Comforting autumn chocolate flavours to try

14 Oct 2022

Chocolate Knowledge

Autumn means golden leaves, cosy nights, and some splendid seasonal flavour combinations. Here are some of our favourite autumn chocolate flavours…

At Hotel Chocolat, we can’t help but see every season as a fresh chance to explore new chocolate flavour combinations. Autumn is no exception, and we adore pairing seasonal chocolate flavours.

Read on for some irresistible inspiration.

Hot chocolate on a blanket surrounded by autumn pumpkins, berries, and spices

Autumnal hot chocolate flavours

What makes a flavour autumnal? With a chilly breeze in the air and crisp leaves underfoot, September to November is the perfect time to embrace warmer notes, hints of spice, and some soothing sweetness.

These are our favourite flavour combinations that combine these quintessentially autumnal qualities.

Chocolate, chilli and cinnamon

We couldn’t get through the colder months of the year without hot chocolate. What’s better than cosying up on the sofa with a creamy, silky smooth drinking chocolare made using our Velvetiser

This being said, we do like to mix things up a little when the weather takes a turn. To combat the rain and cold, a dash of warming chilli and subtly sweet cinnamon spice things up to create a rich, soothing beverage.

Chilli and chocolate is a combination rooted in ancient Mayan culture. It’s easy to understand why these flavours have been enjoyed together throughout the ages. Chocolate provides a delectable, indulgent base, and chilli dials up the heat.

While you can simply add a sprinkle of chilli powder and dried cinnamon to your plain hot chocolate, our Mayan Chilli & Hot Chocolate Sachets perfect the fine balance between spice and sweetness. Expect fiery chilli, soothing cinnamon, and rich dark chocolate.

Close-up: cinnamon sticks and star anise

Pumpkin, ginger, and caramel

Seasonal produce is at the heart of the most scrumptious autumnal cuisine, so enter the beloved pumpkin — the most iconic vegetable of the season. While most people purchase pumpkins for carving into Halloween decorations, their pulp is both nutritious and delicious.

Pumpkin pies and soups make superb use of their sweet and starchy insides However, we’re also big fans of combining it with a touch of spice to make pumpkin spice hot chocolate. In our Spiced Pumpkin Hot Chocolate Sachets, we’ve balanced cacao with cinnamon, ginger, caramel, and pumpkin to create a vibrant and warming drinking chocolate.

When blended with milk in our Velvetiser, these sachets create a mellow and satisfying drinking chocolate. We feel it’s the perfect alternative to a caffeinated pumpkin spiced latte.

For more warming beverage ideas, take a look at our autumnal hot chocolate recipes.

If you’re taken by the idea of having a stash of indulgent hot chocolate flavours on hand throughout autumn, nab our Autumn & Winter Hot Chocolate Selection Box. This will let you enjoy ten mugs of our five most-loved seasonal hot chocolates — from salted caramel and clementine to mince pie.

The best autumn chocolate flavours

We wouldn’t be Hotel Chocolat if we didn’t suggest a few chocolate flavour combinations for you to try. These seasonal treats are ideal for nibbling in front of a film on a night in or sharing with friends as a post-dinner dessert. Our chocolatiers have worked tirelessly to perfect these chocolate bites and truffles. We think they’ve truly captured the taste of autumn.

Dark chocolate-covered ginger

A tub of our Dark Chocolate Covered Ginger contains spicy stem ginger sticks soaked in syrup until tender, then enrobed in 70% dark chocolate. They’re a blissful snack for chocolate lovers who fancy an utterly zingy and satisfying snack.

Dark chocolate ginger truffles

For those who adore the fabulous warmth of ginger but also a richer chocolate experience, we recommend our Dark Chocolate Ginger Truffles. Made with intense 85% dark chocolate and a gentle tingle of ginger, these truffles unite these star ingredients in a simple, sumptuous, and opulent way.

For more spicy delights, explore our entire ginger collection.

Fresh ginger root and ground ginger in a silver jar

Apple strudel chocolate selector

Autumn in the UK sees trees brimming with juicy, ripe apples — which explains why classic desserts like apple crumble and pie are so popular at this time of year. Our chocolatiers decided to work this fragrant fruit into a chocolate bite inspired by the traditional Austrian dish: apple strudel.

Our Apple Strudel Chocolate Selector combines tart apple, earthy walnut, and cinnamon in a milk chocolate cup. Bite into the centre to reveal layers of exquisite autumnal flavours that are enough to make anyone fall in love with the season all over again.

Pecan Danish selector

Staying within the pastry theme, we also need to mention our gorgeous Pecan Danish Selector. Buttery wafer and crushed feuilletine merge with roasted notes of maple, caramel, and pecan. Smooth, comforting — a swirling symphony of textures. These chocolate bites are the epitome of “melt-in-your-mouth”. This is one of our favourite chocolate flavour combinations.

The great thing about our Selectors is that you can mix and match them, giving you the opportunity to try lots of scrumptious autumn chocolate flavours. Why not browse our entire range of chocolate selectors?

Seasonal tipple

Looking for a way to make your favourite alcoholic beverages slightly more seasonal? Why not add a dash of our Salted Caramel Vodka Liqueur to your cocktails? Sumptuous salted caramel elevates an alcohol base to an irresistible level.

For an utterly smooth and creamy finish, try our Salted Caramel Velvetised Chocolate Cream. Serve over ice and be enamoured by notes of dulce de leche.

Hotel Chocolat Velvetised Cream

Autumn chocolate flavours at Hotel Chocolat

We hope you enjoy trying these different chocolate flavour combinations throughout this wonderful season. Whether you’ll be picking up a few of our selectors to give to friends and family or setting up a new Velvetiser to keep you cosy as the nights grow cold, there’s a world of comforting autumn chocolate flavours to explore. To get in the mood for all things autumn, read our article on ten things you didn’t know about autumn.

And, of course, Halloween is just around the corner…

Ready to treat yourself and snuggle up? Let us know which flavour combinations are your favourite by tweeting us @HotelChocolat.