Dorval Crispy Thins – Hazelnut and Orange

I got to have a nice chat with the folks at Dorval at their booth at Sweets and Snacks. Even though my swag bag already had a box of their orange chocolate thins, they gave me a second box of hazelnut thins at their booth.

Dorval Crispy Thins - Hazelnut and Orange

The chocolates came in a gold tray with three wells that each contained 6 of the flat, oval thins, and the whole thing was sealed in a clear cellophane bag for freshness. I was impressed at how well the packaging protected the thins – not a single one broke, despite being banged around in my carry-on luggage all the way from Chicago to Durham.

Dorval Crispy Thins - Hazelnut and Orange

The thins certainly lived up to their name. Each was about 2 inches across at their longer diameter and probably no more than about a quarter centimeter thick at their thickest point.

Dorval Crispy Thins - Hazelnut and Orange

The chocolate ovals were liberally dotted with little rice crisps that brought a wheaty, toasty crunch. They had a sort of stale texture, so more like puffed rice.

The orange thins reminded me of Terry’s chocolate oranges, with a creamy orange oil flavor. I found it a little artificial and on the edge of cloying, but the low chocolate to crisp ratio helped keep that in check.

Dorval Crispy Thins - Hazelnut and Orange

The hazelnut crisps were more to my liking. There the chocolate was creamy with mocha notes to the finish and a nice nuttiness that complimented the chocolate in an understated way.

As far as I could tell, the hazelnut was a flavor addition to the chocolate. I didn’t notice the texture of any actual bits of nuts.

Dorval Crispy Thins - Hazelnut and Orange

I especially liked the natural portion control of these – it feels like a large amount of chocolate on the tongue but is so thin that it isn’t too much.?An?O?for the orange and an?OM?for the hazelnut.