Providence, RIChocolatiers and Candy Shops

Peter and Katie Kelly started Anchor Toffee in 2014 out of the shared kitchens at Hope and Main in Warren, selling at farmers markets before opening in Newport and then Pawtucket, and Rhode Island Monthly records the move into the larger Providence space they work from now. Edible Rhody describes the almond toffee as almonds, sweet cream butter, sugar, salt and dark chocolate taken through heat and cold. Order the chocolate covered almond toffee, then the peppermint bark and the leathernecks.

Sweenor's has been a Rhode Island name in gourmet chocolate and candy for more than sixty years, and Rhode Island Monthly notes the Cranston store in Garden City keeps the longer hours of its two shops, open until eight most nights. Edible Rhody points at the fudge, made fresh and locally from premium ingredients. Order a box of assorted truffles, add the fudge, and take the chocolate covered Oreos, which the magazine recommends as the gift that ships well.

Aura Fajardo Quintero makes her chocolates with Venezuelan cocoa, a nod to where she grew up, and pairs it with Rhode Island ingredients, per Rhode Island Monthly. Edible Rhody lists what she infuses it with: lavender, matcha, bee pollen, chili, honey, Earl Grey, sea salt and coffee. Order the honeycomb toffee bark and the mocha bars. The shop keeps short hours, Tuesday through Thursday afternoons and Saturday mornings, and holiday orders can take two weeks to fill.

The Chocolate Delicacy is a Warwick candy maker with a walk in shop, curbside pickup and online ordering, per Rhode Island Monthly. Its Rhode Island signature is the chocolate quahog, a two ounce chocolate copy of the state's favorite bivalve, made in milk, white or dark, as Edible Rhody describes it. Order a few of those for the table, then split the two pound box of assorted truffles the magazine suggests as a holiday gift.

Andre'z Dipped and Drizzled is a third generation North Providence chocolate shop built on things dipped in chocolate rather than boxed bonbons, per Rhode Island Monthly. The item the magazine names is the loaded apple. Order that, then look at the seasonal novelty work it points to for gifts and afternoon pick-me-ups. The shop runs Tuesday through Friday until six and Saturday until four, and adds special hours around holidays, so check before making the trip.