Marzipan and Nougat for Holiday Chocolate

Here in the USA, marzipan is often a holiday food most commonly associated with Christmas so I decided to look at four more bars from Chocion that use marzipan (three bars) or nougat (one bar) in them. Two of these are milk chocolate and two are dark chocolate, we'll began as we normally do with the milk and work up to the darker. Chocion sent us these bars to test and write about but no other fees in exchange for an honest review for all of you to read.

We'll start with the Nougat Waffel or Milk Chocolate with Waffle Nougat. These have hazelnuts, wheat, dairy, and soy if those are allergen concerns for you. This is 38% cacao so darker than most milk chocolate Americans will be used to. This has a light brown look to it and a buttery cocoa scent like I expect from German chocolate. It cuts into two parts fairly easily with a very sharp knife and inside is a light, nearly tan center with a light hazelnut fragrance. There is a snap when I take a bite to discover crunchy pieces of hazelnut. The first flavor my mouth registers is sweet, buttery chocolate then the hazelnut creaminess that blends together very well. This is definitely one of the best milk chocolate hazelnut bars I've tested in the past seven years and I have tested a lot of them!

The next three bars are marzipan but what is marzipan? Basically it is almond meal (yes you can make a flour or meal out of most nuts and grains) combined with sugar (in this case) or honey to make a paste that can be molded or used in various treats. It can also be flavored but the almond flavor, in my experience, is always there.

The other 38% cacao bar is called Marzipan Pistazien or Milk Chocolate filled with Marzipan Pistachios. Obviously these have tree nuts as well as dairy and soy ingredients. These have a marzipan and light pistachio as well as a light chocolate fragrance. Cutting a bar in half revealed the marzipan as well as greenish pieces of pistachio. This has a much softer center and it makes no sound when I cut it or bite into it. It has a mealy sort of texture that I is fairly common with marzipan that I've had before. The first flavor is a light chocolate but that is quickly overwhelmed by the marzipan; the pistachio is really only there when I bite into a piece. I really wanted more of the chocolate to come out in this bar and less of the marzipan. The next two darker chocolate bars are also marzipan so I'll see if it is a matter of took much marzipan or too little cacao content to really compete.

The first darker chocolate bar is a 62% Marzipan Pur or Dark Chocolate with Marzipan. This has almonds, dairy and soy ingredients You can see in our photos that the difference between 38% and 63% in terms of color is very stark. This has a very powerful chocolate scent and barely any marzipan at all before I cut it open; even then the chocolate stays strong. The inside is not as soft as the previous bar and it breaks with a soft soft but it is not crunchy. The marzipan here is less mealy feeling as well. The almond essence is there but it blends with the darker chocolate, bringing out a touch of sweetness that balances the slightly bitter chocolate. This one I really loved. I would be thrilled to get this bar as a gift.

Another 62% cacao bar is the Marzipan Gehackete Nüsse or Dark Chocolate with Marzipan and Chopped Nuts with almonds, hazelnuts, soy, and dairy ingredients -- yes the only other nuts are hazelnuts and since I really loved the milk chocolate bar with these same nuts I'm hoping I'll love this one as well. This bar makes the same sound as the pure marzipan bar did and no crunchy when I chewed a bit. The dark chocolate scent is stronger than the previous bar and I didn't really get a marzipan or hazelnut fragrance. I noticed the initial flavor of dark chocolate with the almond was quickly matched by the hazelnuts came out more with each bite. The marzipan and the hazelnut are two distinctive flavors and they start to dampen the dark chocolate so I liked this bar a lot but I can't say that I loved it.

These four bars that we received from Chocion are only a very small number of the wide range of nougat and marzipan filled bars that Chocion makes. Please do go check them out if you have a buttery chocolate or German chocolate lover on your holiday gift list. I highly recommend the first and the third bar that we looked at but the fourth was also good as well. They will be so happy with your gift if you get them one of these.