Ah, Christmas time. A time of love, a time of cheer. A time to eat our bodyweight in chocolate. And what’s Christmas without chocolate?
Every year, we find the classic chocolate bars in our stockings or given as gifts; Lindt chocolate reindeer, Cadbury Selection Boxes, chocolate coins. How about this year we spice things up? Instead of the usual, why not create a chocolate hamper or selection of unique, handpicked chocolates?
Just like the 12 days of Christmas, we’re bringing you 12 unique Christmas and seasonal chocolates that’ll put a smile on any loved one’s face. Forget your partridge in a pear tree, these chocolates will be at the top of everybody’s list.
On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…
12. Mexico Aztec Spice - Chocolate Tree
We’re kicking off this list with a zinger. Mexico Aztec Spice is, hands-down, one of the most interesting chocolates on this list. This chocolate is made the traditional Aztec way of incorporating sugar into the chocolate at the end of the process, rather than during. This leads to crunchy crystals of sugar adding an incredible texture to the chocolate, as well as the warming festive spice of cinnamon, and a hint of chilli to warm you up.
Category: 70% dark chocolate
Tasting Notes: picture a decadent cinnamon hot chocolate
For fans of: cinnamon rolls, unique textures, zingy but comforting flavours
11. Scots Pine - Charlotte Flower
Have you ever wanted to taste your Christmas tree? Neither have we, but maybe we’ll give it a nibble this year after tasting this Scots Pine chocolate. This chocolate is flavoured using shoots of the evergreen Christmas tree. Full of fruity, floral notes, this chocolate is delicate and subtle, with a uniquely festive flavour you’ll not find elsewhere.
Category: 66% dark chocolate
Tasting Notes: oddly, strawberry jam, alongside floral woody notes
For fans of: Turkish delight, pine-scented car air fresheners
10. Mint Caramel - Kernow
A strange pairing when first considered, but mint Caramel Milk chocolate is anything but weird. The mint provides a refreshing zip to the chocolate enhanced with the vanilla creaminess of the caramel. It’s like eating a candy cane alongside your favourite fudge. Pure decadence!
Category: 35% milk chocolate
Tasting Notes: sweet caramel with a hint of zippy mint
For fans of: candy canes, After Eights, Lindt mint Lindor
9. Black Forest - Montezuma
The German classic, deep rich chocolate with a dark cherry flavour, fits right into the holiday season. And turns out those flavours work great in chocolate too. Montezuma’s Black Forest bar puts cherry front and centre.
Category: 70% dark chocolate
Tasting Notes: black forest gateau, of course, but deep cherry flavour. Dark in all the right ways.
For fans of: marzipan, deep rich flavours, amaretto
8. Winterspice - Chocolate Tree
When you think of the holiday season, what probably comes to mind are the spices and flavours usually associated with it. These include cinnamon, clove, aniseed and nutmeg, all of which this chocolate contains. It’s as if Chocolate tree has distilled Christmas down into a single flavour and turned it into chocolate. Highly recommend it.
Category: 70% dark chocolate
Tasting Notes: richly spiced, alongside orange and lemon undertones
For fans of: Christmas, we’re not kidding
7. Dundee Cake - Quirky
The adored Scottish fruitcake is a great pick for the festive season. Full of fruity flavours like cherry and sultana, you can’t go wrong with this chocolate. And since we’re on the topic of Scottish delicacies, why not pair the cake with some delicious cranachan?
Category: 33.6% milk chocolate
Tasting Notes: almond, dried fruits
For fans of: well, the ubiquitous Dundee cake, and any lover of a classic Christmas fruitcake.
6. Ginger Biscuit - Choc Society
Who doesn’t love festive and cute gingerbread men? These little biscuit people are as cute as they are delicious. This chocolate is a recreation of the fiery ginger biscuit flavour, alongside crunchy biscuit and the caramelly taste of blonde chocolate.
Category: 35% caramelised white (blonde) chocolate
Tasting Notes: cinnamon, punchy ginger, biscuit-ty
For fans of: gingerbread men, ginger nuts
5. Cinnamon Toasted Cacao Nib - Chocolarder
We’ve already talked at length about cinnamon on this list, but if you’ll indulge us in one more cinnamon-forward chocolate, we promise it’s a good one. Chocolarder’s Cinnamon Toasted Cacao Nib bar is an incredible blend of everyone’s favourite spice alongside the crunchy bite of toasted cacao nibs. The nibs further deepen the complex chocolatey flavour with a dance of gentle warming cinnamon.
Category: 74% dark chocolate
Tasting Notes: well, cinnamon, and roast, toasty nibs
For fans of: anything and everything cinnamon, those who love crunch
4. Candied Ginger - Bullion
Sheffield’s bean-to-bar chocolate maker whipped up a deliciously festive chocolate bar, consisting of 70% cacao with candied stem ginger, giving it a wonderful texture and that warming seasonal spice of ginger.
Category: 70% dark chocolate
Tasting Notes: fiery ginger and the sweetness of sugar
For fans of: chewy textures and spicy tastes
3. Hazelnut & Raisin - Willie’s Cacao
What’s Christmas without a selection of nuts? While we’re partial to Ferrero Rocher, we’re getting our nutty fix this year with Willie’s Hazelnut & Raisin Dark Chocolate. Dark and smooth, this bar marries the perfect combo of chocolate and hazelnut with the complex and chewy addition of raisin, for another level of sweetness!
Category: 70% dark chocolate
Tasting Notes: hazelnut with a satisfying sweet pop of dried fruit
For fans of: fruit cake and Christmas cake, Ferrero Rocher
2. Elderflower - Charlotte Flower
A Scandinavian staple turned global hit, Elderflower is the perfect combo when paired with white chocolate. Bringing a fruity and delicate taste alongside the creamy white chocolate, neither upstages the other.
Category: 34.5% cocoa butter white
Tasting Notes: elderflower, lemon
For fans of: smooth white chocolate and floral flavours, a subtle sweet treat
1. Copper House Pink Gin Raspberry - Harris & James
While not classically a Christmas treat, gin is enjoyed throughout the year, but the festive season is all about boozy celebration. So why not treat yourself to a pink gin-spired white chocolate. Combining the party sensibilities of a bubbly G&T with the creamy sweetness of white chocolate, we’ll cheers to that!
Category: 40% cocoa butter white chocolate
Tasting Notes: tart and sweet, subtle gin flavour
For fans of: gin, complex white chocolate
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