Long Island chocolate shops

There’s a reason that chocolates are the ultimate valentine — they’re pretty much impossible to resist. And because the act of walking into a chocolate shop is a brief retreat from everyday life, they’re as much fun to buy as they are to receive, whether you’re talking a paper sack of nut-and-caramel-filled turtles or a luxe box of bonbons that look more like art than candy. No matter what strikes your fancy, you’ll find it at one of these Long Island chocolate shops. Their defining characteristic? They all craft their confections on the premises. As Hal David and Burt Bacharach would say, what the world needs now is love, sweet love.

NASSAU

The Chocolate Duck

310 Main St., Farmingdale

Handmade chocolates — truffles, creams, barks and molded shapes — are the tip of the iceberg here at Long Island’s leading retailer of candy- and cake making supplies and a nexus for classes in baking, cake decorating and candy making. More info: 516-249-0887 chocolateduck.com

Chocolate Works

2350 Merrick Rd., Bellmore and 371 S. Oyster Bay Rd., Plainview

At these two branches of this mini-chain, not only can you buy handcrafted chocolates, you can make them: Children’s chocolate parties are their stock in trade. At the Bellmore location, the enrobing machine is right on the sales floor. More info: Bellmore: 516-900-1119, bellmorechocolateshop.com; Plainview: 516-252-3855, chocolateworx.com

Chocolicious

74 Birch Hill Rd., Locust Valley

Susan Ackerman’s specialties include barks and imaginative truffles as well as assorted platters, boxes and baskets made of chocolate (and then stuffed with chocolates). More info: 516-671-6835, chocolicious.com

Emile’s Candies

229 Merrick Rd., Oceanside

Emile’s (est. 1953) may have new owners Jackie and Michael Brown (since 2017) and a renovation, but nothing has changed among the creams, caramels, molasses sponge and more still handcrafted using the recipes of founder Emile Wageknecht, a German confectioner who worked at legendary Schrafft’s restaurant in New York City. More info: 516-766-4402, emilescandies.com

Grandma’s Candy Kitchen

2119 Wantagh Ave., Wantagh

Near the register of this enchanted cottage are counters full of housemade bonbons, clusters and fudge, while a warren of tiny rooms contain everything you’ll need to make your own candies or decorate your own cakes. More info: 516-785-2750, grandmascandykitchen.com

Krön Chocolatier

41 Middle Neck Rd., Great Neck 

Established in 1985, Krön specializes in the “Budapest truffle,” an old-world confection made from nothing more than fresh cream and dark chocolate. You’ll also find a wide range of other chocolates, loose, boxed or arranged on one-of-a-kind trays and platters. There’s a large selection of pareve, vegan and lactose-free chocolates. More info: 516-829-5550, kronchocolatier.com

Lazar’s Chocolate

72 Middle Neck Rd., Great Neck and 350 Wheatley Plaza, Greenvale

lazarschocolate.com Richard Lazar, a second-generation chocolatier, has been joined by his two sons, Marc and Jeff. Lazar the elder characterized his wares as “old-fashioned European-style chocolates,” singling out his caramel-nut patties for special mention. Custom chocolate-bar wrappers are printed on demand. More info: Great Neck: 516-829-5785; Greenvale: 516-484-1987

Schwartz Candies

169 Voice Rd., Carle Place

Stan Boskoff presides over the business (founded in 1939) his parents and grandparents ran before him, selling confections that are almost extinct, including molasses sponge, with its honeycomb texture and complex flavor, and parlays, nougat wrapped in caramel and pecans. Chocolate-covered marshmallows come in a dozen varieties. More info: 516-294-2831, schwartzcandies.com

The Sundae Palace

1115 Jericho Tpke., New Hyde Park

Sisters Aurora Masi Hirshfeld, Gina Masi and Maria Masi Schampier grew up in New Hyde Park and started shopping at The Sundae Palace shortly after it opened in 1977. The sisters bought it in 2008, gradually shifting its focus from chocolate making supplies to housemade chocolates. Favors such as cake pops are big business here. Of note: The Sundae Palace is a peanut-and-tree-nut-free zone. More info: 516-354-6363, thesundaepalace.com

SUFFOLK

Bon Bons Chocolatier

319 Main St., Huntington

Mary Alice Meinersman and her daughter, Susannah Meinersman, specialize in luxurious handmade variations on mass-produced treats such as Baci, made with hazelnut butter from Oregon, and Joyfuls, with dark chocolate and coconut. Among the popular truffles are Grand Marnier, amaretto and the dark-chocolate-lemon citron-noir. More info: 631-549-1059, bonbonschocolatier.com

Chip ’n Dipped

342 New York Ave., Huntington

There’s always something new at this 12-year-old shop. Owner Peter Goldfarb’s protean imagination has brought Huntington always-warm chocolate chip cookies, customized s’mores, high-heeled chocolate shoes and chocolate bars in flavors ranging from black cherry to cinnamon bun. More info: 631-470-2579, chipndipped.com

Chocology

1099 North Country Rd., Stony Brook

Linda Johnson launched Chocology in 2014 as an online store, brick-and-mortaring it a few months before the pandemic. She made it through, and the chic shop sells assorted high-end chocolate, both in bars and in boxes of confections. You’ll find Neuhaus from Belgium as well as American upstarts Hu, Kah Kow, Raaka, Fruition and Amore di Mona. Chocolology also does custom 3D chocolate printing and makes its own fudge from Belgian chocolate and goat’s milk and butter. More info: 631-901-7151, chocologyunlimited.com

Kerri’s Kandies

2160 NY-112, Coram

Kerri Jones has presided over Suffolk’s leading chocolatier-supply house since 1991, but also sells homemade chocolates, including buttercrunch, nut caramels and turtles, peanut butter cups, marshmallows and truffles. Fudge comes in varieties such as rainbow cookie and tiramisu. There are chocolate-covered strawberries for Valentine’s Day and chocolate-covered fruit trays all year-round. More info: 631-696-4947, kerriskandies.net

Kilwins

130 Deer Park Ave., Babylon

Each of the Island’s four Kilwins makes the company’s signature Mackinac Island fudge, kneaded and paddled into loaves (instead of baked in a pan) to dispel any trace of graininess. Most of the other confections are also made in-house with Kilwins’ proprietary fair trade chocolate. (Other locations: Patchogue, Huntington, Port Jefferson). More info: 631-482-8551, kilwins.com

North Fork Chocolate Company

8700 Main Rd., Mattituck and 309 E. Main St., Riverhead 

After shuttering its original Aquebogue shop, NoFoChoCo opened two new ones in 2023: Mattituck also serves homemade ice cream and Riverhead doubles as a cafe (and the laboratory in which head chocolatier Steve Amaral makes his own chocolate from cacao beans). He is still inspired by the area’s bounty for his barks, bars, bonbons, truffles, pastries and more. More info: 631-779-2963, northforkchocolate.com

Roger’s Frigate

99 Main St., Port Jefferson

The Frigate, Long Island’s largest candy store (by a mile), does it all: bonbons, truffles, clusters, barks, fudge, chocolate-covered pretzels and popcorn, cookies and cake pops — plus smoothies, cookies and more. More info: 631-474-8888, portjeffersonfrigate.com

The Sayville Chocolatier

6 Main St., Sayville

In 1980, Mary Ellen Verbarg opened this Sayville institution, complete with the mahogany-and-glass cabinets from nearby (and long-gone) Beer’s ice cream parlor, salvaged by her husband, Ron. Among her confections are cherry cordials, jumbo dark-chocolate malted milk balls and milk chocolate — sea salt caramels. More info: 631-589-6713, sayvillechocolatier.com

Sweeties Candy Cottage

142 E. Main St., Huntington

In addition to candy making supplies, Lisa Hodes sells a wide range of housemade chocolates as well as the “Better Than A Cupcake” — two cookies (chocolate chip) sandwiching an icing (vanilla with mini M & ’s), for instance, enrobed in chocolate and sprinkled with more M & ’s. More info: 631-423-7625, sweetiescandycottage.com