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Nothing beats the excitement of a random knock at the door, and a mystery box sat on the doorstep. It feels a bit like Christmas. Now, imagine this but safe in the knowledge that the box is filled with a mystery collection of chocolates. Dream no more, as London-based Nibblette has launched a monthly subscription service, furnishing you with a dozen chocolate surprises each and every month.
Each month, founder Shaoni Nandy conjures up six new recipes that follow a theme. Then, boxes of a dozen chocolate bonbons are shipped out to club members ready for their enjoyment. Each month will feature a different set of recipes and each box contains two bonbons of every flavour so you can properly taste test each one.
Shaoni kindly sent me over a box of her September 2021 bonbons, themed around American desserts. As a massive fan of all things Americana, this collection really excited me.
Packaging
A small, brown cardboard box protects the chocolates inside. The shipping box was just a tad too big to fit through my letterbox so my postie left the box on my doorstep.
The white linen-textured chocolate box features the Nibblette logo in gold-foiled print on the lid, sealed with a pink ribbon tied in a bow.
The reverse of the box contains a sticker with the ingredients for the Flavours of the Month box.
Nibblette September 2021 Flavours of the Month Box ingredients:
Dark chocolate (cocoa butter, sugar, cocoa beans, soya lecithin, natural vanilla extract), milk chocolate (cocoa butter, whole milk powder, sugar, cocoa beans, brown sugar, natural vanilla extract, soya lecithin, barley malt extract), white chocolate (cocoa butter, sugar, whole milk powder, skimmed milk powder, whey, butter, soya lecithin, natural vanilla extract), sugar, peanuts, whipping cream, butter, raspberry puree, glucose, pecan nuts, wheat flour, vegetable oils, egg, cocoa powder, invert sugar, sea salt, pectin, dextrose, wheat starch, raising agents (sodium bicarbonate, malic acid, ammonium bicarbonate), yeast, cocoa butter, colours (E102, E110, E129, E132, E133, E171, E555). Cocoa solids: 66% minimum (dark chocolate); 40% minimum (milk chocolate); 32% (white chocolate).
The chocolates are suitable for vegetarians. They may contain traces of milk, gluten, soya, nuts and sesame. A monthly assortment of vegan-friendly bonbons is available (see below for details).
Lifting the lid of the box reveals a handy menu card, a cushion pad, and a sheet of tissue paper to keep everything in place. While most of the chocolates arrived in pristine condition, a couple suffered from cracked or dented shells, detracting from the beautiful exterior decorations of each of these bonbons.
Cinnamon Bun (Cinabon)
A creamy, white chocolate aroma emanates from this bonbon, but it locks its true character inside, boasting a layer a dark caramel atop ganache. Bite into it and you'll discover a flavour that is uncannily like a cinnamon bun. There's a buttery, sweet and cake-like flavour that is all wrapped up with a gentle cinnamon bow. They all work together harmoniously to create a true taste of Americana.
A creamy finish sees you into the aftertaste, with a subtle hint of cinnamon. This bonbon was my second favourite in this collection. Which one won it for me? Read on to find out.
Mississippi Mud Pie
Mississippi Mud Pie is perhaps one of the most iconic American desserts, with an indulgent chocolate cream nestled inside a crumbly chocolate biscuit crust.
This bonbon starts with a rich, dark chocolate aroma evoking imagery of a gooey chocolate brownie. This richness continues into the flavour as you bite into it. The ganache filling is silky soft, which contrasts nicely against the layer of chocolate biscuit crunch that sits at the bottom. The two textures create a balanced experience that combines the two key elements of a Mississippi Mud Pie. The overall flavour reminds me of a creamy hot chocolate during the tasting, morphing into an indulgent chocolate mousse in the aftertaste.
Peanut Snickerdoodle
Such is the power of this recipe, the peanut aroma works its way out of the shell before you bite into it. Tuck in and you'll find a taste and texture that reminds me of a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup more than a peanut cookie. Nutty, salty, buttery and sweet, this bonbon captures the essence of America's love of all things peanut butter.
The texture of this one is smooth, with crunch coming from the whole peanut that sits at the top. A sweet peanut butter flavour lingers into the aftertaste.
Apple Pie
I'm not sure whether I picked up a faint apple aroma from this bonbon, or whether its fabulous green shell willed me to picture an orchard of apple notes.
A crunchy biscuit base comes through first, with hints of oats, cinnamon, and rich, buttery shortcrust pastry dancing across my palate. A subtle fresh, green apple flavour peeks its head around the corner, but isn't as forceful as I craved.
The flavours combine to produce an apple pie flavour that comes together nicely in the aftertaste.
Peanut Butter & Jelly
A rich, dark aroma lures you into taking a bite of this bonbon. As you do, it plays on similar characteristics as the Peanut Snickerdoodle bonbon in the beginning. It's nutty, salty, sweet, and buttery. Texturally, the peanut butter filling is largely smooth with just a little bite to it. The star of this bonbon is the layer of sweet red berry jam that swoops in to tame the saltiness and intensity of the peanut butter, rounding the flavour nicely.
The peanut butter flavour lingers into the aftertaste, but is punctuated by just a hint of sweet berries.
Pecan Pie
Last, but by no means least, is the Pecan Pie bonbon. For me, it's the star of this box. Its pecan brownie aroma beckons you in, and as you bite into it, you know you've made a smart decision.
A smooth pecan ganache compliments the soft biscuit base layer. This bonbon has everything you could desire - full-on pecan flavour front and centre, with sweet and savoury notes, together with a buttery biscuit element, perfectly capturing the essence of pecans, brown sugar, golden syrup, and shortcrust pastry.
This bonbon leaves you with a parting gift of a buttery, pecan nut, and pastry aftertaste that makes you thankful there's a second one included in this box.
Nibblette Monthly Subscription Box Review
RRP: £18.34 | Nibblette | Shop now
It's refreshing to taste a collection of American-themed chocolates that actually taste like the real deal. There's a broad range of flavours in the box, and two chances to taste each one (you could share if you must, but you'll want to keep these all for yourself). Pecan pie is my overall favourite, with cinnamon bun coming in a very close second. While the themes and recipes will vary month-by-month, this sample box suggests you'll be over the moon with what you are treated with in each delivery.
Where to Buy Online
Each box contains a dozen chocolate bonbons. You can choose the regular selection (as above) or a vegan-friendly chocolate selection.
To give you an idea of what that looks like in practice, here are the the original and vegan selection menus for September 2021:
Original:
- Apple Pie
- Cinnamon Bun (Cinabon)
- Peanut Butter & Jelly (PB&J)
- Pecan Pie
- Mississippi Mud Pie
- Peanut Snickerdoodle
Vegan:
- Dulce de leche
- Biscoff Espresso
- Peanut Butter & Jelly
- Milk and Cookies
- Mississippi Mud Pie
- Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Subscriptions are available in pre-paid blocks of three, six or twelve months, priced at £65, £120 and £220 respectively.
Only 100 places are available in the club to begin with, so you'll need to be fast to secure your spot.
Flavours vary from month-to-month, so bear in mind that your selections may not include the flavours above, but I'm sure Shaoni would love your feedback so be sure to get in touch with her to let her know which bonbon flavours you'd like to see in future selections.
Overall, I think the question you'll have greatest difficulty with is not whether you should subscribe, but instead, whether you should subscribe to the regular or vegan option. The regular selection this month was superb, but the Biscoff Espresso and Pineapple Upside Down Cake from the vegan chocolate collection both sound very good indeed.
Nibblette Monthly Chocolate Subscription Club
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What theme would you like to see immortalised in chocolate? Perhaps it's a country, a hobby, or something zany. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
