Chocolate-covered almonds in white chocolate

White chocolate covered almonds by Marlona from Olèrdola

Marlona's white chocolate covered almonds are caramelized Mediterranean almonds in creamy white chocolate, refined with a roasted hazelnut and almond praline and dusted with cocoa on the outside. On the cream-white box, they are simply called Praliné.

White chocolate covered almonds are the mild variety in the Marlona Classic line by Marlona from the Penedès region near Barcelona. The light coating lies beneath a veil of cocoa, which is why the dragees are matte brown on the outside and only reveal their interior when bitten into. Eighty grams fit into the flat box and just as easily into any coat pocket.

Mild, creamy, and containing hazelnut

White chocolate melts more softly than dark chocolate because it consists almost entirely of cocoa butter, milk, and sugar, lacking cocoa mass and therefore any bitterness. This gives the caramelized almond significantly more space, allowing it to stand out much more clearly than it would under a strong coating. Out of all three varieties, this is the sweetest by comparison.

Because cocoa butter softens at body temperature, the light coating melts faster when eaten than a dark one, releasing the core sooner. The caramelized crust underneath the coating remains clearly detectable, however.

The incorporated praline made of roasted hazelnuts and almonds adds a warm nutty note underneath that binds the light melt together. With the tart cocoa on the outside, a well-rounded, light flavor is created without any sharp transitions, making this variety the calmest of the three characters. If you have children at the coffee table, this is the one that will be most popular.

Cocoa butter requires a cool hand

White chocolate is the most sensitive of the three coatings, as it contains a high amount of cocoa butter and little else, meaning it does not forgive any excess heat in the kettle. If it is applied at too high a temperature, it loses its melt-in-the-mouth quality and becomes grainy, which would be immediately noticeable.

It therefore demands more attention than any other coating in the workshop, and it is applied in thinner layers in the kettle than a dark couverture to ensure there is enough time for it to harden between layers.

For this reason, the panning process takes longer for this variety than for its dark siblings, and cooler air is used in the obrador (workshop) so that each layer hardens cleanly. The soft, almost creamy melt in the mouth is ultimately the result of this patience. This variety also prefers to be stored in a cool place rather than a warm one.

Why they are brown on the outside

Those expecting a snow-white praline might be surprised when opening the box, as this variety is also finished with a dusting of cocoa powder, leaving them matte brown. It is only when you bite into them that the light coating underneath is revealed, and the tart dust balances the sweetness exactly where it is needed. In this case, the exterior color tells you nothing about the contents.

Things get bolder with the dark variety and saltier with the almonds with salted caramel, while this one remains the most understated. For a quiet afternoon, this is exactly the right choice. All three come from the same workshop in Penedès and can be found among our chocolate-covered nuts and fruits.

Paired with black tea, fresh berries, or a glass of Cava, they make a subtle dessert that doesn't steal the show from anyone. They work just as well alongside figs and grapes on a dessert plate. That is exactly where their charm lies.