candy, caramels, and chocolates for the picky

[flavasista]

hello fellow chowhounders.

i am trying to put together a party favor box for a baby shower and was curious if anyone knew of good spots to find exquisite candy, chocolate, or caramels that come individually wrapped.

i've already looked into macarons/caramels @ boule, jin, chocolates @ compartes, valerie, etc. but they're too expensive. are there any independently owned shoppes that are just as good but not as expensive?

see's is great but won't cut it for this group.

thanks!

[budlit]

may be too expensive, but check out www.cocoabella.com for amazing chocolates, you can make your own custom box

[jacinthe]

I don't know if Littlejohn's Candies, in the Original Farmer's Market at 3rd and Fairfax, individually wraps their candies? Online, they sell by the pound, but I can't remember what the store set-up is like. While perhaps not "exquisite", as I conceive of the word, especially in relation to Boule, Jin, etc., I think that all their candies are very good, and far more affordable, especially if you have to buy in bulk.

Oh! Also, at Clementine, they have these cute little hard candies that come in assorted citrus flavors. The candies themselves are a squat cylinder in shape, and are fashioned so they look like the cross-section of a citrus fruit. I think they were about 10 cents each (can that be right? Maybe a wee bit more), and they sell them by the pound also. The candies are located loose in a jar near the cash register.

[typetive]

The Littlejohn Caramel/Marshmallow kisses were what I recall seeing individually wrapped - each a three bite puff inside a pretty, clear cello wrap. At about a dollar each, they'd be a nice favor item.

http://www.typetive.com/candyblog/ite...

But it looks like flavasista found a nice imported item too (I've stared longingly at some of those caramels at Surfas).

I think I know the cut rock hard candies you're talking about ... they're absolutely darling and tasty to boot.

[typetive]

You didn't give a price range or a number of items that you need, so this is just guessing.

Chuao (closest location in Irvine Spectrum) has a new line called Chocopods, which are based on their most popular chocolate bonbons. You can buy them by the box (less than a dollar each) or little prepacked favors in purses:

http://store.nexternal.com/shared/StoreFront/default.asp?CS=chuao&BusType=BtoC&Count1=176296412&Count2=93436837

www.chuaochocolatier.com

There's also Littlejohn Toffee at the Farmers Market ... it might be a little too homey for your purposes though.

Mel & Rose's Wine & Spirits on Melrose carries a line from a company called CocoaBon - little tins of chocolate disks or chocolate covered spiced caramels.

Tasting Kits of single origin chocolates or little tablets of Scharffen Berger. Again, Mel & Rose's carries these, as do other places like Marcel's in the Farmer's Market.

Also, you might want to consider putting in a little work to buy a larger amount and repackage them into small boxes (I did that for my brother's wedding when I made truffles for him).

Also, a fun and inexpensive idea might be Japanese candies. They have some wonderful stuff, good quality dark chocolate in inventive and different styles of packaging.

Here's one I saw recently on Flickr:

http://flickr.com/photos/thingsimade/...

Good luck!

[Fru]

Believe it or not, See's has awesome caramel/marshmallow chews individually wrapped in wax paper. My pediatrician restricted me from nuts and chocolate when I was pregnant and these did the trick.

[NYCnowLA]

they have individually wrapped caramels at Clementine and at Surfas. Hope that helps a bit.

[glutton]

Surfa's has some caramels with figs mixed in that are unbelievably good. I highly, highly recommend those... They're French and not the cheapest thing on the planet, but they're worth it.

[flavasista]

glutton - that's exactly what i was looking for! i was looking to spend $1/piece, but these caramels are slightly cheaper (give or take 70cents each) and i could get more for the guests. great suggestion & the wrapper is charming, the right style & substance.