I bought these Choc Cross Buns from Hotel Chocolat as an Easter present for my husband. They were £6.50 for a box of six chocolate (although they are now in the half price Hotel Chocolat Easter sale for £3.25). As I've said before my husband hates raisins, although he does loves cinnamon and mixed spice, so it's a shame that he can't (or won't!) eat traditional hot cross buns.
I wasn't going to buy these Hotel Chocolat Choc Cross Buns, as I had seen Chocolate Mission's review from last year which showed that each chocolate had a raisin inside. This year it seems Hotel Chocolat have updated the recipe as these chocolates are now raisin free. Even though this makes the chocolates less representative of an actual hot cross bun, I for one was glad to see the raisins being ditched! The chocolates themselves look fantastic and just like a chocolate version of a hot cross bun - I loved the white chocolate cross decoration on top.
They're described as a "smooth hazelnut praline, with cinnamon and seasonal spices". The praline is quite dense to the point of being slightly crumbly. It has a richly spiced flavor that fans of cinnamon will love. I couldn't really taste any hazelnut in the praline as the cinnamon is the real star of the show. It completely dominates the rest of the flavours with it's depth and warmth. As with any Hotel Chocolat product the 40% cocoa solids milk chocolate is top notch, with a full cocoa flavor that is not too sweet.
We all enjoyed this chocolate version of a hot cross bun, and I hope Hotel Chocolat bring back this raisin free version next year too.
Grocery Gems Verdict: Hotel Chocolat Choc Cross Buns
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition (3 chocolates): 260 calories. 3g protein, 20g carbs, 19g sugar, 18g fat.
Purchased: Hotel Chocolat
Price: £6.50 - but half price now at £3.25.
Vegetarian?: Yes.
