Chocolatey Crunchies

Freeze-drying chocolate is harder than freeze-drying fruit candy — cocoa butter behaves differently under vacuum than sugar syrup does — which is why chocolate options are rare in this category.

The payoff is a shell that cracks and a centre that turns powdery and then melts on contact with your tongue. It is a completely different experience from eating a chocolate that has simply been frozen; the structure has been rebuilt from the inside out.

It is also the only bag in the range that is heat-proof in any practical sense. There is no moisture and no tempered shell to bloom, so it does not melt in a warm car or a summer delivery van — a genuine advantage over conventional chocolate between May and September.

Richer and less sharp than the fruit bags. If everything else in the freeze-dried range feels too sweet, start here.

The 1.5 oz bag is one generous serving — 42.5 g of candy that looks like far more than that once it is poured out, because freeze-dried candy is mostly air. It is the size to buy if you are trying a flavour for the first time, and the size that fits a lunchbox or a jacket pocket without being crushed.

Store it sealed in a cool, dry place. Moisture is the one thing that undoes freeze-dried candy — an open bag left out will slowly go soft, so press the seal shut properly and it will keep its snap.

• Freeze-dried milk chocolate candy
• Rich, intense cocoa flavor
• Light, airy, crunchy texture
• Colorful candy-coated pieces
• 1.5 oz snack-sized bag
• Contains: Milk, Soy, Coconut