Most often, my best ideas come to me during my sleep. When conjuring up a Valentine’s-themed recipe, I thought, why not make a fun assortment of treats rather than just choosing one? There is no better way to share this assortment of treats than over a charcuterie board for Valentine’s or Galentine’s with your friends.

To keep with the Valentine’s theme, I opted for the usual, classic charcuterie board assortments — fruits, cheese and spreads. As for the chocolate aspect, most of us are fond of the classic chocolate truffles or chocolate-covered strawberries year-round, but what if we wanted to spice this board with some unconventional chocolate pairings?

Here are a few ideas to elevate your classic charcuterie board with chocolate and unusual pairings just in time for the holiday. Whether you are a culinary adventurer looking to create unique treats at home or are searching for uncommon chocolate goods, I have got you covered.

The base of this board includes whipped feta (a must-try) topped with olive oil, sumac and pomegranate seeds, brie (not pictured), an assortment of fruit, Valentine’s-themed snacks from Trader Joe’s and homemade raspberry-date chocolate truffles — made by me, of course. Yes, I found this recipe on Instagram reels and what about it?

Dark chocolate pairings

I will not lie to you, this was probably my favorite pairing on the board — dark chocolate and kalamata olives (unfortunately not pictured). For that matter, anything briney — even pickles paired well. Frankly, it sounds ridiculous, but don’t knock it until you try it. But don’t take my word for it, even The Food Network says so. As for many things, the key is balance, sweet and salty.

An even better pairing I created on my own — dark chocolate and parmesan cheese. Now for this, you must have a good quality block of parmesan. I had one from Whole Foods and I feel like it’s the best money can buy in Madison.

Milk chocolate pairing

Circling back to those raspberry-date chocolate truffles mentioned earlier, chocolate and fruit isn’t that unconventional of a pairing, but it’s certainly not to be missed. I pretty much followed this recipe exactly from the IG reel and I thoroughly enjoyed the tart raspberry and sweet milk chocolate combo.

If you’re feeling adventurous and want to make something this Valentine’s Day, I would highly suggest trying your hand at these truffles!

White chocolate pairing

Fortunately for my well-being, I dislike white chocolate, so I opted to keep it off my charcuterie board. Though, when I was researching unconventional chocolate pairings, The Food Network suggested smoked gouda as a good pairing for white chocolate. This sounds even more absurd to me than the dark chocolate and pickles. But please, if you are braver than I am, go ahead and give this one a try.

Interesting chocolate assortments

If you’re not brave enough to be adventurous in the kitchen, it’s okay, we all have our downfalls somewhere. I did, though, do the work for you and found some interesting chocolate assortments online that I think would make for a fun-tasting night.

First up, how about these handmade booze chocolate truffles? I can only imagine they taste as good as they look.

Or perhaps chocolate-spiced truffles? The rosemary and mint and sweet basil truffles certainly piqued my interest.

This is certainly not an interesting assortment, but if you still have not tried the viral Dubai chocolate bar trend, what are you doing? Lucky for you this sampler pack is your perfect opportunity while making a fun addition to your charcuterie board.

If you are planning on hosting a festive Valentine’s gathering this weekend, I hope you found some inspiration from this article or even a new favorite chocolate pairing.