Chocolate Almond Soft Printen

Chocolate Almond Soft Printen from Aachen with Dark Chocolate

The Chocolate Almond Soft Printen from the Klein Printen bakery are soft Aachen Printen beneath a layer of dark chocolate couverture, refined with almonds. Spicy Printen dough, tart chocolate, fine almond crunch – the dark one among Klein's chocolate-coated soft Printen.

The Chocolate Almond Soft Printen from Klein are soft Aachen Printen, coated in dark chocolate and topped with almond slivers. One quarter of each Printen is couverture, supplemented by seven percent almond slivers – tart chocolate meets the spicy, pliable Printen dough. This turns simple chocolate Printen into little Advent pralines.

Dark chocolate on spicy dough

When you take a bite, the dark couverture melts first, then comes the soft Printen dough with its spice notes of cinnamon, clove, and anise, and in the middle, the almond slivers provide a crunch. The tartness of the chocolate and the sweetness of the Printen are perfectly balanced.

Spicy, chocolatey, and nutty, each Printen melts slowly in the mouth. With 25% couverture and 7% almond slivers, these morsels are generously equipped – this is no thin glaze, but a rich coating, as befits a true soft Printen. In the ingredient list, the cocoa mass comes before the sugar, which is why the chocolate tastes tart rather than sweet. The almond slivers add a fine, buttery crunch to the mix that softens the dark tartness.

Kept soft, coated by hand

Soft Printen owe their tenderness to a special humidity chamber where the freshly baked Printen absorb moisture. Only then are they coated with chocolate, which allows them to remain pliable. Beneath the couverture lies authentic Printen dough, sweetened with sugar syrup, rock candy, and brown sugar, and leavened without yeast, using only potash and baking soda. The dough rests for two days before baking so that the spices can release their full aroma – it is this patience that makes the Printen so flavorful.

Since 1997, Aachen Printen have carried the PGI seal and must be produced in the Aachen area – in the city itself and six neighboring municipalities. The 200 g Chocolate Almond Soft Printen are the tart sibling of the Milk Chocolate Almond Soft Printen: same almond slivers, darker chocolate. If you prefer it nuttier, choose the version with hazelnuts.

From the Klein Printen bakery since 1912

In 1912, Peter Klein founded his establishment on Aachen’s Franzstraße, right by the Marschiertor gate. Today, the fourth generation runs the business, with Andreas Klein having every Printen crafted by hand – a house that has done nothing but make Aachen Printen for over 100 years.

Even the chocolate coating remains a craft: Each soft Printen is carefully coated so that the dark mantle covers everything evenly and does not break. Because Klein makes nothing but Printen, every movement is backed by the experience of many decades.

With a strong espresso or filter coffee, the dark chocolate fully brings out its tartness, and the Advent season is its peak time anyway. On a plate with nuts and dried fruits, these dark morsels fit in perfectly, and they make a great little gift for an Advent invitation.

The same dark chocolate is also available at Klein with whole hazelnuts instead of almond slivers, for those who like it even nuttier. The complete assortment from the Klein Printen bakery ranges from hard herb Printen to white nut varieties – a total of seven types for every taste.