These days, every chocolate lover is a connoisseur. Even big-box stores stock expensive chocolate bars and boxes of truffles. So, when Valentine's Day rolls around, it becomes that much harder to impress with just any sweet treat. It might be the thought that counts, but how much thought did you really put into that bag of Hershey's kisses you picked up on the way home from work?

Here are a few suggestions in a variety of price ranges to get you started.

Small-scale bean-to-bar chocolatiers put their personal stamp on every aspect of their creation, perfect for those who'd rather not have any adulterating flavors competing with their one true love. Minneapolis-based Rogue Chocolatier (available locally at Mon Aimee Chocolate, Strip District) is literally a one-man operation. Colin Gasko sources, cleans, roasts, winnows, grinds, refines, conches, tempers, molds and packages each and every bar himself. Now that's a labor of love. These single-origin bars ($6.99 at roguechocolatier.com) are edible works of art. (Follow Mr. Gasko on Twitter at http://twitter.com/RogueChocolate.)

Vosges Haut-Chocolat (available at vosges­chocolate.com, order by Wednesday with standard shipping to receive before Valentine's Day) with its exotic flavor combinations is the ideal gift for the adventurous gourmet. The Sweet Coquette collection Victorian heart box ($90), resplendent in pleated pink satin finished with a black leather rose, could become a beloved memory box. But first there are truffles to enjoy, in aphrodisiac-inspired flavors such as Kumamoto (pearl dust, Kumamoto oysters and white chocolate), Bronte (Sicilian pistachio paste, rose water and deep milk chocolate) and Red Fire (ancho chiles, Ceylon cinnamon and Venezuelan dark chocolate).

Sustainable Harvest International is a non-profit that provides training and materials to Central American farmers and promotes organic and sustainable techniques as an alternative to slash-and-burn agriculture. This Valentine's, buy your loved one a Chocolate Gift of Hope ($40, sustainableharvest.org/giftofhope.cfm). The donation will purchase seeds, nursery materials and training to allow a Central American family to plant an organic multistory plot of cacao, providing the family with income and restoring the natural health of the land.

In return, SHI will send your valentine a Gift of Hope card announcing your gift and a small-batch chocolate bar made by Cotton Tree Chocolate, a business that partners with Sustainable Harvest International farmers in Belize. Each batch is made from a single day's harvest from a single farmer in the Mayan villages surrounding Cotton Tree Lodge in the Toledo District of Belize.

Homemade sweets are always a memorable expression of love. "Absolutely Chocolate: Irresistible Excuses to Indulge" (Taunton Press, $29.95), a new book from the editors of Fine Cooking, provides lots of inspiration, including the accompanying recipe.

Chocolate-Dipped Espresso Shortbread Cookies

PG tested

Using fresh-ground coffee gives a sophisticated edge to these adorable cookies, while half-dipping them in chocolate makes for a nice compromise between ease of execution and an impressive appearance. I didn't get quite as many cookies out of the recipe as the Fine Cooking editors -- closer to 60 than 84 -- but that's still a lot of cookies with relatively little effort.

-- China Millman

• For the cookies
• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 10 ounces (2 1/4 cups) unbleached, all-purpose flour (During very dry winter months I recommend reducing flour by 1/4 cup)
• 2 tablespoons finely ground espresso coffee beans
• For the dipping chocolate
• 9 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 tablespoon vegetable shortening

Line 2 [I used 3] baking sheets with parchment. With a stand mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl, combine the butter, sugar and salt. Mix on low speed until the butter combines with the sugar but isn't perfectly smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Add flour and ground espresso and mix on low, scraping the bowl frequently, until the dough has just about pulled together, about 3 minutes; don't over mix.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to about 1/4 inch thick; aim for uniform thickness to ensure even baking. Using a 11/2-inch heart-shaped (or similar sized) cookie cutter, cut out shapes as close to one another as possible. Press the scraps together, roll them out, and cut out more cookies. Arrange the cookies on the prepared baking sheets and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 20 minutes.

Heat the oven to 300 degrees. Bake the cookies until the tops look dry and the color has darkened slightly, 30 to 60 minutes depending on how golden you like them. For the most even baking, swap the position of the baking sheets and rotate them. Let the cookies cool on a rack before dipping them.

To dip cookies, set a sheet of parchment or waxed paper on a work surface. Put the chocolate and shortening in a small heatproof bowl and set the bowl over a pan of simmering water. Melt the chocolate, stirring, until smooth and warm; don't let it get hot. Dip half of each cookie into the chocolate, set on the parchment, and let cool at room temperature, about 2 hours.

Makes about 84 11/2 inch heart-shaped cookies.

-- Adapted from "Absolutely Chocolate: Irresistible Excuses to Indulge" from the Editors of Fine Cooking (Taunton Press, $29.95)

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