But we were the minority opinion. Squeals of delight from kids and adults alike. So: Heres a holiday gift that is way different and sure to please.

Since 1984, Julie and Karleen, the J and K of JK Chocolates, have been creating delicious chocolate sauces. What started as homemade teacher gifts evolved into a business, as people asked to buy them year-round.

Over the years, as word circulated about the chocolate sauce flavors, they subsequently developed Microchip Cookies, teensy weensy little bites. To imagine the Chocolate Chip Microchip, think of a chocolate chip covered in just enough cookie dough to bury the chip. It’s a half inch wide.

We were the minority opinion. Everyone else oohed and ahhed over them.

So there you have it: a gourmet chocolate chip novelty that delights.

But Chocolate Chip isn’t the only Microchip in town. the line includes:

 
You can purchase individual jars or gift sets, the latter packaged in a reusable black gift box with a ribbon and a gift card.

In addition to the single jar option, there are numerous other options, some of which are:

Get yours at JKChocolates.com.

For the person who meditates or does yoga, consider a gift of Sushumna chocolate. This line of “chakra-choc” includes seven flavors that correlate to the seven major energy points (chakras) in the body developed.

Hindus refer to the chakras as the intersections of energy lines. One of them, sushumna, leads to the crown chakra, and is said to be the path to self-realization.

Will these flavored chocolates lead you there? No promises are made, but at 30 calories per tile, anyone can enjoy a tile or two daily to find out.

 
What is the Chakra-Chocolate correlation?

According to the owners, on the chakra Ladder, these energy points are represented by color, emotive and physical attributes. They found natural correlations to these attributes among various nuts, spices, herbs and essences that they then married to chocolate.

The creators describe their chakra-based chocolates:

 
There are gift sets from $15 to $50.

 
Get yours at SushumnaChocolat.com.
  

From Davio’s Manhattan, a terrific steakhouse (across from Grand Central Station at Lexington Avenue and 45th Street), this holiday garnish couldn’t be easier.

Simply wash and dry rosemary sprigs and affix two raspberries or one strawberry at the end. Fresh sprigs of rosemary look like miniature evergreen branches.

Other garnish ideas (match the flavors of the garnish to the flavors of the cocktail):

Cranberries are bright and seasonal but are too bitter to eat. Holly berries should never be used because they are poisonous.

RECIPE: ROSEMARY RASPBERRY MARTINI

Pack the best of the holidays in a martini with muddled fresh rosemary, raspberries and cranberry juice. Berry vodka gives this cocktail an added burst of flavor. Slice a fresh raspberry on a sprig of rosemary for a festive garnish and toast to the season.

Prep time is five minutes.

Ingredients Per Cocktail

A cocktail with lots of holiday spirit. Photo courtesy Driscoll’s.

1. PREPARE the garnish: Remove the needles from the bottom two-thirds of of a rosemary sprig. Save the needles for muddling. Spear 2 raspberries on sprig and set aside.

2. MUDDLE the rosemary leaves and 4 raspberries in a cocktail shaker. Add the lemon juice, simple syrup, cranberry juice and raspberry vodka (available from Absolut, Skyy, Smirnoff and others—or make your own two days in advance). Top with ice and shake vigorously.

3. STRAIN into a chilled cocktail glass, garnish and serve.

A hearty approach to deviled eggs: Top them with barbecue! (photo © Byron’s BBQ)

Whether you’re at the stadium or on the couch, the recipe works for any game day: BBQ-Topped Deviled Eggs.

Byron’s BBQ is frozen after cooking, to lock in freshness without the need for extra preservatives. The pork shoulder is hickory-smoked for hours, then hand-pulled off the bone and sauced. To prepare it, simply thaw and heat in an oven, on a grill or in a slow cooker.

You can find Byron’s BBQ at Sam’s Club locations nationwide for less than $15 per 4 pound tray. It’s a great deal for large family gatherings or parties.

You use less than a pound to make the deviled eggs, so there’s plenty of barbecue left for pulled pork pizza, tacos, tostadas, salads, sandwiches, scrambles, sliders, quesadillas and wraps. When you only have a bit left, use it to fill baked potatoes.

Ingredients For 24 Halves

Preparation

1. HEAT the roast according to package directions and keep warm.

2. CUT the hard-boiled eggs in half lengthwise and transfer all the yolks into a small mixing bowl. Set the egg whites aside.

3. ADD the mayonnaise and mustard to the egg yolks and mash with a fork until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spoon some egg yolk mixture into each egg white. Top each with barbecue and garnish with chives. Serve immediately.
 
 
ABOUT BYRON’S BBQ

Byron’s has been making authentic American barbecue since 1957, when Byron Charleton started selling the homemade BBQ recipe that made him famous in his hometown for years.

Learn more at ByronsBBQ.com.
 
 
BARBECUE, BARBEQUE OR BBQ?

Readers often ask us about the correct spelling: Is it barbecue, barbeque bar-b-que or BBQ? The answer is that barbecue and barbeque are alternative spellings, and BBQ is the abbreviation. We chose to use “barbecue” instead of “barbeque” in THE NIBBLE because more of the professional barbecue groups use that spelling.

The word “barbecue” comes from the Haitian Arawakan word “barbacoa,” meaning “framework of sticks.” It refers to a raised wooden structure used to either sleep on or cure meat.
  

Two favorite flavors together: Dijon mustard
and balsamic vinegar. Photo by Hannah
Kaminsky | THE NIBBLE.

Often, the nicest gift you can bring to a party or dinner hosted by a foodie is something knew he or she probably hasn’t tried.

We nominate Maille’s new Honey Dijon Mustard with Balsamic Vinegar of Modena. Together, the two classic flavors create a flavorful yet mellow blend that’s not quite as sharp as classic Dijon mustard. At 10 calories per teaspoon, it’s low in calories and high on flavor.

We love basic Dijon mustard, but it’s that much special—similar to Edmond Fallot Gingerbread Mustard we wrote about recently.

As you might imagine, there are countless ways you can use fine mustard to enhance almost anything on your plate.

The product, which is a medium brown color as opposed to conventional yellow Dijon, just arrived in the U.S. Until recently, it has only been available at Maille’s European boutiques in Dijon, Paris and London.

Get yours online at MyBrands.com for $9.89 per jar (7.9 oz/225g).

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

 
You can find lots of recipes on Maille.us. Although we haven’t tried it, there’s a recipe for carrot cake that uses Dijon mustard!

RECIPE: BALSAMIC MUSTARD & CRANBERRY SAUCE

Combine the sweetness of balsamic with the balance of mustard in this new twist on homemade cranberry sauce. The cranberry sauce can be made up to five days in advance.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE all ingredients in a small saucepan and heat over medium-low heat to a simmer.

2. REDUCE the heat to low and stir occasionally until the cranberries have broken down and the mixture is thick and sauce-like, about 20-25 minutes.

3. REMOVE from the heat and cool completely before serving.

Cranberry sauce with balsamic Dijon mustard. Photo courtesy Maille.

FOOD TRIVIA

The Romans were probably the first to experiment with the preparation of mustard as a condiment. They mixed unfermented grape juice, known as must, with ground mustard seeds (called sinapis) to make burning must, mustum ardens in Latin. Hence, the name must ard.

 
ABOUT MAILLE

Founded in 1747 by Antoine Maille in Dijon, France, La Maison Maille stepped into history when the refined recipes first caught the attention of King Louis XV of France, becoming his official supplier of vinegar and mustard. Soon other European Royal Courts, including those of Russia, Prussia, Austria and Hungary, followed suit and granted Maille this significant honor.

Maille is the leading producer of premium mustard, vinegar and cornichons in France and the number one brand of imported mustard in the U.S. Maille Honey Balsamic joins the brand’s U.S. imports, which include Dijon Originale, Old-Style (À La Ancienne), Honey Dijon, Horseradish and Rich Country mustards, plus Dijonnaise and Cornichons.