Confections | 2014 Editors’ Choice Food Awards

View the winners of the 2014 Editors’ Choice Food Awards — Confections Category.

FARM MARKET COLLECTION BLACK DINAH CHOCOLATIERS Isle Au Haut & Portland, Maine Steve and Kate Shaffer began making chocolates out of their home kitchen on Isle au Haut in 2007. Soon, they expanded to their barn. This year, demand for their truffles and bonbons became so great that they opened a production facility in Portland. But the rural Maine farmscape still informs their chocolates, as evidenced in the Farm Market Collection. In flavors like blueberry-black pepper, Maine mint, and New England pie pumpkin, every truffle features an ingredient grown on a Hancock or Knox County farm. Suggested Retail Price: $21 per 8-piece box Where to Find It: LeRoux Kitchens in Portland, ME, and Martha’s Vineyard, MA; Browne Trading Market in Portland ME; The Cave in Gloucester MA; Black Dinah cafes in Blue Hill and Isle au Haut, ME; online at: blackdinahchocolatiers.com

BLACK LAVA SEA SALT CARAMELS MCCREA’S CANDIES Hyde Park, Massachusetts Pairing a background in chemistry with a passion for food has led to sweet success for candymaker Jason McCrea. Handcrafted from all-natural ingredients, McCrea’s winning caramels are soft, buttery, and, in the case of our top pick, flecked with flavorful and crunchy crystals of Hawaiian black-lava sea salt. A vintage wrapping machine cuts and covers each caramel with artful precision, and both single and variety packs are available to suit every taste. Suggested Retail Price: $9.95 for 5 ounces Where to Find It: Numerous specialty and gift shops throughout New England; online at: mccreascandies.com

CHOCOLATE-COVERED HAZELNUTS TAZA CHOCOLATE Somerville, Massachusetts A trip to Oaxaca, Mexico, and a sample of stone-ground chocolate inspired Taza founder Alex Whitmore to establish his own factory just outside Boston in 2005. Ever since, we’ve had a tough time choosing a favorite from Taza’s stellar line of Fair Trade stone-ground chocolate offerings, but buttery organic hazelnuts, roasted to perfection and coated in dark chocolate, are crunchy, decadent, and impossible to resist. Suggested Retail Price: $16.50 for 8 ounces Where to Find It: Select specialty food stores and cafes throughout New England, including Dave’s Fresh Pasta in Somerville, MA; Verrill Farm in Concord, MA; online at: tazachocolate.com

TOFFEE RED KITE CANDY Thetford, Vermont When Elaine McCabe decided to turn a family holiday-candy tradition into a business in 2009, her goal was to deliver a reminder of childhood delight. Made from locally sourced European-style butter, cream, and eggs, and topped with rich Belgian chocolate (milk or dark) and a sprinkling of roasted organic almonds, Red Kite Toffee is a festive treat that’s decadently addictive. The environmentally friendly retro packaging makes for a fun holiday gift, too. Suggested Retail Price: $24 per pound Where to Find It: Seasonally at Whole Foods throughout New England; select specialty food stores, including Gillingham’s in Woodstock, VT; King Arthur Flour in Norwich, VT; online at: redkitecandy.com