Las Vegas, NVChocolatiers and Candy Shops

The Henderson chocolate factory that Forrest Mars Sr., creator of the M&M, opened in 1981 after learning that Nevada's liquor laws allowed the liqueur-filled chocolates he wanted to make from his mother Ethel's recipes. The chocolates are made in smaller batches without preservatives, and Ethel's 16 original chocolates and the liqueur chocolates blended with bourbon, tequila and Baileys Irish Cream still sell in boxed sets, beside Prickly Pear Satin Creme dark chocolates. The factory sits beside its own cactus garden. Order a box of the liqueur chocolates.

Master chocolatier Jean-Marie Auboine, from Brive-la-Gaillarde in France, learned from Alain Ducasse and was the executive pastry chef at Bellagio before setting out on his own. A staff of more than 25 now turns out his macarons, pâtes de fruits and chocolates that look like they belong in the Louvre, and the Harmon Avenue shop carries more than 120 flavors, with free samples to taste. Order a mixed box of chocolates and a few macarons.

The Venetian shop of a bean-to-bar chocolate maker that makes single-origin dark chocolate from two ingredients, ethically sourced cocoa beans and organic cane sugar. Its European Drinking Chocolate is an Italian-inspired hot chocolate so thick that its depth shows in photos. Order the European Drinking Chocolate, then a bar of the single-origin dark chocolate.

This Linq Promenade shop of the San Francisco chocolate brand pairs its chocolate counter with ice cream, and its Classic Hot Cocoa has a deep chocolate flavor under whipped cream and a dusting of cocoa powder. Order the Classic Hot Cocoa.