Lindt Hot Pralines – Spicy Chocolate Done Right

Though the combination of chili and chocolate is thousands of years old, it’s never quite reached a wide level of acceptance. I think for most people, the idea of combining spiciness and dessert is just a little bit too bizarre. It’s too bad, because done right, chili and chocolate can be surprisingly good.

Lindt Hot Pralines consists of three different varieties: papaya and chili, pomegranate and chili, and maracuja and jalapeno (maracuja apparently being a type of passion fruit). I was going to review the three types separately, however they’re all pretty much interchangeable, with the exception of the maracuja one, which is slightly more tart and has a mild jalapeno flavour.

The three chocolates consist of chocolate mousse topped with a strongly fruity, spicy jelly, and covered in dark chocolate. The first thing you notice when you eat these is the tartness of the fruit, followed by a surprisingly strong, lingering spiciness. I’ve had chocolates like these where the heat was overpowering and mostly just distracting; that isn’t the case here. The spice does a good job of bringing out the flavours in the chocolate and the fruit, as well as adding its own distinctive appeal, without becoming overwhelming. The dark chocolate coating is quite intense with a 70 percent cocoa level, which gives these a really rich, chocolately flavour and helps to balance out the sweetness of the jelly.

Though I’m not too sure about the maracuja flavour – it’s a bit too sour, and the mild jalepeno taste is bizarre – the other two flavours are good enough to definitely recommend this, if you can find it (I bought it at a Lindt store in an outlet mall in Buffalo).

Manufactured by: Lindt
Calories (3 pieces, 37 g): 170