After last week’s discussion of sickness, why don’t we talk about something sweet? Or maybe even many sweet things? Sounds good, right? I agree.

This past Christmas, a few sweet people gave me more than a few sweet gifts. I’m not embarrassed to admit that my immediate family still does the Christmas stocking thing. We like our traditions! And I think my mom likes pretending that we’re still kids. I don’t mind, either, especially not this year when she filled my stocking with a preponderence of delicious vegan treats. Although some of them fell squarely in the savory camp (roasted seaweed snacks!), the majority were sweet – Jocolat bars and dried fruit leather, for example. Perhaps the most exciting sweet treat was a six-piece box of Nicobella truffles.

Simple and elegant.

Aren’t they just gorgeous, all nestled into that pretty orange box? And the flavors were equally inspiring: blueberry almond, ginger green tea, pumpkin chai, pure cocoa bliss, walnut flaxseed, and sunflower butter banana. I savored these slowly over the course of a week or two, proving that my self-control has grown in leaps and bounds in the past few years. ;) I think the pumpkin chai was my favorite, but plain ol’ pure cocoa bliss was up there, too. A few of the flavors had a little bit of grittiness to the chocolate centers, but it wasn’t overwhelming or unpleasant. I’d love to try some other Nicobella varieties, especially their peanut butter squares! I’m a sucker for all things peanut butter + chocolate, and these are sweetened with my beloved maple syrup.

Luckily for me, my Christmas haul included a peanut butter-y, chocolate-y treat. S gave me a whole box of homemade peanut butter cups!

Handmade!

These were just as delicious as they look. If only S would make me treats more often! If that’s too time-consuming, I’d settle for some store-bought goods. S’s mom gave me (among other things) three Go Max Go candy bars. I joked that she’s my official Go Max Go dealer – the only other time I’ve eaten them was when she gave me a few for Christmas last year! I hope it’s a tradition that continues, because they’re the nearest equivalent to candy bars of yore that I’ve found. Although I can rarely eat an entire bar without getting sugar overload these days, sometimes you just want something that tastes like the chocolate bars of your childhood.

Whew – that’s a lot of chocolate for one post! I just finished up my last peanut butter cup this week, meaning that my stash lasted a month. Not too bad, right? ;)

What sweet treats have you eaten lately?

P.S. I’m going to be in Seattle this weekend/next week on a work trip (and visit with my brother) – if you’ve got recommendations for things to do or places to eat, send ’em my way!