Brighten Up Your Easter Treats with the Best Trend in Chocolate: Natural Food Colouring

The coolest trend in bean-to-bar chocolate is happening RIGHT NOW, and it is perfect for this Easter season: coloured chocolate. This trend started building in the last few years and really exploded in the end of 2016. And I don't mean the use the artificial food colouring of our past, I am talking about natural fruits, teas and even vegetables to colour chocolate bars in the most natural way. Chocolate makers are freeze-drying fruits and veggies to add both colour and flavour to their white chocolate.

Zotter, an Austrian chocolate maker, has been coming on strong with its pink-coloured white chocolate combinations. For Easter, you can buy a perfect strawberry caramel combo pack from Zotter, called 'Hiding & Seeking'. On the left side of the package is a pretty and delicious strawberry white chocolate bar, coloured only with dried strawberries, but also flavoured with a little lemon powder that adds a perfect sweet tartness to the chocolate. I love this chocolate bar!

On the right side of the package is a caramel bar, which gets its beautiful natural caramel colour (and flavour) when Zotter caramelizes the milk sugars. The package overall, with its Easter bunny & Spring flower images drawn on the front, is a perfect gift for any kind of sweet-lover this Easter (whether a chocolate-lover or not).

Zottter also makes a amazing Strawberry Yogurt white chocolate bar, called Never-Ending Strawberry. It is a part of their very artistic Mitzi Blue line of chocolate wheels, and not only is wonderful to taste (it tastes just like strawberry yogurt), but it is wonderful to look at too. It also offers a cool taste sensation with a mini wheel of a slightly different taste and shade in the centre. This is a perfect gift for anyone who loves strawberry at any time of the year.

Zotter also sells a raspberry bar in its Labooko line. It is mildly sweet, and strong in raspberry flavour. It truly is delicious and like the strawberry bar, it pairs nicely with white wine. You can see in the picture below that Zotter's has a light pink colour, in comparison to Soma Chocolate Maker's raspberry bar, which has a deeper shade of raspberry colour.

Soma's new beautiful Raspberry Bar, which has only sugar, raspberries and cocoa butter as the ingredients, also has NO food colouring or flavouring. Yet it's bold, dark colour instantly tells you that you are in for an experience. It is so rich in raspberry flavour that it is almost shocking - definitely in a good way! Because it is so bold, and has no milk content, it pairs nicely with red wine. Believe me when I say that Soma's raspberry chocolate bar is a must-try.

In addition to the pink chocolates for Easter, Soma has launched yellow Mango Chili Bar that looks amazing! I tried to get my hands on one for Easter, but they were sold out. Keep your eye on this link, and perhaps we'll see them back in the near future. They also make a gorgeous Mango pod, but you have to be in Toronto to be able to pick one up.

Picture by Soma Chocolate Maker
Reference: Somachocolate.com
 

Quebec-based Chaleur B Chocolat is making green chocolate, coloured only by Matcha tea. This is a very creamy bar thanks to its high cocoa butter content. I wasn't sure I was going to like it, but then I ate every last piece. It surprised me with its creamy goodness. Learn more about it or buy online by clicking this link.

For more matcha bars, you just need to search #matchachocolate on Instagram for a whole slew of pictures of green chocolate.

There are a few other chocolate makers currently experimenting with freeze dried strawberries, matcha, dried beets and all sorts of other fruit and vegetables to create new shades of chocolate.

Sirene Chocolate just launched a caramelized white chocolate bar, which looks delicious. Learn more and find a retailer near you at: http://sirenechocolate.com/.

I know there are a few other pink strawberry bars floating around social media, in addition to some beet-based chocolate bars, and Zotter's currant bar. If you remember another chocolate maker who is participating in this trend, please share in the Comments below! Let's help promote these all-natural shades of chocolate!