Trader Joe's - Hazelnut chocolates - March 14, 2014

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

Trader Joe's
Belgian Chocolate Shoppe assortment box
1.) Vanilla Mousse in White Chocolate with Chopped Hazelnuts
2.) Milk Chocolate with Crunchy Hazelnut Cream
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) (estimate) in 2 pieces
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 2 pieces
Cost: $ N/A - gift
Purchased from: N/A - gift

Welcome to the first day of Chocolate and Hazelnut Theme Week.

Nuts add fat and flavor to chocolates. Hazelnuts have a natural sweetness that can complement milk chocolate nicely.

Ground hazelnuts and hazelnut butter added both texture and a creamy sweetness to today's chocolate confections made in Belgium. I associate a traditional "Belgian style" with longer conch times and very smooth creamy chocolate. The "American style" has often meant adding more sugar.

The white and milk chocolates from this Trader Joe's (Monrovia, CA) Belgian Chocolate Shoppe assortment box were creamy and fairly high in sugar content, and the hazelnut helped contribute to both the smoothness and balance out the sweetness from the sugar.

The chopped hazelnuts added a hint of crunchy texture to the Vanilla Mousse in the first piece.

And, ground hazelnuts added a smooth richness to the second piece, a Milk Chocolate with Crunchy Hazelnut Cream. Tiny hazelnut flecks gave the center an almost wafer-like crunch.