat year-round, it is particularly popular at Christmas, when it’s perfectly acceptable to eat confectionery before breakfast (in our opinion, at least). Now, with our round-up of the best chocolate advent calendars, it couldn’t be easier to satiate your sweet tooth throughout December.
It’s believed the custom of marking advent dates as far back as the 6th century, but it wasn’t until the middle of the 20th century that chocolate-filled calendars entered the market. The popularity of these tempting countdowns was further cemented in 1972, with the arrival of Cadbury’s first chocolate advent calendar.
Today, you can get your hands on all sorts of advent calendars, filled with beauty, jewellery, vegan treats, candles and more. Many offer savings, compared with buying the items included individually, and the most coveted sell out fast.
When it comes to chocolate, you’re certainly not short of choice. It’s estimated that more than 16 million advent calendars are sold each year. As such, brands and retailers have stepped up to this demand, creating an array of tantalising treat-filled designs to see in the Christmas celebrations, from budget varieties to artisanal masterpieces.
Keep scrolling for our pick of the best chocolate advent calendars on the market.
We tested more than 20 chocolate-filled advent calendars (it’s a tough job but someone’s got to do it), ranging from the cheap and cheerful to the gourmet and luxe. Everything from traditional chocolate calendars (where the chocolate is revealed behind a door) to artisan hand-crafted boozy choc-filled selection boxes were sampled. Criteria such as price, value for money, quality of chocolate and design were all important considerations when choosing our top picks. These are the ones that impressed us the most...
This larger-than-life advent calendar from Dutch chocolate brand Tony’s Chocolonely has all of the ingredients for a winning lead-up to Christmas – not least because it includes a delectable assortment of miniature Tony’s bars. Behind the doors, you’ll find fan favourites – from dark milk pretzel toffee to white chocolate raspberry popping candy – as well as important facts about Tony’s mission to end cocoa exploitation. This is great value for money, considering its size, and the number of chocolates included.
This sleek and stylish advent calendar is certainly one of the most sophisticated-looking options we sampled. Alongside its elegant design, it’s filled with Divine’s trademark 70 per cent dark chocolate, making it a great option for vegans. Behind each door is a delicious dark chocolate heart as well as a fact about Divine’s Fairtrade chocolate production: it’s delicious and feel-good all in one.
One of the first to introduce chocolate advent calendars in the UK, Cadbury knows a thing or two about creating fun-filled edible countdowns to Christmas, and this 3D chimney-style box is no exception. Our little school-aged tester was super excited by the premise of this one, and who can blame them when the calendar contains everything from a Freddo and Curly Wurly to Dairy Milk buttons? The doors open on all four sides of the box, so, finding the correct number to open becomes a game in itself, helping to build anticipation.
Whether it’s bunnies at Easter, a reindeer at Christmas or truffles year-round, Lindt has a fantastic range for chocolate lovers, and a great selection of advent calendars, to boot. It was this one that came out top for us, however, thanks to its assortment of Lindor mini truffles, chocolate reindeers, milk chocolate snowdrops and even a milk chocolate Santa hiding behind the doors. We loved the illustrated chocolate reindeers on the front of the calendar, too.
Founded by James Cadbury, the great-great-great grandson of John Cadbury, Love Cocoa is known for its ethically sourced, sustainable chocolate, and this plastic-free luxury truffle calendar is a great option this Christmas. Behind each door, you’ll find one of four different varieties of luxury truffle – including giant hazelnut rochers and spiced gingerbread – plus, there’s a mini chocolate bar behind the final door on Christmas Eve. We particularly enjoyed the finishing touches, from the gold embossing to the blue ribbon that ties it together. It’s also beautifully designed, with the two front flaps opening to reveal a sweet pastel-hued festive London scene.
Made using sustainably sourced oat milk, which has a lower carbon footprint than dairy milk, H!P’s eye-catching colourful advent calendar is a great option for those looking for a dairy-free treat. The chocolate stands up to scrutiny, too – it’s made using sustainably sourced single origin Colombian cocoa, blended with creamy oat milk for melt-in-the-mouth smoothness. We enjoyed the individually wrapped chocolates in a variety of flavours (cream and smooth, salted caramel, festive orange and gingerbread), and the bold and colourful design. The calendar is also plastic-free, something not all brands have been able to achieve.
Reese’s peanut butter cups attract fans in their legions, and all of them will adore this advent calendar. Each of the 24 doors conceals a foil-wrapped white or milk chocolate cup, with a two-cup treat awaiting discovery on Christmas Eve. Plus, there is a QR code competition behind each door. The calendar offers good value, given the amount of chocolate included, and the design gets extra points for displaying a headphones-wearing Santa on the front.
If you love a festive feline, this choc-filled delight of a calendar is the one for you. We adore its vibrant pink hue, which is guaranteed to look striking on any mantlepiece, while the snowy design is suitably Christmassy. On top of looking the part, this bright calendar contains individually wrapped delectable Belgian milk truffle balls, which are velvety smooth and creamy. You’ll find it hard to open just one door at a time.
Hand-crafted in Dorset, Chococo’s award-winning chocolate is revered for its quality, and this Christmas countdown box is a beauty. Filled with 25 artisan chocolates – in an assortment of milk, gold, dark and oat milk chocolate – the selection box contains everything from gin-filled chocolates to festive truffles, as well as new flavours such as ‘chilli con choc’ and ‘toffee apple caramel’. It’s a gorgeously designed box, and the frosted and numbered sleeve offers a touch of class.
First created in 1908, Toblerone’s peak-shaped honey and almond nougat chocolate is a classic for a reason, and now you can get it in advent calendar-sized miniatures. This brand-new calendar is luxuriously gilded, so will look perfect on any mantelpiece, and contains Toblerone truffles as well as milk, white and crunchy almond “tiny’s” behind each door.
For its wow factor, size, quality of chocolate, and ethical messages concerning the chocolate chain, the Tony’s Chocolonely calendar is hard to beat. Meanwhile, kids are sure to love the Cadbury 3D advent calendar. For a grown-up treat, Chococo’s hand-crafted delights offer some unique flavour profiles.
If you’re searching for more plant-based options, check-out our round-up of the best vegan advent calendars