Dairy queen

Not long ago, bittersweet reigned supreme in the world of chocolate. I love intense confections, but sometimes you need more sweet than bitter. Comfortingly, milk chocolate is making a comeback—and not the waxy, candy-bar milk chocolate, but fancy stuff made by makers like Scharffen Berger and Recchiuti. It’s still subject to those snooty percentage numbers on the outside of your bar, but the payoff is a milk chocolate with dulcet caramelly flavors, soft and creamy roundness from the dairy, and a still-intense chocolate punch. I picked up a Scharffen Berger bar at Corti Brothers, studded with crunchy cacao nibs, that I cannot seem to stop eating, but I’ve been seeing other milk bars at Peet’s Coffee & Tea in the area, too. I really want to pick up some homemade-type marshmallows and make some s’mores, but the bars are good by themselves—especially if life has been too much bitter and not enough sweet of late.