For chocolate lovers, you can never have too many options in the sweet treat department. When it comes to chocolate covered creations, strawberries are probably one of the first items that come to mind, right along with nuts and pretzels. While small chocolate covered pretzels make a tasty treat, keep in mind that chocolate dipped pretzel rods make exquisite gifts. Covered in chopped nuts, caramel, sprinkles, and other embellishments, this sweet indulgence illustrates the versatility of chocolaty treats. Other ideas include:

Candy Apples

From light drizzles of milk, dark or white to a full blanket of velvety chocolate, caramel isn’t the only topping used to completely cover an apple. Often times, chocolate-dipped apples are decorated with extra trimmings, such as cookie crunch, chocolate chips, marshmallows, M&Ms, or sprinkles.

Fruit

Whether fresh or dried, chocolate covered or dipped fruit go beyond Valentine’s Day strawberries or your typical box of Raisinettes. There is no end to the fruity sweet treats that take advantage of a chocolate makeover. Take a walk on the wild side and sample berries, figs, cherries, dried apricots, and dried apple rings drenched in chocolate.

Fortune Cookies

You’ll certainly feel lucky when you indulge in a chocolate dipped fortune cookie. This small treat is often dressed with extra toppings, such as mini chocolate chips or chopped nuts (like almonds and peanuts).

Potato Chips

Chocolate covered potato chips represent the ultimate union between salty and sweet. When making at home, choose potato chips with ridges because they keep their shape and crispiness despite coming in contact with heated chocolate. Feeling adventurous? Decorate with toffee bits or crushed hazelnuts.

Cookies and Brownies

A drizzle of chocolate or generous coat of the sweet stuff transforms a simple oatmeal cookie or walnut brownie into an addicting treat. Generally, brownies and cookies are halfway dipped in chocolate to avoid an overload of sweetness. One of the most sought-after of chocolate covered cookies is the Oreo, which comes in milk and white chocolate varieties.

Spoons

Add a bit of pizzazz to hot chocolate or coffee with a chocolate dipped spoon. To create your own at home, simply dip a plastic spoon in melted semi-sweet or white baking chips. Cool on a sheet of wax paper before placing in the freezer.

Other chocolate covered treats to consider include:

• Rice Krispie Treats
• Cheesecake Bites
• Shortbread
• Marshmallows
• Mints
• Cubes of Pound Cake
• Bananas

Halloween is getting closer! It’s Saturday, October 31! Not too much time left! Are you ready? This picture is courtesy of polka-dot zebra.

We know many of you work two jobs and don’t have time to make any Halloween cookies or sweets… that’s why we did some research to find out where to buy them online.

We have to confess, we haven’t had the chance to try any of them (although we wish we would have). Many of the suggestions came from our readers.

Here are some online stores, in random order. Remember to always read their Terms of Service before purchasing and use your judgement.

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 KookieStationery.com: combines “fun and functionality” by creating brightly-decorated edible notes, cards and gift tags. Complete with an edible ink pen and a built-in easel for easy display, this novel combination of cookie and card has redefined the favorite American pastime of stationery. And just in time for Halloween, “ghoulishly” themed cookies, like a Trick or Treat Pumpkin and the Halloween gift tags, make for extra scary and fun activities. These thoughtful and unique cookies retail through the company’s website for just under $10.

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Park19cookies.com – One of the most interesting cookies from Park 19 Cookies is a delicious spicy pumpkin cookie. They add rich chocolate chunks to make this a cookie a unique Halloween treat. Great for the fall since it’s orange and black. The cookies are made from scratch in their own bakery in New York. Park 19 Cookies has been featured on the Rachel Ray Show as Snack of the Day.

$8.99 (half dozen)

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Cookies by Shar: Reputed for her intricate and lavishly decorated creations topped with royal icing, owner Sharmila (Shar) Melwani was not only tapped to create a special cookie line sold at all Florida Whole Foods Market stores, but her custom-made delicacies have been requested for prestigious companies such as Ferragamo, BMW and Neiman Marcus for special events.

Individual cookies start at $3.25.

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Edible Gifts Plus: Halloween Character Cookies-Oreos & Nutter Butters $1.99 each (minimum order:12)
These  character cookies are a fun way to celebrate this spooky holiday!   Their assortment includes Oreo® Jack ‘o’ Lanterns, Frankensteins and Spiders – PLUS Nutter Butter® Skulls.  Each yummy Oreo® or Nutter Butter® is enrobed in dark chocolate or confections and hand decorated to look like your favorite halloween character!  The cookies are individually wrapped in clear cello bags and heat sealed at both ends for freshness and quality.  Add a festive Black or Orange Satin Bow to make these treats even more special!

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Beautiful Sweets: their specialty is in the creation of colorful and creative sugar cookies; each one is individually baked and exquisitely hand decorated. In addition to being organic, their cookies are nut-free and baked in a nut-free facility. The cookies come in two sizes: a standard 2-3 inch size cookie that typically comes packaged in a ribbon-tied cellophane wrapper as a 4-pack and a larger size (5-6 inch) individually wrapped – “party favor” cookies. The cookies are available in either vanilla or chocolate flavors.

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S’more Smoochies: Handmade to order, scrumptiously delicious Halloween S’more Smoochies are a unique spin on classic treat! Double dipped in velvety rich chocolate and embellished with edible decorations, they are individually wrapped and can be purchased in gift sets or by the dozen.

Created with peanut butter, they are also available without.

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The Flour Pot Cookies make decorative and logo cookies. They have an awesome Halloween cookie collection that includes wicked hat favors, creepy creatures, monster mash, spooky eyes, ghosts, black cats, spiders and other cookies. The Flour Pot Cookies is a company run by a mother and daughter; they have been featured in countless magazines and on the Food Network. Prices vary.

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cccGifts.com: their cookies will be a “great Halloween Party favor” or “GIFT FOR YOUR FAVORITE LITTLE GHOST OR WITCH”! They measure 3″ in size. Hand Cut and Decorated. Made from their loved “Signature Shortbread” dough. These are sure to start a party in your tummy!

Priced for 1 dz. (4 of each cookie shown). Each cookie is individually packaged, tied with matching ribbon, and nestled into a nice box tied with a bow! Free gift card if needed.

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Other resources we love:

• Corso’s Cookies
• Cheryl & Co
• David’s Cookies