Indulge in pumpkin spice and everything nice with our autumn-flavoured truffles, batons, hot chocolate and more.

Autumn is the season for golden leaves and warming spices. It’s the perfect time for long walks in the country, followed by a decadent hot chocolate. And for indulging in treats like our autumn chocolate collection.

We love autumn at Hotel Chocolat. We translate the crispness of leaves underfoot and the scent of spices in the air into flavour combinations that epitomise the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness.

So why not pull on a brightly coloured sweater, settle down in front of a cosy fire, and learn more about our autumn-infused truffles and Batons.

What are the flavours of autumn — and why?

Think of autumn, and your imagination conjures up a rich seasonal palette. Hot orange pumpkins, rosy red apples and golden leaves. So, how do we capture autumn as a flavour? By taking inspiration from those classic colours in golden caramel, rich brown spices and vibrant orange citrus. We then transform them into our favourite things, like our crisp Apple Strudel Selector.

Best of all, chocolate is the perfect vehicle for fragrant autumnal spices. The fruity, bitter notes of our high cacao content chocolate love to cosy up to warming, fiery ginger. A sweet, fragrant cinnamon stick is the perfect stirrer for a spicy hot chocolate. And who doesn’t love the smoky richness of maple syrup drizzled over a stack of chocolate-chip pancakes?

Autumn flavours are all about comfort—the feeling of a warm hug on a miserable rainy day. We crave nostalgic and familiar treats. Brimming with spices that transport us to sunnier destinations. Or oozing with indulgent caramel and toffee flavours that trigger all our pleasure centres. And we’re inspired to create autumn chocolate that’s exciting, indulgent and showcases our love for ethical high-percentage cacao.

We’ve delved deeper into the autumn flavour palette to discover why we love sugar, spice, and everything nice at this time of year.

Pumpkin spice

You can set your calendar by the arrival of pumpkin spice everything in September. As the leaves start to turn and fall, it’s a safe bet that we’ll be cosying up to lattes and hot chocolates flavoured with these aromatic spices.

This blend of nutmeg, cloves, ginger, cinnamon and allspice was first commercialised in 1934 for use in pumpkin pies. But it’s not the flavour that has us hooked. It’s the smell. The sweet aroma of nostalgia is captured in that spice blend, and we get warm and fuzzy feels when we catch a whiff.

In the UK, we mainly associate these spices with Christmas. So, there’s no wonder the scent of pumpkin spice triggers positive feelings. Indulge in our Pumpkin Spice Hot Chocolate Sachets, and you’ll enjoy all the comforting and authentic flavours of spice and caramel wrapped up in a hefty dose of happiness.

Ginger

Ginger is one of the most versatile spices around. It’s equally at home in sweet and savoury dishes. And it’s a delicious addition to tea and hot chocolate. But its sweet pepperiness comes into its own in autumn, spicing up warming curries and baked into gingerbread treats.

Virtually everything benefits from a dose of spicy ginger, from cookies to stews. We love to nibble on a piece of Dark Chocolate Covered Ginger, enjoying the interplay of the bitter spice notes in the rich cacao with the warm, citrusy zing of the ginger.

Looking for a sophisticated mouthful? Enjoy the gentle tingle of ground spice in our Dark Ginger Truffles. The combination of acerbic yet aromatic 85% cacao with the zesty kick of ginger is hard to beat.

Cinnamon

Is there a more iconic autumnal spice than cinnamon? Sweet, spicy, woody and earthy, cinnamon appeals to all our senses. This uniquely fragrant spice comes from a Sri Lankan evergreen. Tender shoots are polished, stretched, and finally hand-rolled to create the familiar sticks or quills.

Once as precious as gold, cinnamon was the first spice traded to Europe. It soon graced the banquet tables of kings and nobles and was used in Egyptian embalming rituals. Today, over 30,000 tons are harvested annually, and its subtle warmth and earthy tones are synonymous with the autumnal vibe.

Come the fall, the scent of cinnamon is ubiquitous. Because who doesn’t love a cinnamon bun or homemade apple pie? It’s also front and centre in any pumpkin spice mix, but don’t discount its sweet-spice tang in your savoury dishes. A Mexican chicken mole is the ideal dish to let aromatic cinnamon and our 90% Dark Chocolate Slab show off their rich complexity.

Maple

New England in the fall is a breathtaking sight, with thousands of acres of flamingo-pink sugar maples. Autumn is peak harvesting time for the sap of the Acer saccharum.

It takes eight gallons of sap to create just one gallon of sugary-smokey maple syrup goodness. The water content is boiled away to concentrate that unique flavour with hints of woodsmoke, toffee and caramel. You might detect hints of bitter black coffee, olive oil, cinnamon or hazelnut, depending on the grade.

With such a broad flavour spectrum, maple syrup and chocolate are a perfect autumn match. We pair the toasted pecans with mellow maple syrup for our indulgent, limited edition Maple & Pecan Hot Chocolate Sachets.

Salted Caramel

The deep, rich savour of golden caramel. The tingle of sea salt. Something about crisp, chilly autumn days makes us crave salted caramel. If you’re tired of spice, this unctuous sauce is on standby to enliven anything from brownies to apple tarts.

Appreciate salted caramel the Velvetiser way with our Salted Caramel Drinking Chocolate. Never too sweet, it’s a decadent blend of creamy caramel and tangy sea salt with our finest cacao—the perfect autumn hot chocolate for curling up with on a blustery day.

Autumn chocolate and Halloween treats: A match made in heaven

It’s impossible to talk about autumn chocolate without mentioning Halloween treats. The kids can trick or treat in style with Crytopher the Vampire and Carvin the Pumpkin. These creepy characters feature pop-up surprise boxes loaded with spooky high cacao milk chocolate nibbles.

Adults can celebrate with our Happy Halloween H-Box. This hair-raising collection of Hotel Chocolat classics and Halloween specialities is loaded with flavour. We dare you to crunch your way through a peanut praline Spooky Spider. Or bite into the Petrifying Pumpkin with his wickedly tangy salty caramel filling.

Our favourite autumn chocolate gifts

What could be better than gifting indulgent chocolate as the days get shorter and the weather turns colder? Our high cacao-content treats are sure to raise the spirits. So, we’ll help you banish the gloom with our spice and caramel-infused autumn chocolate collections.

We love to snuggle up with the Serious Dark Fix Sleekster as the nights draw in. Open the lid, and you’ll be overwhelmed by the aroma of our high cacao, low-sugar chocolate. Complex, fruity and bitter, we’ve added the warming spice of ginger and the delicate kick of chilli to create a taste of autumn. Even the colour palette matches the season with pops of hot orange and soothing gold.

Looking for more of a creamy chocolate cuddle? The Everything Sleekster Luxe is a box of delights for pure seasonal indulgence, brimming with batons and truffles. Or dive into the mellow comfort of the Milk to Caramel Sleekster, overflowing with blissful bites.

If you’re celebrating Diwali, the Mellow Baton Library is alive with rich autumnal flavours of caramel and cream. And with their moreish ginger snap, our Dozen Chocolate Gingerbread Men will bring a smile to anyone’s face.

Get cosy with autumnal hot chocolates

High-quality chocolate is an indulgence at any time of year. But this is the time of year when autumn hot chocolate really comes into its own. Is there anything better than cradling a mug of Velvetised hot chocolate? Just wrap yourself in a comfy blanket and add your favourite book or movie for seasonal perfection.

Halloween trick or treats are fun. And pumpkin spice lattes are now an annual obsession. But we’re always on the lookout for the perfect autumn hot chocolate recipe. And if you haven’t treated yourself to a Velvetiser yet, now could be the time to add one to your Christmas list. Because nothing beats starting the day with perfect barista-grade hot chocolate when it’s foggy outside.

The best autumn hot chocolate varieties

So, what are the most crave-worthy autumn hot chocolate recipes? Inspired by the season, these are the iconic flavours you’ll want to indulge in this fall.

Salted Caramel & Clementine

What could be better than the warm embrace of salted caramel with a refreshing pop of citrus? Our Salted Caramel & Clementine Hot Chocolate is our spin on the timeless pairing of chocolate and orange. And it delivers the perfect balance of cacao, caramel and citrus. Drink throughout autumn with a dash of Salted Caramel & Clementine Velvetised Chocolate Cream, and you’ll feel like all your Christmases have come at once.

Ginger

Spicy and intense, the perfect blend of 70% cacao and tongue-tickling ginger in our Ginger Hot Chocolate is a grown-up treat. Velvetise with plant milk for a vegan or lactose-intolerant treat. Or, for a more intense punch of ginger, use spring water. If you spend those long autumn evenings dreaming of sunkissed destinations, this is the mug for you.

Pumpkin Spice

Our indulgent autumn Pumpkin Spice Hot Chocolate recipe elevates this iconic treat. First, you’ll notice all the familiar spice notes of cinnamon and ginger. Then, the deep cacao notes of our caramel milk chocolate shine through. It’s a chocolatier’s spin on a traditional seasonal treat that hits all the notes of comfort and indulgence.

Maple & Pecan

Another classic combination of autumnal flavours given the Hotel Chocolat twist. Our Maple & Pecan Hot Chocolate Sachets are creamy and nutty with indulgent notes of caramel and maple. Built on a base of our 40% Milk Chocolate, this satisfying drink is decadent yet not too sweet, with a nuanced flavour profile.

Elevate your hot chocolate with seasonal toppings

Autumn hot chocolate isn’t the real deal without some seasonal toppings. So add the finishing touch with these autumn hot chocolate recipe ideas.

Marshmallows and fresh pumpkin spices

Blend your own seasonal mix with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and allspice. Or add a sprinkle of freshly grated ginger over mini marshmallows for a punch of flavour. Then, pop in a cinnamon stick stirrer for the perfect finish.

Serve with a Sleekster or Selector

Our high cacao recipes add an extra dimension to your mug. We love the contrast of melt-in-your-mouth high cacao butter White Chocolate Blondies with intense ginger.

Scatter fallen leaves

Draw leaf outlines on a piece of baking parchment and then flood them with melted Batons or Slabs of your choice. If you’re feeling creative, mix different chocolates or pipe a lacy pattern to fill the outline. Then sprinkle over your hot chocolate and wait for the applause.

Add a flavour bomb

First, add a scoop of your favourite ice cream. Then pop an autumn truffle on top and enjoy a surprising and indulgent mouthful as your flavour bomb melts.

Embrace autumn flavours with Hotel Chocolat

At Hotel Chocolat, we love autumn. It’s definitely the season for cosy indulgence and quiet luxury. And we hope you enjoy exploring our fall-infused chocolates and hot chocolate recipes as much as we enjoy creating them.

So get ready to snuggle up and treat yourself to caramel and spice-infused chocolate goodness this autumn.