Seattle Chocolate – Holy Cannoli Truffle Bar
As I’ve been working my way through the Seattle Chocolate catalogue, I’m hit with the strange realization that I have mixed opinions so far. I enjoy the interesting flavours they come up with, and how they execute, but a few of them have been a bit hit or miss in terms of whether I would get it again.
This bar is a combination of dark chocolate with a white chocolate filling that also has bits of cannoli shell, pistachios and chocolate chips in the center. As a long time fan and even longer time consumer of cannoli, I am well aware of the many ways this can go poorly, but also strangely optimistic about all the ways it can go well. Interestingly enough, my go to cannoli place also keeps it very simple and is comprised of the cannoli shell and ricotta cheese in the center. No chocolate, pistachios or anything else. That’s sort of how I prefer it.
Similar to the other bars, these are thin, and if you are not familiar with the trend of truffle bars, this might take you for a loop. I too was once used to associating truffles with round or spherical shapes. At the very least something that had equal dimensions in height, width and depth, as opposed to only 2 of the 3. But technology moves forward as does innovation, and here we are.
The outer dark chocolate is soft, but more on the sweeter side, maybe in the range of 65% or 60%, but the filling quickly overpowers it. While it is a white chocolate base, the flavour is more between a light creamy vanilla, and a buttery dairy flavour. The pieces that are supposed to emulate the shell of a cannoli have a slight cornflakes sweetness to them, and remind me a bit of waffle cone.
The texture is overall similar to the other truffle bars in that it is very soft and quickly melts away as it sits idle in the mouth. The pistachio, chocolate chips and cannoli bits all add varying layers of crunch. The pistachio and chocolate chips are a soft crunch, while the cannoli bits add a waffle like texture that is like eating cornflakes without milk. The whole thing comes together quite well and while not exactly reminiscent of a cannoli, does make for a nice decadent bar in a fairly easy to eat format.
To my earlier point about my overall experience with the brand being a bit of a mixed bag, I enjoyed this one and find this to be better and enjoy it more than I expected. While cannoli isn’t the first thing I think of, the overall texture profile is nice, and reminds me more of a nice waffle ice cream cone.
