San Diego | retail shop | Seattle | Sugar Rush Littleton

Bitter about the country’s ongoing economic woes? Some news to sweeten your mood: According to recent studies, candy and chocolate have both proved to be recession-resistant, and sales of each are even expected to rise in 2010. With America’s insatiable appetite for gourmet goods, it’s no wonder that small-scale specialty confectioners are also thriving. To indulge, try the following:

Sucré
New Orleans
Specialties like candied Southern pecans and dark-chocolate-dipped macaroons filled with milk chocolate caramel ganache make this Big Easy boutique a must-try. www.shopsucre.com

The Chocolate Room
Brooklyn, N.Y.
Pair handmade confections like the Keiko, a peppercorn-topped raspberry ganache truffle, with a French apéritif in-house, and then take a box of peanut butter truffles to go. www.thechocolateroombrooklyn.com

Hooker’s Sweet Treats
San Francisco
Though a retail shop is in the works, for now you’ll have to hunt out these divine sea-salted, chocolate-dipped caramels at shops around San Fran. www.hookers sweettreats.com

Chocomize.com
This online-only customizer lets you select white, milk or dark Belgian chocolate and a handful of more than 90 ingredients — everything from sour cherries to Skittles to candied rose petals — to create a signature bar that will be delivered to your door. www.chocomize.com

---

A Few More

Curio Confections
Seattle
www.curioconfections.com

Eclipse Chocolat
San Diego
www.eclipsechocolat.com

Lola’s Sugar Rush
Littleton, Colo.
www.sugarrushonmain.com

AW Exclusive! To get a 10% discount on your Chocomize.com purchase, just enter “American Airlines” into the coupon section at checkout. Offer ends June 15, 2010.