Truffle Fantasy Caramel – 250g

Truffes Fantaisie Caramel with a hint of salt

Mathez Truffes Fantaisie Caramel are French chocolate truffles with salted caramel, dusted in dark cocoa powder and packaged in a red ballotin box. The soft ganache center contains crunchy caramel bits and a fine pinch of salt – sweet, salty, and with a satisfying crunch.

The Truffes Fantaisie Caramel take the powdery original recipe from Chocolat Mathez and refine it with Breton-style salted caramel. Crunchy caramel pieces are incorporated into the soft ganache made from West African cocoa, along with a hint of salt that keeps the sweetness vibrant. The red ballotin contains a bag with 250g of these caramel truffles – they are best enjoyed slightly chilled, when the caramel has a delicate crunch. The red decorative box with its French flair makes you look forward to what's inside from the moment you see it.

Sweet caramel meets a pinch of salt

First comes the soft melt of the ganache, then the crunch of the caramel pieces, and right at the end, the salt makes its appearance.

The salted caramel brings butter and toffee into the mix, while the salt balances it out, taking the edge off the sweetness. This creates that back-and-forth between sweet and salty, soft and crunchy, warm and savory, that makes it hard to stop eating. After the last bite, the salt lingers on the tongue for a moment, like a soft aftertaste. Oh là là, as the French say – and this time, we have to agree.

Breton-style salted caramel

The inspiration is the famous caramel au beurre salé from Brittany, where caramel has traditionally been cooked with salted butter. Mathez translates this specialty into its powdery truffle form.

For these truffles, the original recipe of soft ganache and dark cocoa powder is combined with finely chopped caramel and a trace of salt. The caramel pieces account for about 5 percent – just enough to provide a crunch in every bite without overpowering the ganache. Unlike caramel au beurre salé enjoyed with a spoon, everything here remains firm and crunchy because the caramel is in pieces rather than as a soft cream in the center.

A classic from Anjou, since 1934

The foundation comes from Chocolat Mathez in Châteauneuf-sur-Sarthe in Anjou, where Alaüs Mathez hand-molded the first cocoa truffle in 1934.

Over the decades, many varieties have been added to the pure original – in the 1990s, entrepreneur Éric Fischer brought new ideas and select flavor artisans to the company. The caramel variety is now one of the most popular and, like its siblings, travels to over 40 countries. Anyone who has tasted the combination of cocoa, caramel, and salt quickly understands why. The recipe has remained the same over the years; only the tin and the ballotin get a new look every now and then.

With espresso and as a gift

Caramel and salt are particularly well-complemented by a strong espresso or a milk coffee, as the roasted notes pick up on the toffee. The caramel truffles also pair beautifully alongside a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a glass of cider. The red ballotin also makes them a lovely gift when you don’t want to arrive empty-handed.

If you prefer it pure, you can find the Original without caramel in the gold ballotin; things get fruity with the Cointreau variety, and all types can be found under the Mathez chocolate truffles. One last note: the truffles are heat-sensitive and only ship at temperatures up to 20 degrees Celsius – in summer, it is better to choose chilled express shipping.