Chocolate Covered Cinnamon Almonds
Californian almonds, caramelised to release the flavours and add a touch of sweetness, covered in 40% milk chocolate flavoured with a hint of festive cinnamon and presented in a smart tin – Hotel Chocolat’s Cinnamon Chocolate Almonds.
From experience I always imagine chocolate covered almonds or even sugar coated almonds, for that matter, to be a little bit dull and the almond inside to be a little moist and chewy, but as it turns out not all almonds are created equal and I was more than pleasantly surprised by Hotel Chocolat’s offering.
The almonds themselves have a wonderful texture, having been caramelised they have a richer darker colour and are delightfully crisp with a satisfying crunch, with an enhanced flavour not what was I was expecting at all.
The cinnamon in the milk chocolate gives the chocolate covered almonds a delightful smell which escapes each time you open the tin; warming, welcoming and very tempting, the cinnamon flavour is subtle against the 49% cocoa but does add a richness and depth to the chocolate.
Combined together the two are simply charming; a thick layer of milk chocolate with the mild spice of cinnamon followed by the sweetness of the sugar and finally the satisfying crunch of the nut inside.
Little moan: although I do like the new tins I think they were probably designed more for the Liquid Chocolat range rather than the enrobed nuts. My main problem with them that the tin is just too big, 250g of chocolate covered almonds only fills half of it, so when you open the tin for the first time it is a little disappointing and make that “ohh” sound, which kind of distracts from the rather special chocolate treats inside.
£10.00, 250g of chocolate covered almonds, in a reusable tin, which are definitely worth trying.
Labelled: Vegetarian, Gluten Free, Alcohol Free
Chocolate Covered Nuts
Also from the Chritsmas range at Hotel Chocolat are the Dark Chocolate Brazil Nuts, in the same style tin.
And from the Selector collection, Dark Chocolate Caramelised Almonds and the chocolate covered selection with chocolate covered hazelnuts, raisins, peanuts, the dark chocolate almonds and a milk version to name but a few.