The Chocolate Candy Bar Bobby Flay Claims Is 'Hands Down' The Best

If you're a chef, a foodie, or both, chances are you have thought long and hard about your favorite chocolate. While Anthony Bourdain produced his own Good & Evil chocolate bar just before his passing, Bobby Flay has loudly promoted his favorite chocolate without taking part in its creation. The New York native's favorite chocolate bar comes from Fran's Chocolates, founded by Fran Bigelow in Seattle, Washington. More specifically, Flay loves Fran's Coconut Gold Bar, which isn't particularly surprising; Some of the chef's most iconic recipes (including Bobby Flay's creamy jasmine iced tea) include coconut or coconut milk.

Flay's love for Fran's Chocolates was never a secret, as he has frequently touted the candy bars for their giftability during the holiday season over the years. However, People magazine's 2014 Holiday Gift Guide featured Flay's most declarative praise of the candy, by far. "These are the best gourmet candy bars ever," Flay asserted. "Hands down. No competition."

Before he commended Fran's chocolate in People magazine, Bobby Flay spoke in depth about why he adores Fran's Coconut Gold Bars during a Season 6 episode of Food Network's "The Best Thing I Ever Ate." During the "Seasons Eatings" episode, Flay compared the gourmet chocolate to a childhood favorite of many coconut lovers. "It's like an Almond Joy bar," Flay explained, "[It has] coconut, chocolate, almonds ... but this just takes it up to a level that can't be beat."

This idea of Fran's Coconut Gold Bar essentially being an upgraded Almond Joy isn't far off; Without naming names, Fran Bigelow confirmed that the recipe was inspired by a childhood favorite candy with a similar constitution. However, what really sets the chocolate apart is the superb ingredients used to make it. Fran's Chocolates uses cream, cane sugar, rum, white chocolate, and, of course, coconut to make a coconut ganache that acts as the base; adds roasted almonds on top; and coats them both in the shop's signature dark chocolate to create an immaculate treat.

High-quality ingredients are also the reason for the gourmet chocolate's steeper price. While it isn't quite up there with the bougiest boxed chocolates on the market, a six-pack box of Fran's Coconut Gold Bars will run you $37.00 plus shipping. But maybe it's a small price to pay for a taste of what Bobby Flay calls the best chocolate in the world.