If you need a reason to eat chocolate—but really, who does?—Jason Andelman gives you this one: to celebrate the inauguration. His chocolate boutique in Arlington, Artisan Confections, started churning out inauguration-themed bonbons yesterday.

The chocolate morsels come in “change” and “hope” motifs, with the words screened on top in ten different languages. William Knight, artist and co-owner of DC’s Biagio Fine Chocolate, came up with the design just last week.

“We’d been talking about doing something for the inauguration since December, but the holidays got in the way,” Andelman says. The pair resurrected the idea a week ago and had the design etched on transfer paper over the weekend; they started dipping the chocolates yesterday. When we talked to Andelman this morning, he’d already sold a box of his new confections.  

The bonbons come in two flavors: pineapple-passionfruit, which features a tart pineapple pâté de fruit and a dark-chocolate-and-passionfruit ganache, and coffee-hazelnut, a coffee-infused milk-chocolate ganache paired with a layer of hazelnut praline. They can be purchased individually for $1.50 or boxed up in quantities ranging from four ($8) to 30 ($46). You can choose your own varieties—say, all coffee-hazelnut—or buy one of the prepackaged nine-piece samplers ($17) with three coffee-hazelnut, three pineapple-passionfruit, and three fleur de sel caramels (salty caramel treats reported to be Obama’s favorite candy).

To cater for a large group, Andelman is also offering a discount on orders of 50 or more chocolates, reducing the per-chocolate price to $1.25. If you’re interested in placing an order, call the store at 703-239-0616 before Saturday—it’s closed Sunday and Tuesday.

Don’t want to drive out to Arlington to taste these inauguration treats? You’re in luck—Biagio Fine Chocolate near Adams Morgan is also selling them.

Earlier:
Obama Treats for Sweet Tooths 
Barack Obama-Inspired Cheese 
Drinking to Victory: The InaugurAle Beer 

>> All Washingtonian.com inauguration coverage

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