Kansas City, MOChocolatiers and Candy Shops

Christopher Elbow opened his own chocolate store in Kansas City in 2003, after working in the pastry department of Emeril Lagasse's Delmonico Steakhouse in Las Vegas, and his chocolates carry a brightness that comes from careful tempering. The Fleur de Sel pairs a speckled dark chocolate shell and French sea salt with a milky caramel that spills out at the first bite, the Rosemary truffle is infused with the fresh herb, and the champagne truffle holds a milk chocolate ganache blended with French champagne. Order the Fleur de Sel.

A Swiss confiserie on Main Street, opened in 1955 and run by three generations of one family; Rene Bollier, son of the owners, spent three years with masters in Switzerland perfecting the family recipe. Look for chocolate orange peels, chocolate mint leaves and Kansas City themed chocolates, and for the J. Rieger & Co. chocolate shots, a truffle-like piece with a real shot of Rieger spirit at the center, meant to be popped whole. The tearoom serves quiches and other European-inspired plates. Order a Rieger chocolate shot.

A Prairie Village candy shop, opened in 1970, that feels like a fudge factory out of a mountain town, since the business is based in Estes Park, Colorado. The house-made fudge comes in more than two dozen varieties, chocolate amaretto and vanilla peanut butter among them, beside hand-dipped chocolates, maple pecan truffles, chocolate-covered pretzels, pecan frogs with a hard candy bottom and popcorn popped in the shop. The sugar-free bonbons hold their own, too. Order the fudge and a pecan frog.

A Blue Springs chocolate boutique where every piece is glossily lacquered, and the Sea Turtle bonbon has a milk chocolate shell painted blue and shaped like a turtle around salty pecan praline and caramel. Owner Jessica Washburn, a former professional photographer, learned the craft through online chocolate courses and training with pastry chefs around the country. Order the Sea Turtle.

A chocolate shop just off the Plaza that looks a little like a gingerbread house, with a tall Victorian spire rising above the door. Inside are whimsical milk chocolate mustaches, cell phones and coins, along with truffles and caramels, and the sea salt caramels are the ones to know. In season there are candy apples made with fruit the shop picks from the orchard itself. Order the sea salt caramels.