During Valentine’s Day, love is cherished and celebrated, old feelings are brought to the surface, and Walmart is fully stocked with candy and sweets. Whether you want to give your lover or crush a box of chocolates, or to nibble on some chalky hearts in a dark room by yourself, everybody knows that there is a hierarchy of Valentine’s Day candy.
Starting at the lowest of the low, we have the repackaged Valentines Day candies. I do not consider any candy that has a special heart shaped variety or pink packaging just for Valentines Day a true “Valentines Day Candy”. This means the pink packaged M&M’s are excluded, and miscellaneous heart shaped lollipops do not count. The best thing in this category is a Hershey’s Kiss because it fits the theme, but at the end of the day it is a mediocre bite of milk chocolate.
Everything from here on is good, but there definitely are some distinct winners. At the bottom of the pack I have the generic heart shaped box of chocolates. Admittedly this does depend on the price of the box, however, most end up being extremely middle tier. The adventure of trying random chocolates can be a lot of fun, but some of the flavors in the box can end up being unsavory or odd. I prefer consistency, not mystery.
Right above the chocolate box in the rankings is any red velvet baked good. A cake, cupcake, or cookie with red velvet flavor has always seemed to me like a royal, lavish, and romantic flavor, perhaps because of the name. The reason that red velvet doesn’t rank higher in my book is because store bought red velvet can be disappointing. Most homemade red velvet recipes are fantastic, but after a couple of bites of a store bought red velvet cupcake, a small emptiness grows inside of me, as the regal name of red velvet has let me down.
Now, getting into the top tiers we have the chocolate strawberry. Strawberries are red and some even look like hearts, so the theme box is checked off. The versatility and variety is unmatched. White chocolate, dark chocolate, and milk chocolate are all options, and if you want to be healthy, you can even just eat the strawberries! The third and major reason that chocolate strawberries are on top (almost) is because of the taste. The rich, creamy, and crunchy chocolate pairs well with the sweetness and juiciness of a strawberry, while the hardened chocolate provides an amazing crunch.
The best Valentine’s Day candy is without a doubt the conversation hearts. The pure taste and texture alone is better than any other candy or sweet. The outer shell, crisp and smooth, the inner soft sugar melting on your tongue feels just like the perfect symphony of flavor is playing in your mouth. These chalky little surprises are the best not only for their taste, but because they have become an icon of the month of love. I guarantee that if you ask someone to think of a Valentines Day candy, they would think of conversation hearts.
On the playing field of Valentine’s Day sweets, each player has something to bring to the table, creating a game of love and indulgence. However, out of all the sweets, from the repackaged to the regal red velvet, conversation hearts stand alone as the MVP.
