What Chocolates Go Best With Your Christmas Flavours?

One of the most anticipated times of the year is approaching – Christmas – and chocolate and other cocoa derivatives are beginning to take on greater relevance in the market. Although any time is ideal for enjoying chocolate, it is clear that family and friends gatherings become an essential factor for its consumption in the winter cold.

Since 2020 there has been a growing trend in confectionery chocolate products in the UK in November and December. The category with the largest share is chocolate blocks, which include conventional bars. (Innovate Market Insights)

Why do we eat chocolate at Christmas?

Chocolate is a treat consumed throughout the year in different flavours and presentations. However, there are chocolate products that are more related to Christmas, such as truffles, chocolate nougat or the well-known Christmas log (bûche de Nöel), which emerged in the 19th century. It has a chocolate glaze and was served as a dessert at Christmas dinner. This dessert was created alluding to the firewood log families used to make fires in homes to keep warm in the winter.

On the other hand, chocolate was perceived as a precious and expensive commodity, so its consumption was reserved for special occasions such as Christmas.

We show you some ideas of how to satisfy your customers' needs, mixing our chocolates as ingredients with your classic Christmas confectionery flavours to create the perfect products for this season.

ORANGE FLAVOR

The orange is present in many desserts and sweets typical of this time. Several preparations mix the acidity of orange with chocolate to create flavour contrasts. We recommend our Palenque 70% dark chocolate couverture for dark chocolate lovers, as this chocolate has a perfect balance between smooth and fruity notes and the bitter toasted notes provided by cocoa from northern Colombia or our Macondo 60% if you like more sweet tones. Try them in chocolate bars with orange inclusions or candied orange covered in chocolate.

CARAMEL FLAVOUR

Neither caramel nor chocolate can be missing in a sweet season like Christmas, and together they make an unmissable combination! These flavours are in great demand in the market as it brings back childhood memories for many consumers evoking feelings of nostalgia and familiarity.

With our new Caramel 33% milk chocolate couverture, you can never go wrong. This chocolate perfectly balances milk and sweet notes with characteristic notes of caramel and a delicate creaminess. Create the most indulgent recipes, such as caramel-filled chocolates with a touch of salt, to satisfy your customers' needs. 

Dare to create! The versatility of this chocolate couverture allows it to be used for most confectionery, enrobing, moulding, and pastry products. 

GINGER FLAVOR

Ginger is a very traditional flavour of this time. You can find it in cookie recipes and more, but it has finally met chocolate, and they are the perfect duo! These two flavours complement each other very well, combining ginger's spiciness and chocolate's sweetness.

Try mixing our Maranta 61% dark chocolate couverture with the flavour of ginger and walnuts to create delicious bars perfect for the Christmas season. This couverture is ideal due to its citrus and herbal notes, as well as soft acid tones creating the perfect combination of sweet notes and the typical flavours of chocolate. Our dark chocolate 58% Misterio is also an excellent option for its smooth texture and mouthfeel.

HAZELNUT AND ALMOND FLAVOR

For this season, nuts such as hazelnuts and almonds are a must-have in your products. They are present in chocolates, bars, and dragées. The best thing is that they go well with endless types of chocolates from our portfolio. We recommend using Caribe 45% Milk Chocolate which has a perfect balance between intense cocoa notes and a smooth caramel flavour. If you want healthier options, you can use sugar-free chocolate couvertures, or our plant-based chocolate Oat Milk 43%.

FLAVOR OF TRADITION

For the coldest Christmases, a must-have is hot chocolate accompanied by some cookies. Our line of baking products is perfect for this, as its versatility allows it to be used to make drinking chocolate or bake something delicious.

This line includes chips and sticks made with Misterio 58% dark chocolate, chocolate with sweet floral notes, and a smooth texture.

To achieve a perfect hot chocolate, place a 58% Misterio stick or 3 tablespoons of Misterio 58% chocolate chips in a cup with hot milk or a non-dairy beverage, and stir until the chocolate is completely melted and blended with the milk. Garnish with whipped cream, marshmallows, or our dark chocolate covered nibs.

If you want to flavor your hot chocolate you can add spices and extracts, for example, peppermint extract that goes perfectly with our dark chocolate chips.