Make Mother's Day sweeter with local chocolate

Mother's Day isn't all about flowers and cards, and certainly Mom could use a break from perfume and bubble bath. So try tempting her sweet tooth May 11 with a variety of offerings from Seattle chocolatiers.

Treat Mom to Theo Chocolate's wine pairing kit ($25.99), which includes five of Theo's chocolate bars chosen for their ability to pair well with red wine, along with a decorative placemat for tasting notes and a guide to hosting your own tasting party -- from selecting the wine to setting the table. Throw in a bottle of Mom's favorite vino for a great gift.

Terra Bella Flowers by Phinney Ridge Florist is serving up an alternative to tulips and roses on Mother's Day with flower-free "Mommy's Little Helper" baskets (starting at $65), which include goodies from Chocolati Cafe, along with candles and other indulgences.

Both Fran's Chocolates and Oh! Chocolate have beautiful gift-box options for Mother's Day. From Fran's, select the 18-piece assortment of caramels and handcrafted truffles ($28) in a Pretty in Pink box, or the Pretty in Pink Perfect Duo for $45, which comes with an additional box of gray and smoked salt caramels. From Oh! Chocolate, choose your own assortment of 16 chocolates ($21.95) to be placed in the Rose Garden box, adorned with a floral bud on top.

Also in time for Mother's Day, Fran's is carrying select white ports and prosecco (prices vary) to enhance Mom's chocolate-tasting experience.

For the mom who's watching her figure, Chocolate Box is offering a new line of artisan sugar-free chocolates from local chocolatiers that are sure to satisfy her sweet tooth. Enjoy sugar-free pecan caramel patties, sugar-free truffles, sugar-free dark and milk chocolate candy bars and sugar-free chocolate dinner mints ($4-$8) from Spokandy, a Spokane chocolatier. Sugar-free truffles from Los Angeles-based Choclatique are available both individually and boxed ($19 for an eight-piece box, $5 for a two-piece box and $2 per individual truffle).

If a nice cup of tea is more your mom's bag, you can still treat her to chocolate in the form of one of the 10 varieties of Chocolate Vitale's Tea Vitale loose-leaf teas ($9) or Fiori Chocolatier's Matcha drinking chocolate ($21), which combines white chocolate with green tea. Both are available at Chocolate Box.

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