Rather than buying yet another shrink-wrapped box of chemicals and processed junk, why not make your own box of chocolates to give to your favorite cocoa nut? It’s easier than you think to make your own, and a WHOLE lot cheaper than the storebought version. Here, let me prove it to you with these DIY chocolate recipes that you can whip up in minutes!
My Top 11 Favorite Recipes for a Homemade Box of Chocolates
There’s literally nothing sweeter than a box of chocolates, which is probably why they remain one of the most popular gift ideas of all time. If you buy them, though, you’re stuck with two choices: either paying out the wazoo for gourmet stuff at a candy store (where it can cost several bucks PER PIECE) or settling for mass-produced shrink-wrapped stuff that tastes more like chemicals than cocoa.
There is a third option, though. You can make your own from scratch and actually use REAL chocolate that’s good for you! As I said above, it’s actually A LOT easier than you may think. You don’t need fancy equipment or a chocolatier degree (totally a thing, by the way), I promise. Just mix and match the recipes below, put everything in a nice box, and wrap it all up. Voila, you have the perfect DIY gift idea!
We’ll start with some of my own chocolate recipes to get you started. Then, we’ll check out a few from some of my favorite bloggers to help round out your box of chocolate. By the way, I did include a few affiliate links in this post where I recommended products. If you buy anything through them, I get a small fee at no extra cost to you. Thanks!
1. Easy DIY Chocolate Recipe Made with Just Three Simple Ingredients
These DIY chocolates are the perfect homemade box of chocolates “starter” recipe because it’s so simple yet versatile. Use it as is for a few plain pieces of chocolate to put in your box, or add in some natural flavorings (like mint, vanilla, etc) for a little more variety. It’s also a good base for some of the other ideas below (like the chocolate-covered pretzel recipe).
Check out my 3-ingredient real chocolates recipe, along with some tips on how to make them extra special!
2. 4-Ingredient Dark Chocolate Raspberry Hearts
This one builds off the last one nicely because the first three ingredients are the same. The raspberries are the only addition. I recommend fresh berries. But if they’re not in season, you can also use organic frozen raspberries. Just let them thaw first and dab them gently with a paper towel to absorb any excess moisture that comes from sitting in a freezer.
Grab my dark chocolate raspberry hearts recipe here.
3. 15-Minute Healthy Nutella Little Chocolate Cake Bites
While they’re not traditional chocolates, I still think these little cake bites make a nice addition to your homemade gift box. They take just 4 ingredients and use Justin’s Nut Butter Hazelnut Chocolate Spread, a healthier alternative to Nutella. Check out the recipe right here.
4. Life-Changing 2 Ingredient Healthy Nutella Brownies
This is another one that doesn’t look like it belongs in a homemade box of chocolates at first. But with a few minor tweaks, it’s totally perfect. These 2-ingredient brownies have more of a fudge-like texture. Once you bake them, let them cool. Then, break them up and roll them into balls. From there, you can dust them with cocoa powder, roll them in coconut, and so on. Voila, easy-peasy truffle-like chocolates in minutes!
Get my healthier Nutella brownies recipe here.
5. Chocolate-Covered Pretzels
There are so many ways to make chocolate-covered pretzels, but the easiest is to just take those chocolates from my first recipe up there and melt them down. Either melt them in a double boiler or in the microwave. If you go the second route, put them in for about 30 seconds, stir, then repeat in 10-second increments until they reach the right consistency.
You can also use semi-sweet chocolate chips (again, either in a double boiler or the microwave), but make sure you’re following my tips for how to tell if you’re eating REAL chocolate that’s good for you. If you go with this method, add a tablespoon of coconut oil to give it a better consistency.
Regardless of which method you use, once you melt the chocolate all you need to do is dip the pretzels in it! If you’re giving JUST these as a gift, go with larger full-size pretzels. For a homemade box of chocolates, though, I’d use little bite-sized pretzels. Either leave them “naked” or top them with coarse sea salt, shredded coconut, chopped nuts, or whatever else you want.
6. Dark Chocolate Coconut Bites
These tasty little balls of dark chocolate and coconutty goodness taste just like Mounds candy, but without all of the added fillers and junk. They’re also a quintessential part of any homemade box of chocolates. They’re easy to make, but if youdo goof it up on your first try,Lindsay has a great bit of advice. She says, “When all else fails, press it into a pan and call it bars.”
Grab this Dark Chocolate Coconut Bites recipe over at Pinch of Yum.
7. Homemade Chocolate Marshmallow Bites
I’ll be honest, these are a smidge trickier than the other chocolate recipes here, but they’re SO worth it. If you want to make them healthier, start with my recipe for DIY Marshmallows That Are Actually Good For You. Then, follow this recipe over on Food.com to finish them off. Of course, you could just use store-bought marshmallows, but it’s kind of hard to find good organic versions. Most of the brands in the grocery store are full of corn syrup, modified cornstarch, and a bunch of stuff I can’t even pronounce.
8. Dark Chocolate Peppermint Kahlua Truffles
As the name implies, these truffles do include alcohol on the ingredient list. If that bothers you, you could always use non-alcoholic Kahlua alternatives (like these). Or skip it entirely (it’s actually optional) and just use peppermint extract instead.
Get this Dark Chocolate Peppermint Kahlua Truffles recipe at 5 Minutes for Mom.
9. Healthy Hazelnut Chocolate Truffle Balls
Another easy and healthy chocolate truffle recipe, this one requires just four ingredients (hazelnuts, cocoa powder, coconut oil, and real maple syrup) and no heat whatsoever. If you have a blender or food processor, you can make them in minutes! Check out the full recipe on Melanie Cooks.
10. Chocolate Cashew Clusters
My friend goes nuts (pun intended) for chocolate-covered cashew clusters. She’s always so sad that most store-bought boxes of chocolates only include one among the mix. So, I’m thinking of making a whole box filled just with these for her! This easy recipe from Ann’s Entitled Life uses just three ingredients, all of which have organic versions. Bonus: you can use this basic recipe for other chocolate-covered nut clusters, like peanuts, walnuts, and such.
Get the Chocolate Cashew Clusters recipe over at Ann’s Entitled Life.
11. Chocolate-Covered Espresso Beans
These are a bit of an acquired taste, so you may not want to include them unless you know your recipient actually likes them. As with the pretzels, you can either use my dark chocolate recipe above and melt it down to cover the beans, or you can grab organic dark chocolate. For the beans, use a good low-acid organic brand (like this one). Once you’ve melted your chocolate, just drop the beans in to coat them. Then, remove them one by one with a fork or slotted spoon.
By the way, this same basic process works for chocolate-covered almonds. If you want something really unique, you can even use it to make chocolate-covered gummies! Just start with my homemade healthy gummies recipe and go from there.
10 more recipes for your box of chocolates
These 11 above are my top picks for what to include in a homemade box of chocolates. If you didn’t find enough that your recipient would love or want to make a larger box, keep reading. I’ve rounded up a few more from other bloggers and recipe sites that you may enjoy.
- Healthy Chocolate-Covered “Caramels” from Chelsea’s Messy Apron
- Dark Chocolate Covered Fruit Bites Base Recipe from To Taste
- Copycat Brookside Chocolate-Covered Berries from Healthy Recipes
- Chocolate Lemon Creams from The Spruce
- Homemade Chocolates with Pomegranate and Cinnamon from Kopiaste
- Healthier Peanut Butter Cups from Ambitious Kitchen
- Mocha Truffles from Amanda’s Cookin’
- Copycat Junior Mints from Taste and Tell
- 3-Ingredient Pretzel Turtles from Cooking Classy
- Healthy Vegan Chocolate Truffles from 40 Aprons
There you go! You should have more than enough ideas for your homemade box of chocolates! Many of these recipes can easily become something entirely new with just a few tweaks. For example, you could swap out the raspberries in my second recipe for any other berry. The recipe for chocolate-covered pretzels can easily be used to cover any other crunchy treat (like graham crackers). So, really, your possibilities are virtually endless. Enjoy your chocolate-making journey!
Last update on 2022-11-19 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
