 They had me with three words: France, the South and chocolate. That was before I even received the demo bon bons to review (yeah, life is rough, yo!). When I read the story about how South 'n France chocolate bon bons are a marriage of the flavors of France (where I lived for a year) and the South (where I live now), I was sold. Still, the odds were pretty high that I would be disappointed, what with all my mental hype about the chocolates.
Buy South 'n France Bon Bons
Pros of South 'n France Bon Bons
They taste delicious. It's as simple as that. I was sent the 16-piece sampler tin, which came with a cute and colorful bon bon decoder map. I started, naturally, with the fudge brownie flavor. The chocolate flavor was rich without being overpowering.
 The texture of the filling was light and fluffy, yet denser than I expected. The outer chocolate shell was firm but crumbled easily when I bit into it. The flavor of brownie, as well as the other flavors, was very true to the stated flavor.
In fact, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the Cookies 'n Creme flavor. The name is a little misleading, as its filling was very close in color and taste to the wafer part of an Oreo cookie. I'm usually not that big a fan of Oreos, but found this flavor quite tasty.
The other flavors include coconut, pistachio (pictured), cafe au lait and "peanut buttah." You can buy samplers, or you can buy packages of individual flavors.
Cons of South 'n France Bon Bons
It's hard to find something bad to say about tasty chocolates. The only real complaint I had, and this was entirely a personal preference, was the crunchy peanut chunks in the peanut buttah flavor. Since the rest of the bon bons I tasted beforehand had a smooth interior, I was a bit put off when I put in and found crunchiness. But then I also tend to choose crunchy peanut butter. Certainly someone who likes the buttah crunchy will probably enjoy this flavor.
The other issue, particularly if this is to be given as a gift, is that they arrive packed in ice and should be refrigerated. That can make it a little tougher to hide from, say, mom if it's sitting in the family fridge. It could also make it challenging if you plan to take a roadtrip to visit family (and bring presents).
Bottom Line on South 'N France Bon Bons
I would absolutely recommend these to friends, and very well might buy some as gifts. First of all, I love that these are made by a small business (in my home state, no less). For that reason alone, I would order these over a big company or brand name like Godiva. The chocolates also just have a little personality, with phrases like, "Bonjour y'all," on promotional materials.
The chocolates are also quite reasonably priced for something being handcrafted. They also have some nice gift options, such as gift certificates and a very cool sounding Bon Bon of the Month Club. But one of the best reasons is there is just a cool story behind the chocolates . The best food always has a great story!
Buy South 'n France Chocolate Bon Bons
Photos of bon bons, © Kelby Carr
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