Can you believe this is the very last top five this month and that the first month of 2011 is nearly over? We've been busy making, shipping and writing about our many personalized Valentine's Day chocolate options. (Like gift certificates if you miss the January 31st deadline!)

Needless to say, this week's top five is a bit lovey-dovey. We totally dig all the very sweet bar names this month!

• Emergency Chocolate (Dark Chocolate with Coffee, Toasted Hazelnuts, Coconut Flakes and Cocoa Nibs) I might argue all chocolate is emergency chocolate, am I right?

• A Boo-Berry Treat- I love you Andy! (Dark Chocolate with Ginger, Goji Berries and "My Valentine") Because that is the best cereal of all time, no debating.

• apple love for Rob from lizzie :-) (Dark Chocolate with Cinnamon, Marzipan Rose, Rice Crispies in Chocolate Coating, Apple Bits and Almonds) Because that's literally and figuratively sweet.

• You are my Coffee :) (Milk Chocolate with Peanuts, Organic Salt Pretzels, Coffee and "My Valentine" in Valentine's Day Packaging) Because I like my coffee like I like my...

• I Love Your Nuts And Banana! (Milk Chocolate with Banana Chips, Peanuts, Coconut Flakes and Walnuts) Because we LOL'd.

Which one is your favorite?

Thinking of making a personalized chocolate bar for Valentine's Day? Here's our 2011 Valentine's Day Gift Guide, with some pretty rad Valentine's Day gift ideas!
(Descriptions see below)

Valentine's Day Chocolate Gift for Your Girlfriend

As a Valentine's Day gift for your girlfriend, consider the chocolate bar shown on the left. It's a particularly pretty dark chocolate bar (many ladies are still watching their figure this time of the year) with strawberries, gold and a marzipan rose proudly exclaiming affection in the middle. The bar has a fantastic smell thanks to the Strawberry Bits, and a cute name would be (as in the image) "You are sweeter than even this chocolate bar! XXX" What a way to score a lot of points with your girlfriend!

Enter barcode xajw98 on the chocolate bar creation page for this combination.

Valentine's Day Chocolate Gift for Your Boyfriend

Men love chocolate, too! Give your boyfriend a chocolate bar for Valentine's Day. The personalized name "Happy VDay Honey" is perfect for this chocolate bar - because it has Honey Drops! Men tend to like White Chocolate more, and the Roasted Almonds are a safe choice - on of our 5 most popular toppings. So are the raspberries, and they add a bit of cuteness to a very tasty chocolate bar for your boyfriend. Also consider writing his name on the chocolate bar, so he knows that you were thinking of him and only him when you created this piece of yumminess. Which, thinking of, is a great transition to talking to him about how much you adore him!

Enter barcode nd46uv on the chocolate bar creation page for this combination.

Valentine's Day Chocolate Gift for Your Husband or Wife

Once married, saying "I Love You" on a chocolate bar is less of a nerve wracking moment than say, in month two of the relationship. So go all out on HIS chocolate bar (dark chocolate with gold flakes, candied rose petals and "I Love You") and don't be scared to make a lovely and pretty personalized chocolate bar for HER - our suggestion is Milk and White Chocolate with raspberries (they're so nice and pink!) and real silver flakes, as well as Chocolate Sizzle Rocks for a bit of a surprise when the chocolate hits the tongue. We called the chocolate bars "For My Wonderful Wife" and "For My Handsome Husband"

Enter barcode i2ausf for hers and zrgcip for his on the chocolate bar creation page for this combination.

Valentine's Day Chocolate Gift for Your Crush

Didn't you love it when they gave your crush a secret rose in high school? Why not pick it up and smuggle a lovely chocolate bar into the hands, drawer or bag of somebody you have a crush on? We recommend the "I'm bananas for you!" chocolate bar with (duh) bananas, roasted almonds, heart decoration and the writing "My Valentine" on Milk Chocolate. Let him or her guess that it was you who was so creative to make this very unique chocolate bar! Of course you can always customize the chocolate bar name to drop a hint...

Enter barcode vs8o13 on the chocolate bar creation page for this combination.

Valentine's Day Gift for Your Single Girlfriend

Whether she's happily or unhappily single, tell her you love her! With star decoration, gold flakes, silver flakes and a heart smiley, the glimmer in her eyes will be star struck and pure joy. Then, when she tries this dark chocolate concoction, she'll feel like walking on the moon, just better. We called this custom chocolate bar "You are my star! Love ya!" And while we're assuming that it will be most likely one lady gifting such a chocolate bar to another lady, everyone woman or man would of course be happy to get a Valentine's Day gift like this!

Enter barcode rvoqzn on the chocolate bar creation page for this combination.

Valentine's Day Chocolate Gift for Everyone

We don't tell people often enough that we're glad they're there, and maybe Valentine's Day can help us remember that fact. If you agree, reach out to some that you are grateful for, and give them a chocolate bar like this one: "Thank you for being in my life!". What the name and the writing "Thank you" doesn't say, the creamy milk chocolate, the yummy caramel pieces, the fun sprinkles and the cute heart decoration will surely express. A customized chocolate bar for everyone in your life.

Enter barcode 2lsjad on the chocolate bar creation page for this combination.

And if you're still not sure, consider our Valentine's Day Gift Box or a customized Gift Certificate.

All month on our blog, we've been talking about the various personalized Valentine's Day chocolate gifting options chocri offers. There are two new, limited edition bars- the Aphrodisi-snack, a dark chocolate base topped with golden pearls, candied lilac, bourbon vanilla and an edible "I love you" banner, and With Love, a white chocolate base with flower mix, raspberries, and an edible smiley face. You've seen our also limited-edition Valentine's Day gift box, available with both V-Day bars for $14.95. Pictured above is our uber-festive but still unisex Valentine's Day packaging, made to dress up your sweetie's chocri in a sleek and stylish holiday wrapper.

If you're looking to order a customized chocolate bar for your Valentine, just remember that the last day for Valentine's shipping is January 31st. Be sure to place orders by that date to ensure Valentine's Day arrival. But if you miss the deadline, don't fret! We've got Lovely Gift Certificates for last-minute gifts! You can print or email our personalized Valentine's Day chocolate gift certificates if you're looking for a same-day gift.

This month, we've highlighted the many personalized Valentine's Day chocolate gift options chocri offers. We introduced two new bars- the Aphrodisi-snack, a dark chocolate base topped with golden pearls, candied lilac, bourbon vanilla and an edible "I love you" banner, and With Love, a white chocolate base with flower mix, raspberries, and an edible smiley face. We showed you our fancy new Valentine's Day gift box, as well as our gift box and Valentine's Day bars combo for $14.95.

But part of the fun of personalized Valentine's Day chocolate is making it, and some people might want to give their Valentine the option to create a chocolate bar to their exact specifications, because honeys can be fickle. If you want to give your recipient the gift of personalized Valentine's Day chocolate without choosing for them, we've got Lovely Gift Certificates for Valentine's Day! Just enter the amount and check out, and you can print or email our personalized Valentine's Day chocolate gift certificates directly to your sweetie!

Friday again, chocri fans, and we've gathered up five of the best bar names from the many personalized Valentine's Day chocolate orders we've received this week!

• Laura's Confetti Candy (White Chocolate with Gummy Bears, Colorful Chocolate Dragées, Sprinkles, Rice Crispies and Raspberry) Because OMG festive!

• Hundred Acre Wood (Milk Chocolate with Honey Chocolate Drops, Cinnamon and Macadamia Nuts) Because if you live to be 100, I hope I live to be 100 minus 1 day, so I never have to live without you.

• Sizzlesparklebarkle (Milk and White Chocolate with Caramel Chocolate Drops, Organic Salt Pretzels, Real Gold Flakes, Peanut Butter Drops and Sizzle Rocks) Because that's so glitter.

• A Midwinter Night's Dream of Hawaii for Heidi (Milk Chocolate with Banana Chips, Fleur de Sel, Macadamia Nuts, Coconut Shavings and Toffee) Because under yet more snow, what sounds better than that?

• Bring it on! (Dark Chocolate with Roasted Almonds, Hazelnut Brittle, Raisins, Nougat and Bourbon Vanilla in Valentine's Day Packaging) Because it has already been brought!

What would be on your ideal personalized Valentine's Day chocolate bar from your significant other or admirer?

We've been blogging about our personalized Valentine's Day chocolate gifting options, and this month, we've introduced two new bars- the Aphrodisi-snack, a dark chocolate base topped with golden pearls, candied lilac, bourbon vanilla and an edible "I love you" banner, and With Love, a white chocolate base with flower mix, raspberries, and an edible smiley face.

Year-round, we offer a two bar gift box for all our chocri Creations, and for Valentine's day, we have a special holiday box that's festive and elegant. The pic below is our 2011 Valentine's Day gift box, which is available with the personalized Valentine's Day chocolate of your choice. However, we also offer both our limited edition bars, the With Love and Aphrodisi-snack, together in our Valentine's day box for $14.95. (The bars are $9.90 each and $19.80 together, so it's a sweet deal.)

You can find these personalized Valentine's Day chocolate creations on our Valentine's page. Have you picked up a gift for your Valentine yet? Tell us in the comments!

It's Friday, again! This week we started to see the first of our personalized Valentine's Day chocolate orders, and wow, chocri fans have game. You guys are seriously romantic! So here are this week's top five bar names, many of which are the lovey-dovey variety:

• Drunken Sugar Plum Goblin (Dark Chocolate with Ginger, Bourbon Vanilla and Plum Bits) Because we all have pet names, don't we?

• Te Quiero Mi Amante (Dark Chocolate with Peanuts, Hazelnut Brittle, Smiley Male, Smiley (female) and Bourbon Vanilla in Valentine's Day Packaging') Because I don't know what it means, but I can totally picture Gomez Addams saying it to Morticia.

• I Found Your Missing Part (Dark Chocolate with Blueberries, Walnuts and Smiley (female) in Valentine's Day Packaging) Because awww geek love!

• Dark Queen (Dark Chocolate with Sour Cherries, Cranberries and Orange Pepper) Because we're addicted to vampire romances.

• Moondance... In St Maarten (Dark Chocolate with Cranberries, Pistachios, Bourbon Vanilla and Raspberry) Because there is a story here, I know it!

What would you put on your personalized Valentine's Day chocolate gifts, chocri fans? What would you name it?

It's just one month and one day until the most lovey-dovey of holidays- Valentine's Day! Chocolate and Valentine's Day go together like peas and carrots, and if you haven't noticed, we've set up a special page just for personalized Valentine's Day chocolate!

As you can imagine, we have a bevy of ways you can put together a thoughtful, chocolatey gift for your Valentine. We have pages of toppings to give you personalized Valentine's Day chocolate gift ideas, but we've singled out a few that we think make for a sweet bar in both senses of the word, and they've got a special place in our Valentine's toppings gallery:

Gold A traditional gift for a romantic partner, ours comes in edible form.

Strawberry Like sweet little red heart pieces!

Candied Lilac In purple and pink, like a bouquet you can eat.

Mini Heart Decoration Little Valentines, made from sugar.

Raspberries A bit sweet, a bit tart, and compliments all our bases.

Marzipan Rose Unlike real roses, these won't wilt on the counter in two days.

I love you There is literally nothing sweeter than a candy, "I love you."

Smiley in heart Shape (both male and female) Except if you add this.

Flower Mix A rainbow of flowery love for your chocri.

Rose Petals Candied and made delicious, for a truly sophisticated bar.

What would you put in a Valentine's Day bar for your honey? Share your personalized Valentine's Day chocolate in the comments!

Can you believe it? Chocri USA already turns 1 year old today on Jan 11, 2011! While the first personalized chocolate bar was invented nearly 3 years ago by when Franz and MIchael, the chocri founders, had a last minute gift idea, but chocri as a company in Germany exists only a bit longer than 2 years, and as of today 1 year in the US!

The last year in review:
The year went by so fast, mostly because we've been super busy. Right after we launched, Valentine's Day hit, we had to change our shipping provider because they didn't deliver as fast as promised. Then Mother's Day was a huge hit, of which one result was the "Treasure Chest Chocolate Bar", developed in our Mother's Day contest by a child for her Mom. The bar is still selling strong in our Recommended Chocolate Bars section. This summer was the first summer in my life that I wished for lower temperatures, as some of the packages left outside on porches or in trucks only held melted chocolate after a while. Our cold packs was our answer, and I'm much more excited about warmer temperatures this year. Finally, the holidays have been absolutely crazy for us - we were on the Today Show, and Maxim, GQ, Cosmopolitan, Esquire all recommended us as a great holiday gift.

All in all, we've learned a ton this past year, and we appreciate every single note of feedback that you sent us, every phone call, comment on our Facebook page and tweet. In the end, all of this is only possible because of you!

We are excited to enter 2011 with more knowledge on how to get things done, some very interesting product innovation in the pipeline, and as always a passion to deliver you one-of-a kind chocolate bars with the highest quality ingredients and craftsmanship. Happy Birthday to us!

p.s. You deserve a discount! This is how to do it: Fan us on Facebook and suggest your friends to do the same. Once we reach 2000 Fans, everyone gets 20% off!

Last week, we introduced our first Recommended Creation for Valentine's Day- the Aphrodisi-snack! While that creamy Milk Chocolate creation is sure to compel your sweetheart, we thought we'd put together a White Chocolate-inclusive option for chocri fans who love our two-toned base. (And if you haven't seen it, our official Valentine's Day customized chocolate page is up!)

The "With Love" bar is a customized Valentine's Day chocolate bar beginning with our very popular Milk and White Chocolate base. Atop this chocolatey perfection, we've added Flower Mix, sweet and tart Raspberries, and an edible Smiley Face. This bar has a nice mix of literal and metaphorical sweetness, and is a perfect customized Valentine's Day chocolate option for anyone who wants a slightly more individualized Valentine's gift option.

You can find this personalized Valentine's gift idea in our Recommended Creations section!

Lovely chocolate lovers and creative bar creators, What a holiday season! What amazing creations!

We've grown a lot these past few months (not a complete surprise, after all, our personalized chocolate bars and we'd love to have you on our Facebook Page as well! When we first started on Facebook, we had one page that we posted on in both German and English, which soon got confusing. Now we have two separate pages, one in German, the other in English. Our German Facebook page already has more than 10,000 Fans! - from about 1,200 back in July. We've quite a bit to catch up with the international page with our current 1,300 Fans, and we need your help!

Suggest our Facebook Page to your Friends and Receive 20% off!

When we reach 2000 Fans, we'll post a coupon code that will give everyone - new and old Fans - 20% off your next purchase. To suggest us to your friends is easy:

1. Think who of your friends likes chocolate (everyone, right?)
   
2. Click "suggest to friends" below our profile picture
   
3. Select friends, hit enter (you don't even need to enter a message), and be done!
   
4. Enjoy 20% off your customized chocolate bars
   

Oh, and if you didn't already hit Like - please do!

See you on Facebook!

Happy Friday, chocri fans! Did you see we're getting ready to whip up some custom Valentine's Day chocolate up in here? As we do each Friday, we've gathered up this week's top five, because bar names are varied and sweet like a box of chocolates.

• Reaganasaurus-Bar (White Chocolate with Strawberry, Gummy Bears and Marzipan Rose) Because Republicans are having the best week ever.

• The Cranbradley (Milk Chocolate with Cranberries, Hazelnut Brittle, Macadamia Nuts, Bourbon Vanilla and Writing 'I Love You') Because portmanteaus pwn.

• Love You Long Time (Milk Chocolate with Organic Salt Pretzels, Mini Heart Decoration, Toffee and Writing 'I Love You') Because 2Live Crew?

• The "Oat to a Fashionable Monkey" Bar (Dark Chocolate with Banana Chips, Cornflakes, Real Gold Flakes, Writing: "Happy Birthday!" and Peanut Butter Drops) Because bananas always equal monkeys in bar names!

• Sushi Lover (Milk Chocolate with Ginger, Wasabi Peanuts, Real Gold Flakes, Goji Berries and Rice Crispies in Chocolate Coating) Because it's getting to be half past a spicy yellowtail roll here.

Have you been inspired for Valentine's gifts yet?

We've dealt with this before on our chocri blog, and people always want to know... is chocolate an aphrodisiac? The long and the short of it is that feel-good chemicals tryptophan and serotonin, both present in chocolate, as well as phenylethylamine, the chemical released by your brain when you fall in love, bolster the idea of chocolate as a food that helps put people in the mood for sweet, sweet loving.

With many Googlers beginning to search for a personalized Valentine's gift idea, we've created a new bar as an homage to chocolate as a love potion: the Aphrodisi-snack. Dark chocolate topped with golden pearls, pretty candied lilac, rich bourbon vanilla and an edible "I love you" banner is our suggestion for a personalized Valentine's gift idea to inspire feelings of love and romance. Isn't that sweet?

You can find this personalized Valentine's gift idea in our Recommended Creations section!

Wow, it's 2011. Happy New Year everyone!

Did you see some fireworks on New Year's Eve? If not, we have some in store for you: Our topping of the month: Sizzle Rocks!

These little fireworks for your chocolate bar are coated in chocolate, so that they will keep their exciting sizzle before they get to you. Add them to your customized chocolate bars as an adventure for your tongue! Recommended pairings are roasted almonds from the Nuts section, or colorful chocolate dragees in the Confections section, which add another level of texture to your chocolate bar.

You can find the Sizzle Rocks in the Confections section on this site.

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