Chocolate sweetened with dates rather than sugar, with orange and ginger, from Lovechock in Amsterdam — the warmest and most wintery bar in the range.
What sweetening with dates changes
The texture. Dates bring moisture and fibre into a bar that would otherwise be dry fat and sugar, so date-sweetened chocolate is softer and fudgier and does not snap the way a dark tablet does. That is the recipe, not a fault.
The flavour. Dates carry caramel, molasses and dried-fruit notes of their own, which sit under everything. Here that is doing real work: the date's molasses quality is exactly what orange and ginger want underneath them, which is why the combination reads as something close to a Christmas cake.
The honesty. Dates are still sugar — around 65 to 70% by weight. You gain the fibre and minerals of the whole fruit and a far more interesting flavour. You do not gain a low-sugar chocolate, and we would rather say so.
Orange and ginger
One of the oldest pairings in confectionery, and it works for a specific reason: orange oil is bright and volatile and hits the front of the palate, while ginger's pungency (from gingerol, a relative of the compound that makes chilli hot) builds slowly at the back of the throat. They occupy different parts of the mouth and different parts of the timeline, so neither crowds the other out.
Raw cacao
Lovechock work with unroasted beans — only the shells are briefly heated, for hygiene. Raw cacao is brighter and fruitier than roasted, which suits citrus particularly well.
Storage and diet
Cool and dry, 15–18 °C, away from strong smells. Because it contains fruit and moisture, this bar keeps less well than a plain dark tablet — eat it within its date. Organic, dairy-free, soy-free and gluten-free. Check the pack for allergens.
Lovechock NL
Lovechock NL
Lovechock NL
Lovechock NL
