Caramel chocolate with whole hazelnuts

Caramel chocolate with whole Langhe hazelnuts

Caramel chocolate with whole hazelnuts from Tastelanghe in Piedmont. A 110-gram bar with 30% whole roasted hazelnuts in a chocolate made with caramelized sugar. The bar is molded into the shape of the Langhe hills.

Caramel chocolate with whole hazelnuts is the sweetest of the four Tastelanghe bars. Thirty percent whole, roasted Piedmont hazelnuts are encased in a caramel chocolate made of cocoa butter, sugar, whole milk powder, and two percent caramelized sugar, rounded off with Bourbon vanilla.

Caramelly, light, with a crunchy counterpoint

Caramelly, milky, toasted: Caramel chocolate is lighter and softer than milk chocolate and features a note of cooked sugar. The roasted Tonda Gentile provides the necessary crunch against this sweetness – without the nut, the bar would quickly be too much of a good thing.

The caramel note comes from real caramelized sugar in the recipe, declared at two percent. It is complemented by Bourbon vanilla from real pods.

In terms of color, it stands out: not brown, but a light beige with a golden tint. Next to the other three bars, it looks like it doesn't quite belong.

Thirty percent whole nuts

The nuts are roasted before molding and placed individually into the warm chocolate. Tastelanghe maintains a thirty percent nut content in all their bars, whether light or dark.

With this variety in particular, the nut does a lot of the heavy lifting: caramel and milk powder are both sweet; without a third note, the bar would be monotonous. The roasted aromas of the hazelnut are that third note.

They grow on 40 hectares in Somano in the Alta Langa. The Quazzo family has been growing hazelnuts there since 1891, now in the fifth generation. In 2018, Alberto Quazzo founded the brand Tastelanghe to refine their own harvest rather than reselling it.

What caramel chocolate actually is

Caramel chocolate is not a distinct type of chocolate, but a light chocolate in which the sugar is caramelized before processing. This gives it its color and the note of burnt sugar without the need for added flavorings.

Because it contains no cocoa powder, it tastes less like chocolate and more like milk and caramel. Those trying it for the first time will likely think of toffee rather than a chocolate bar.

The hills on the bar

The surface mimics the gentle hills of the Langhe, the landscape where the hazelnuts grow. The packaging also incorporates this motif – a lovely detail when unwrapping, making the bar a charming gift.

The most unusual of the four

Among the four bars, this one is the most unconventional. Caramel chocolate is less common in Germany than in Italy and France, and many people here are trying it for the first time.

For a gift, this is an advantage: giving a milk chocolate with nuts is giving something familiar. This bar requires an explanation, and that is usually the better start to a conversation.

Salt and burnt sugar, a surefire pair

It is perfect with an espresso, and it provides a sweet finale after an Italian meal. Coarsely chopped over vanilla ice cream with a pinch of fleur de sel, the caramel note becomes even more pronounced – salt and burnt sugar are a surefire pair.

It pairs beautifully with a glass of Vin Santo in the evening, and in banana bread, it creates a combination you won't soon forget.

You can find more specialties from Tastelanghe made with the same hazelnuts here – hazelnuts in caramel chocolate for snacking, the Tartufo Dolce Caramello truffle, or other chocolates from our range.

Storage

Store in a cool, dry place, between 15 and 18 degrees Celsius. Light chocolates are more sensitive to light and heat than dark ones because they lack the protective cocoa components. It is best to keep the paper on, and this bar doesn't need a long shelf life anyway.