First, a confession: I am not a chocoholic. I don't generally crave the stuff. Faced with a typical assorted box, I can stop after just one. But when the right chocolate product comes along, I morph into both fiend and pusher. Here are three of my very favorite indulgences, all available for purchase online.

• See's Candy Toffee-Ettes. The ultimate bite-sized morsel. At the center, Danish butter toffee, perfectly salted, encases toasted whole almonds. Around that is a layer of luscious milk chocolate. Then the whole tiny chocolate parcel is rolled in more coarsely chopped almonds. By now, See's, which began in Los Angeles, has much more than a cult following; in my opinion, they could have made their name on the strength of Toffee-Ettes alone. Fifteen bucks for a pound.
• poco dolce Aztec Chili Bittersweet Tiles. Another California find. If See's is all about down-home comfort, poco dolce appeals to the more uptown or Continental area of the taste bud map. Grey sea salt, roasted pumpkin seeds, cinnamon, and an swift kick of ground chili all meld beautifully with the silky dark chocolate. The price is a bit more uptown, too, at $18 for a box of eight tiles.
• sweetriot Cacao Nibs. A Slashfood colleague wrote about these two Decembers ago, so I will defer to her thorough description. I have only these three words to add: Perfect. Stocking. Stuffer.

Though it may be a touch to late to order for Valentine's Day unless you live near a purveyor of fine chocolates, I have never yet heard of someone refusing to accept a belated Valentine's Day box of chocolates – particularly not if it is an exceptionally good box. Consumer Reports published ratings of their best chocolates picks, ranked into categories of excellent, very good, good and fair. Among those receiving Excellent ratings were Candinas and Jacques Torres, followed closely in the Very Good category by confections from Frans Chocolates, Godiva, Leonidas Chocolate and See's.

Every time I see See's Candies ranked lower than some other chocolate makers - though I do like the choices that CR has made here - I can't help but feel that it is because they are both widely available (here on the West Coast, anyway) and reasonably priced. Their products are excellent and, unlike some "higher end" confections, are sure to be a hit with anyone you given them to, since they mainly stick with classic flavors instead of following the arbitrary whims of flash-in-the-pan taste trends. They may not have curried truffles, but their caramels and buttercreams are definately the way to any candy-lover's heart.

There is no way to say "I love you" on Valentine's Day better than saying it with chocolate. It is the number one gift for the holiday and typically, it is men giving it to women. But girls aren't the only ones who like chocolate. See's Candies makes an elegant Tuxedo Heart box of chocolate just for girls to give to their guys on Valentine's Day. The box retails for $21.35 and is filled with one pound of delicious, assorted See's candies, including Milk and Dark Chocolate Buttercreams in Chocolate and Vanilla, silky Caramels, crisp Molasses Chips, light and decadent Truffles and solid, red foil-wrapped Chocolate Hearts. And ladies, if you ask nicely, I bet he'll share a piece or two. Of course, you could always buy your own box, just in case.

See's, based in California, will ship all over the country, but place your orders early to ensure they reach your Valentine on time.