Which nuts go best with chocolate?

6 Nov 2020

Chocolate Knowledge

Why limit yourself to hazelnuts or peanuts when there are so many other irresistible options…

When it comes to tasty combinations, nothing quite beats the satisfying crunch of nuts paired with the smooth deliciousness of chocolate, does it? In the world of confectionery, nuts and chocolate are soulmates and our love for them has endured. Nut chocolate has proved itself a popular choice for chocolate lovers for many years.

Which was the first nut chocolate bar?

Nuts are a classic component of countless chocolate bars, dating all the way back to the early 1910s. The very first known chocolate bar to contain nuts was the Goo Goo Cluster. This was a chocolate bar invented in the USA in 1912 which was disk-shaped and contained marshmallow nougat, caramel, and roasted peanuts. 

Quite possibly responsible for inspiring an avalanche of more nut chocolate treats, we have a lot to thank the Goo Goo Cluster for. The Clark Bar, which featured a core made of crispy peanut butter and chewy sweets, and the Oh, Henry! Bar, which featured a mix of peanuts, caramel, and fudge, all wrapped in chocolate, both soon followed the Goo Goo Cluster’s nutty lead in 1917 and 1920, respectively.

Why is nut chocolate so delicious?

variety of chocolates with hazelnuts in

Deliciously moreish, when it comes to nut chocolates, one is never enough. But, why exactly does it have such a pull? To get to the bottom of what exactly makes nuts and chocolate such an irresistible combination, we put on our lab coats and delved into the world of food science.

In a nutshell (pardon the pun), our research showed that our taste buds just love it when food has contrasting tastes, making the saltiness of nuts combined with the sweetness of chocolate every taste bud’s dream. This phenomenon even has a fancy scientific name – ‘dynamic sensory contrast’. So, next time you’re indulging in a generous amount of nut chocolate and can’t seem to stop, don’t blame yourself, blame your taste buds.

Which nuts go best with which chocolate?

So, it’s clear that nut chocolate is a treat made in confectionery heaven. It’s scientifically proven! But with so many nut chocolates out there, you may find it hard to choose which type you want in your chocolate. Luckily for you, we’re here to help. 

We’ve compiled this handy blog post to guide you through the delicious world of nut chocolate combos. From almonds to macadamia nuts, we’ll give you the scoop on the nuts that go best with milk, white, and dark chocolate. Read on to find all about the nuts that go best with chocolate, and the many nut chocolate treats that we offer.

Be warned, this guide may cause some seriously nutty chocolate cravings…

Hazelnut Chocolate

Hazelnut chocolate

Delectably creamy and indulgent, the combination of hazelnuts and chocolate is undeniably dreamy. Naturally sweet and mellow, hazelnuts and creamy chocolate go together perfectly to create a luxurious treat that warmly welcomes your taste buds.

From chocolate-covered hazelnuts to chocolate hazelnut spread, hazelnuts and chocolate are a beloved pairing that has been used to make countless scrumptious treats. Milk chocolate is the most popular companion to hazelnuts because their mutual creaminess creates an unparalleled velvety experience. However, hazelnuts also go well with dark chocolate because its bitterness gives the creaminess of the nuts an exciting edge, making this combination an irresistible treat.

Now onto our nut chocolates! To make our chocolate hazelnuts, we take Turkish hazelnuts, caramelise them, and wrap them in a mellow 40% milk chocolate to give them a delightful crunch and a luxurious flavour. Alternatively, our hazelnut 70% dark chocolate slab is perfect for anyone who wants to indulge in some hazelnut chocolate that has a little extra bite to it. Featuring whole hazelnuts buried in creamy dark chocolate, this slab offers the perfect mix of crunchiness and smoothness.

Suitable for every hour of the day (the best way to enjoy some chocolate at breakfast) and fabulous when used in baking, nothing beats a creamy hazelnut spread. Crafted with lots of cocoa and less sugar, we believe our chocolate hazelnut spread is one of the most indulgent ones out there. It’s also vegan friendly, making it especially lovely for any dairy-free chocolate fans.

Walnut Chocolate

The satisfying crunch, rich sweet flavour, and nobbly texture of walnuts paired with the smooth sweetness of chocolate is a mouth-watering combination. These nuts are particularly decadent when paired with white chocolate, as it gives their richness a sweet touch that leaves taste buds singing.

Our walnut praline selector is made from roasted walnuts that have been crushed into a delectable praline and enrobed in white chocolate, giving the earthy flavour of walnuts an irresistible mellow coating. Combining so many delicious elements, nut chocolate treats will leave you wanting more.

Something else that goes great with walnuts? Coffee, of course, and when coffee, walnuts and chocolate come together, magical things happen. The sweetness of chocolate, the crunch of walnuts, and the smooth bitterness of coffee combine to create a delicious taste experience.

Give it a try with our coffee and walnut cake selector, which features milk chocolates that have been made with the very best walnuts available and Arabica coffee. Or, help yourself to our coffee and walnut chocolate selector, a 50% milk chocolate slab which is made using Arabica coffee and contains a generous scattering of crushed walnuts.

Almond Chocolate

Almonds in a bowl

Almond chocolate is a popular choice, and anyone who has had the pleasure of tasting some almond-dappled nut chocolate will understand why. Almonds have quite a neutral flavour, so go really well with chocolate by balancing out its sweetness. Giving a satisfying crunch to any cacao creation, almonds are delightful when paired with milk or dark chocolate.

Creating a sweet, salty, heavenly sensation, they’re especially tantalising when they include salted caramel. That’s why we think our salted caramelised almonds are the perfect not-so-sweet treat. To make our milk chocolate salted caramelised almonds, we caramelise prime Californian almonds and blanket them in mellow 40% milk chocolate.

We do the same with our dark chocolate salted almonds, but substitute the milk chocolate for a cloak of 70% dark chocolate, which gives them a stunning dark bite. You’d do well to enjoy these nutty chocolates alone; you won’t want to share.

Peanut Chocolate

A beloved combination, peanuts and chocolate have a long and delicious history. Peanuts were the first nuts used in chocolate and remain a popular partner for chocolate worldwide. Do you remember that dynamic sensory contrast we mentioned earlier? Salty peanuts and sweet chocolate provide the ultimate sensory contrast, making this pairing a perfect nut chocolate match.

Peanut butter and chocolate is especially delicious and whether you’re Team Smooth or Team Crunchy, we have some divine treats for you. Our peanut butter chocolate selector features velvety smooth peanut butter wrapped in 50% milk chocolate, making it the ultimate creamy treat.

If you prefer some crunch with your peanut butter, you’ll love our chocolate peanut butter bar slab. We make this by folding peanut butter into caramel milk chocolate and then dappling it with whole roasted peanuts. You won’t be able to resist this sweet and salty extravaganza.

Macadamia Chocolate

Macadamia nuts in a bowl

The cream and crunch of the macadamia nut paired with the delicious smoothness of chocolate are enough to make anyone’s mouth water. Macadamia nuts have a subtle sweetness and buttery texture, which makes them a gorgeous companion to our rich chocolate. Why don’t you indulge in something from our chocolate and macadamia nut collection today? Go on, you deserve a delicious treat.

Our chocolate macadamia nuts are little balls of moreish delight. We gently roast the nuts before wrapping them in velvety 40% milk chocolate to maximise the pairing’s creamy potential. If you want a full macadamia nut experience, go for our chocolate macadamia nut selector. We used our decadent milk chocolate and filled it with ground macadamia praline and added a whole macadamia nut; it’s bursting with macadamia nut deliciousness. 

For a treat that’s not so sweet, try our 70% dark chocolate covered macadamia nuts. Enrobing whole macadamia nuts in rich dark chocolate and lightly dusting them with coconut, we created these to give your tastebuds a real thrill.

Pistachio chocolate

Pistachios are highly compatible with chocolate, whether that be milk chocolate, white chocolate, or dark chocolate. With their green hue, pistachios look divine in any chocolate and have become a favourite of bakers who use pistachios in cakes and brownies.

We think pistachios are an underrated gem in the confectionary world and have crafted some pistachio treats that you’re sure to love. Try them for yourself and thank us later.

Ready for ultra-smooth pistachios smothered in caramel milk chocolate? Our smooth pistachio chocolates prove that the combination of chocolate and pistachios is the perfect balance of savoury and sweet. If you want something that will really delight your taste buds, try our pistachio and honey chocolate slab selector. Featuring whole crunchy pistachios nestled in honey-milk-chocolate, this unique treat is a delightful crowd-pleaser.

Cashew Chocolate

cashews from above

Cashews are similar to peanuts so it should come as no surprise that they go brilliantly with chocolate. However, they’re slightly richer and velvetier, so if you want that captivating contrast of salty and sweet flavours with a little added creaminess, look no further than cashew chocolate.

With a sweet and buttery taste, cashew chocolate is a luxurious treat and we have a scrumptious praline option.

Our cashew nuts praline selector is perfect for anyone who wants the full cashew chocolate experience. This is because it features pralines crafted from ground cashew, covered in caramel milk, and then topped with even more cashews. The crunch of the cashews paired with the tingle of salt and the cream of the caramel chocolate creates a staggeringly delicious experience that is sure to leave you wanting more. 

Vegan Nut Milk Chocolate

We believe that everyone deserves great chocolate, including those whose diets don’t include dairy. So, we created a stunningly delicious nut chocolate that’s completely dairy-free. Although it’s perfect for vegans or those who are lactose intolerant, you’ll find everyone wants a second bite!

Made using finely milled hazelnuts instead of milk, we took five years to perfect our ground-breaking nut milk recipe. Why? Because we wanted to ensure that it reached the delicious standard of our beloved house milk chocolate. Sumptuously smooth, it contains 45% cacao – we think that it may just be the creamiest, most flavoursome dairy-free chocolate ever created. 

Browse our full nut milk range and you’ll find our unbelievably vegan sleekster. This is a ground-breaking box of chocolates that features 27 treats including pralines, truffles, caramels, and batons, all made sumptuously velvety with nut milk. We also offer an amazingly creamy nut milk hot chocolate. It features 45% cocoa and an enticing hint of roasted hazelnuts. With such delicious options, you certainly don’t have to be dairy-free to enjoy these velvety nut milk treats.  

As well as being indulgent purchases when you want to treat yourself, our nut milk range is perfect for when you want to spoil a loved one who’s vegan or lactose intolerant. The creamiest chocolate that they have probably ever tasted, anything from this collection is sure to hit the sweet spot.