The Best Luxury Chocolate Advent Calendars

One of the most delightful holiday traditions is counting down the days to Christmas with an advent calendar, especially with one filled with chocolate. The tradition of advent calendars dates back to 19th-century Germany, where people marked the days leading up to Christmas with daily small treats. The first printed advent calendar appeared around 1903, with religious images behind small numbered doors. Over time, the concept evolved to include a variety of themes, from chocolates to toys and was adopted outside of Germany too. Here are ten of the finest luxury chocolate advent calendars, created by the world’s top chocolatiers.

1.Pierre Marcolini, Frosty Christmas Advent Calendar, £54

Belgian chocolatier Pierre Marcolini’s festive woodland-themed calendar was inspired by the traditional flavors of Christmas and the sweet memories of our childhood. Each day of the advent reveals enjoyable chocolate surprises and flavors including gingerbread, cinnamon, orange, caramel, vanilla and hazelnut. The 24 windows contain chocolates from Maison Pierre Marcolini’s permanent range as well as from the Christmas collection. Among the moreish treats, you’ll find chocolate hearts in flavors like lemon, raspberry, caramel and passion fruit. Also included are chocolate pralines filled with caramel, pistachio-hazelnut, or honey caramel plus salted butter caramel truffles. Each chocolate carries the unique story of its origin, meticulously sourced from different countries and plantations.

2.Melt, Giant Artisan Advent Calendar, £210

This wonderful giant artisan advent calendar, designed in-house by small team of creatives in Melt Chocolate’s Holland Park studio, overflows with luxury gift boxes of British-made chocolates, best-selling dark and milk chocolate bars, hot chocolates, orangettes and Melt’s moreish gianduja spread. Inside the house you will find a whole selection of iconic British architecture, including the Pineapple House, Chiswick House and Kenwood House.

3.Fortnum & Mason, Chocolate Truffle Selection Calendar, £35.00

A top luxury pick for adults, this chocolate truffle advent includes a decadent selection of flavors including milk chocolate sea salt, maple and pecan praline, dark chocolate orange, milk chocolate Christmas pudding truffles with spice, rum and brandy and Marc de Champagne truffles.

4.La Maison du Chocolat, Snowflake Chocolate Advent Calendar, $95

This limited-edition snowflake-shaped Holiday Advent Calendar doubles as a pretty ornament. Famed French chocolatier La Maison du Chocolat offers chocolatey delights behind each of the 24 windows in an eco-designed calendar, 100% cardboard and 100% recyclable.

5.Soko, Christmas Advent Calendar, £32

Soko Advent Calendars are filled with a range of delicious seasonal chocolates and truffles created by Bake Off: The Professionals finalist, Bharat Chandegra and his team at Soko Patisserie in the UK’s Midlands. Each chocolate is handmade and takes three days to produce. This year’s flavors include: Masala Chai Bischoff, Salted Caramel Passion Fruit, Café Latte and Chestnut, Gingerbread, Black Forest, Mince Pie, Cranberry Cheesecake, Malted Milk, Baileys, Fig Caramel, Hazelnut Roche, Almond Praline and Mandarin Bar.

6.Charbonnel et Walker, Advent Calendar,£80.00

Established in 1875, Charbonnel et Walker is Britain’s first luxury chocolatier and their Christmas Advent Calendar is a sheer delight. It has 24 pullout drawers offering a signature selection of their popular milk and dark chocolates and truffles including dark and milk sea salt caramel truffles, dark chocolate fraise and framboise and the decadent dark chocolate truffle with edible gold leaf.

7.Love Cocoa, Truffle Calendar, £25

Founded by James Cadbury, the great-great-great grandson of the original Mr Cadbury, LoveCocoa always offers gorgeous annual calendars, all made with sustainably sourced single origin cocoa and 100% plastic free packaging. The Truffle Calendar, with four decadent truffle varieties (hazelnut crunch, hazelnut praline, spiced gingerbread and salted caramel), is particularly appealing. And a 1% for the Planet member, every time you purchase a Love Cocoa product you’re supporting reforestation projects around the world.

8.Cartwright & Butler ,Chocolate Advent Calendar, £18.00

Cartwright & Butler’s Cake Shop Belgian Chocolate Advent calendar pictures their first premises in Beverley, East Yorkshire, where the now famous food hampers and signature luxury goods were launched. And for Christmas, they also make an excellent advent calendar, filled with indulgent dark and milk Belgian chocolate treats in twelve flavors, including coffee and strawberry.

9.Läderach, Dark Chocolate Advent Calendar, £40

The Swiss chocolate company, headed by the reigning World Chocolate Master, is renowned for creating some of the freshest, highest quality, responsibly sourced artisanal chocolates in the world. The dark chocolate Advent calendar contains 24 alcohol-free Christmas pralines.

10.Petrossian, Advent Calendar, £45

Founded in Paris in 1920, Petrossian’s fine food boutiques have spread from Paris to London and New York so it’s no surprise that their chocolate advent calendar is a luxurious treat. Handcrafted chocolate ganache treats, chocolate pralines, squares of nougat, and other chocolatey delights lie behind each of the 24 doors. And for five lucky winners, door number 25 holds a golden ticket, which entitles the holder to a free 50g box of Ossetra Tsar Impérial caviar.