Chocolate Balls – Brittle – 5 pcs.

Sawade Leaf Brittle Chocolate Balls with a buttery, splintering core

Sawade Leaf Brittle Chocolate Balls are praline spheres with thin layers of almond brittle under a milk chocolate coating. The core crumbles into fine layers when bitten, and at 18 grams, this is the heaviest ball in the Berlin winter series.

Leaf Brittle Chocolate Balls are filled praline spheres from Sawade in Berlin-Reinickendorf, individually wrapped in light green paper and filled with buttery almond brittle. The milk chocolate shell allows the buttery note to shine through, and we pack five in a cellophane bag with a ribbon.

First it splinters, then it melts

The first sound is a dry splintering, coming from the core, not the shell. The brittle breaks apart, flaky and buttery, while the surrounding milk chocolate slowly gives way.

Splintering, melting, caramel—the appeal of this variety lies precisely in that interplay. Anyone familiar with chopped nut brittle will immediately notice that there is no grittiness here; instead, each layer gives way individually. On an Advent plate, this is the first variety to be reached for, because the splintering can even be heard by the person sitting next to you.

The milk chocolate coating is the right choice, as dark chocolate would mask the buttery note with cocoa bitterness. This way, the butter remains at the forefront, followed by the almond sugar, with the milk holding both together. The slightly larger size of the ball also gives the filling room, allowing both textures to be fully appreciated.

Folded until it flakes

For the core, sugar and almonds are melted into a hot mixture, to which fresh butter is added; the difference lies solely in the subsequent handling.

The still-warm mixture is hand-folded until it breaks down into fine layers, which is exactly why it flakes later instead of breaking into chunks. The more evenly it is folded, the thinner the layers become, and the quieter the filling crunches.

Fresh butter is what distinguishes a good brittle from a simple caramel crack, as only butter provides that rounded, slightly salty tone. In Sawade's ingredient list, almonds follow immediately after sugar. Vanilla rounds off the filling without standing out itself.

Moisture is the only enemy

Such a core is sensitive only to moisture, as water turns fine layers into a tough mass. What keeps it crispy is the sealed coating and the paper wrapper, which is why nothing happens to it for months in an unopened bag.

Spin-molded, cooled, filled, wrapped—in this order, each ball leaves Sawade's facility on Wittestraße. The company consciously avoids palm oil, artificial flavorings, and preservatives, and with a filling made from so few basic ingredients, this is immediately noticeable.

There is no alcohol in these balls, so children can join in, and there is no need to ask beforehand. The light green paper between the dark star ends explains itself when seen through the cellophane. A coffee on the side goes well with it, as the salty tone lingers in the mouth afterwards. Store the bag in a cool, dry place, because condensation forms when taking them out of the refrigerator.

The same brittle is available individually as a praline in the Parade gift tin; it is sharper and without the splintering in the Nut Nougat Chocolate Balls. More from Berlin can be found at Sawade Berlin, and more crunchy treats in our Chocolate section.