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Your results can only be as good as the ingredients you use, so be picky.
Use the very best-quality chocolate you can find. Before you buy something familiar in the baking section of your grocery store, look in the imported foods and deli sections of the store. Then do a taste test. You’ll be shocked at how different the flavor and texture can be.
Likewise, use a real vanilla bean instead of vanilla extract, or at least use the best vanilla extract you can get. The same goes for cinnamon, and consider grating or grinding your own so it’s fresh. These key ingredients, used in small quantities to achieve big results, may be old and stale if they have been sitting on the shelf for a long time. The best may cost a little more, but it makes all the difference.
I happen to prefer Callebaut chocolate, which is usually available in the deli section of my local grocery store. They make white, milk, and dark chocolate that you can buy in big chunks that have been chiseled off a huge brick. It is simply “to die for.” There are lots of other gourmet brands that are fantastic too. Most of these can be ordered via the internet if you don’t have a local specialty foods store.