Hotel Chocolat Milk- Free Milk Chocolate
Wednesday 1 April 2015
*disclamer, this chocolate has had a product recall due to the risk of milk, you can return the chocolate to hotel chocolate if needed if you are allergic or not happy with the chocolate!
Easter is fast approaching (this weekend!) and I am eager to suss out more dairy free chocolate options to try and stop me dicing with destiny and just indulging in a Crème Egg Easter egg! I had heard from other dairy free blogs that Hotel Chocolat had launched a range of milk- free milk chocolate, I was more than intrigued. I was at home last weekend, and as there is a Hotel Chocolat there I just thought, why not? I picked up 2 edible 'bunny licks' (very cute and Easter themed) one for me and one for our brother Joey. I also picked up a packet of 'puddles', which are basically just giant buttons!
I was slightly taken aback by the price, I knew the chocolate would be costly (coming from a specialist shop) but I suppose you are paying for the chocolate specialism and the awkwardness of making it dairy free! Each bunny cost £1.95 each, and the packet of puddles cost £5.50. Being the sucker I am for something that might revolutionise my chocolate life I forked out.
The chocolates are made with almond powder instead of milk powder, which I think is a different approach to chocolate than I have seen before, yet excludes nut allergy sufferers from the range. However, the range is completely vegan and vegetarian, which is something to consider! The chocolate also uses sunflower lecithin instead of soya lecithin which may benefit some with allergies.
Chocolate Bunny:
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| bunny lick |
Ingredients:
Cocoa solids (cocoa mass, cocoa butter), sugar, almond powder, emulsifier (sunflower lecithin).
Cocoa solids (cocoa mass, cocoa butter), sugar, almond powder, emulsifier (sunflower lecithin).
Chocolate puddles:
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| Chocolate Puddles |
Ingredients:
Cocoa solids (cocoa mass, cocoa butter), sugar, almond powder, emulsifier (sunflower lecithin).
Cocoa solids (cocoa mass, cocoa butter), sugar, almond powder, emulsifier (sunflower lecithin).
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| Chocolate Puddles |
My thoughts:
As it is before Easter and Joey is getting his on Sunday I can't give you his thoughts, even though knowing him chocolate is chocolate and he won't notice anything different!
The first thing that hit me about these chocolates was that they definitely had a creamy feel in the mouth and tasted immediately like normal chocolate, if not a weaker version. After this had subsided there was a definite fruity undertone to the chocolate, which I would liken to raisins. I liked the fact that they looked completely like normal chocolates as well, unlike some I've had before. Aftera few puddles they definitely start to become a little sickly, which is something I never normally have issues ploughing through! Overall I quite liked these choccies. For me, this is one of the closest chocolates to normal chocolate I have found. I wouldn't mind eating this occasionally as an extravagant (probably payday) treat! The price point does put me off, as I am a student, but I would buy this as a gift for others.
Available within the range was 2 different types of Easter eggs and some mini chocolate bunnies in a pack.
I hope you have found this useful and if you feel a little treat is needed then this is a great range of chocolate!
Happy Baking!
xoxox
