A heart-shaped box of chocolates at at Krön Chocolatier in...

A heart-shaped box of chocolates at at Krön Chocolatier in Great Neck. Credit: Newsday/Erica Marcus

Floor and ceiling aside, pretty much every inch of Krön Chocolatier is covered with chocolate. Bonbons, chocolate-dipped fruits and pretzels, chocolate-covered nuts and espresso beans; all of them available in a variety of packages (many of which, this time of year, are shaped like hearts).

But the most exquisite confection for sale isn’t even on display: The fresh cream truffles are kept in a chilling cabinet at the threshold of the kitchen and are only dispensed upon request. The progenitor of the Krön brand (once a small chain) was from Hungary and the so-called “Budapest truffle” is an object lesson in elegant, old-world simplicity. Made from nothing more than dark chocolate melted into cream, these truffles are not rolled into balls but, rather, cut into rough cubes that are coated in cocoa powder. That’s it. No nuts or flavors or coatings.

Handmade truffles at Krön Chocolatier in Great Neck.

Handmade truffles at Krön Chocolatier in Great Neck. Credit: Newsday/Erica Marcus

This is Krön’s third location since it opened in Great Neck in 1985. Marnie Ives has owned it since 1998 and saw no reason to change the fresh truffles. She produces close to a ton of them for Valentine’s Day, along with tons of the shop’s shelf-stable truffles that come in myriad varieties such as caramel, tiramisu, Champagne, mocha, raspberry and chocolate mousse.

Ives, who trained as a pastry chef before becoming a chocolatier, also bakes cookies and brownies. And she makes a mean gift basket. Not only are the contents appealing, but so are the baskets — no fake-plastic wicker here. In fact, the shop sells a range of handmade glass, ceramic and wooden trays and platters that will brighten a living room long after the chocolates they once held have disappeared.

Krön has always had a sizable kosher clientele and many of the chocolates are pareve — made with neither meat nor milk and, thus, permissible to be eaten with either. (It is also the rare shop that also makes kosher-for-passover chocolates.) Vegans and the lactose intolerant will find lots to indulge in here as well.

Kron Chocolatier is at 41 Middle Neck Rd., Great Neck, 516-829-5550, kronchocolatier.com

 
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