THE JOY OF CHOCOLATE

Tasting like heaven and administering a blissful shot of dopamine, alongside arousal-enducing theobromine, it’s little wonder that the craving to consume chocolate is all but irresistible

A selection of Scotland's finest chocolatiers along with indulgent recipes to try at home

Think of something you do once a day – that could be showering, reading the newspaper or doing a spot of exercise. You might just want to consider increasing the intensity of that exercise if you are among the almost 50% of Brits who eat chocolate every day.

Spending over £325 on the sweet stuff every year, us Brits really do love our choccies. Although the overall favourite in the UK is Dairy Milk, there are in fact lots of artisan chocolatiers right here in Scotland offering locally and lovingly made products, tastings and masterclasses.

One that immediately springs to mind is Iain Burnett, the Highland Chocolatier, in Grandtully. Iain’s multi-award-winning velvet truffles are all handmade, while there’s a range of chocolate pairing experiences available, from whisky and gin to tea and coffee. Also in Perthshire, you’ll find Charlotte Flower Chocolates, where locally foraged seasonal flavours such as Scots pine, wild mint and elderflower are added to her confectionery.

In the northwest Highlands is Finlay MacDonald’s Chocolates of Glenshiel. One of

Scotland’s youngest chocolatiers, Finlay flavours his chocolate with Misty Isle gin and sea salt from Skye, along with honey and raspberries from Blairgowrie and marmalade from Dundee.

In the North East there’s Cocoa Ooze in Aberdeen which was established in 2008 and gained financial backing from BBC2’s Dragon’s Den in 2016. This fantastic emporium offers experimental flavoured treats such as the liquorice and black pepper dark chocolate bar.

Further north still is Cocoa Mountain Cafe & Chocolatiers in Durness where they make a range of chocolates, truffles, bars and what they believe to be ‘The Best Hot Chocolate’.

At the opposite end of the country, we also really like Ruth Hinks’ Cocoa Black Boutique in Peebles, which offers masterclasses in its chocolate school. Ruth is the UK World Chocolate Master having competed with chocolatiers from around the globe.

Whether you eat chocolate every day (we reserve judgement) or enjoy it as a weekend treat, with so many wonderful stories of people in Scotland doing innovative and imaginative things with chocolate, it’s enough to satisfy anyone’s sweet tooth.

Ingredients

150g double cream

25g liquid glucose

25g caster sugar

450g No. 6 milk chocolate from Cocoa Black or any good quality milk chocolate

400g roasted hazelnuts

500g No. 6 milk chocolate from Cocoa Black or any good quality milk chocolate (for rolling)

300g roasted hazelnuts (chopped)

Method

First mix together the cream, glucose and caster sugar and bring to the boil.

Place the chocolate (450g) in a plastic bowl, add the cream mixture, stir and set aside until the chocolate has fully melted.

Blend the mixture with a hand blender until it is smooth and glossy.

Place cling film directly on top of the mixture, and allow to set overnight at room temperature.

Scoop the chocolate mixture into small balls, push a hazelnut into the centre of each and gently hand-roll into smooth spheres.

In a plastic bowl, warm the remaining chocolate (500g) slowly in the microwave, checking and stirring frequently until just melted.

Roll the truffles in the melted chocolate, and coat evenly with the chopped hazelnuts.

Allow to set for 15 minutes at room temperature. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 weeks.

Recipe by Ruth Hinks from Cocoa Black in Peebles