Truffles are so named because they visually resemble the rare French mushroom of the same name. Chocolate truffles are created from a confectionary combination of butter, sugar, chocolate, cream, and occasionally a liqueur or flavouring. The confection is heated, cooled, then delicately rolled and shaped into small balls and coated in cocoa or covertures of milk, dark, or white chocolate. Sometimes, different textures of a truffle may be achieved by rolling the centre filling in powdered sugar, chopped nuts, or cocoa powder. Chocolate truffles are either domed with piped centres or hand-rolled.

A Chocolate nib is the small piece, or kernel, of the coca bean that remain after the winnowing, crushing, and roasting process in chocolate manufacturing. Chocolate nibs are the primary ingredient of chocolate. At times, the original chocolate nibs, which tend to be darker and richer than the rest of the bean, are used to add composition and smoothness to chocolate bars or desserts.

Chocolate mousse is generally a light and fluffy chilled dessert made from melted chocolate, heavy cream, and whipped egg whites. While chocolate mousse is typically prepared as a rich, frothy, and light dessert, it may also be creamy and thick, depending on preparation methods. Chocolate mousse was once only served as a specialty dessert in fine French restaurants, but emerged into the homes of English and Americans in the mid 20th century.

Chocolate milk is white milk sweetened with sugar and chocolate to add flavour. It can often be purchased in whole, low fat, or non-fat varieties. In addition to being purchased pre-mixed, chocolate milk may be mixed at home by using white milk in combination with cocoa mix and a sweetener, chocolate syrup, melted chocolate, or a chocolate milk mix.

Chocolate liqueur is an alcoholic cordial that is not to be confused with chocolate liquor, a non-alcoholic chocolate paste. A chocolate flavouring is added to the cordial, such as crème de cacao. The cordial can then be consumed as a liqueur or used as a cocktail ingredient for extra flavour.

The term fondant has a variety of definitions. It is typically thought of as the creamy confection used to fill bonbons. This type of fondant is made of sugar and water, and is typically flavoured with any variety of complements, such as vanilla, fruits, or liqueurs. A chocolate flavoured spread often used on bread or crackers is also referred to as fondant. In France, the term “fondant” means pure or dark chocolate. In addition, when the conching machine was invented in 1879, the velvety smooth chocolate it produced was referred to as fondant chocolate in order to distinguish between it and what was then the norm in chocolate, which was not as smooth or creamy.

Carre is a French term meaning “square.” Carre refers to a small square of chocolate typically of about 5 to 10 grams. Carre chocolate squares can generally be purchased in a small tin consisting of 36 squares. The tins contain half of 40% Jivara grand cru milk chocolate, and half Manjari 64% semisweet grand cru chocolate.

Carraque are solid chocolate pieces, generally consisting of either creamy milk chocolate or a more bitter and robust dark chocolate. Carraque chocolate pieces are sometimes sprinkled on top with any number of delicious nut or fruit toppings, such as almonds, raisins, walnuts, or hazelnuts. Chocolate curls shaved from a solid chocolate bar or block to use in cake decorating are sometimes referred to as carraques.

A brownie is a chewy and thick bar cookie generally thought of as being made from chocolate. While the first brownies were produced from chocolate, a wide variety of brownies are available today in flavours such as butterscotch, white chocolate, and “blond” brownies. The chocolate brownie originated in the middle of the 19th century. The first recipe to be published for chocolate brownies was in an 1897 edition of the Sears Roebuck catalogue. The chocolate brownie continues to be a traditional favourite.

A bonbon is a French term meaning “good, good.” It consists of a hard outer shell made from chocolate, and has a soft, flavourful centre, such as caramel, vanilla crème, or a variety of other flavours. In Belgian, the bonbon is referred to as a praline. However, in France, the term praline represents a caramelised almond. Still more confusing to consumers, the term truffle is often used to describe chocolate shells with a ganache filling, but in reality, a truffle is simply a ganache ball rolled in some form of coating, such as cocoa powder. Because the term “bonbon” is so broadly used among some producers today, consumers must closely read the packaging of the chocolates they are buying in order to be certain of what they are purchasing.