Why We Like It
- Cacao butter does the setting, so this is real chocolate and not compound chocolate.
- Darkins roasts and grinds single-origin Indian cacao from Eluru rather than melting down bought-in couverture.
- Cashew paste and coconut milk powder stand in for dairy, so there are no milk solids.
- Colour is curcumin and fruit, with no synthetic dye anywhere in the recipe.
- The centre is a fruit gummy set with pectin, carrying 12.4 g of fibre per 100 g.
- We would rather call this a sweet than a health food: 25.8 g of added sugar per 100 g.
Ingredients
Naturally farmed cacao and cacao butter (24.8%)
The coatingCacao butter is the fat here rather than palm or other vegetable fat, which is what makes this real chocolate and not compound chocolate.
Organic unrefined cane sugar
The sweetenerUnrefined, but still sugar, and the pack declares 3.87 g of added sugar in a 15 g serving.
Cashew paste
Dairy replacementIt does the job milk solids would do in a milk chocolate, and it is also a tree-nut allergen.
Natural coconut milk powder
Dairy replacementThe other half of the dairy replacement, giving the coating its creaminess without any milk solids.
Sunflower lecithin
EmulsifierKeeps the chocolate smooth, from sunflower rather than soy, with no PGPR in the recipe.
Apple juice concentrate, pineapple pulp (10%), Alphonso mango pulp (6%)
The gummy centreFruit does both the sweetening and the flavouring in the centre.
Oligofructose (7.5%) and citrus fibre (2%)
Prebiotic fibreThese are where the 12.4 g of fibre per 100 g comes from, and added fibre can unsettle a stomach not used to it.
Pectin
Gelling agentFruit-derived and plant-based, so the centre is set without gelatin.
Curcumin
Natural colourTurmeric-derived, and the only colour in the recipe.
Natural mango and pineapple flavours
FlavouringDeclared as natural, though the pack does not say what they are extracted from.
Nutrition factsPer 100g
- Energy kcal
- 499 kcal
- Protein g
- 4.7 g
- Carbohydrate g
- 59.3 g
- Total sugars g
- Not declared
- Added sugars g
- 25.8 g
- Dietary fibre g
- 12.4 g
- Total fat g
- 26.1 g
- Saturated fat g
- 15.1 g
- Trans fat g
- Not declared
- Cholesterol mg
- 0 mg
- Salt g
- Not declared
Mezmo Chocolate Pebbles versus other coated candies
| What to compare | Mezmo Chocolate Pebbles | Other coated candies |
|---|---|---|
| The coating | Cacao butter, so it is real chocolate | Often compound chocolate set with palm or hydrogenated fat |
| Sweetener | Organic unrefined cane sugar | Refined sugar, usually with glucose syrup |
| Colour | Curcumin, a natural colour | Synthetic dyes are common |
| The centre | Fruit gummy with apple, pineapple and Alphonso mango | Sugar and glucose centre with added flavouring |
| Dairy | None. Cashew paste and coconut milk powder | Milk solids and whey powder |
| Preservatives | None declared | Class II preservatives are common |
Is It For You?
Good for
Anyone wanting a chocolate treat made with real cacao butter
Dairy-free and plant-based diets
Kids' treats and lunchboxes
Those avoiding refined sugar and synthetic dyes
Avoid if
Anyone with a cashew or tree-nut allergy
Anyone who wants a low-sugar or sugar-free sweet
Anyone who needs a certified vegan product carrying the FSSAI vegan logo
Anyone increasing fibre carefully, as added prebiotic fibre can unsettle a stomach not used to it
How to use
Two pebbles is a serving, so a box stretches across a few days rather than one sitting
Drop a few into a lunchbox in place of a chocolate bar
Chill them briefly for a firmer snap against the chewy centre
Put a bowl out at the end of a meal instead of dessert
Serve alongside the Mezmo fruit gummies for a mixed sweets plate
What to look for in Chocolate Pebbles?
Check whether the coating is real chocolate or compound chocolate. Cocoa butter versus palm or hydrogenated vegetable fat is the single biggest difference in this category, and FSSAI requires the vegetable-fat version to be called compound chocolate.
No refined sugar is not the same as sugar-free. Read the added sugar figure per serving.
Check the gelling agent in the centre. Pectin is plant-derived; gelatin is not.
Colour should come from a food. Curcumin and fruit are fine. INS 102, 110, 122, 124 and 133 are the synthetic dyes to watch for.
A vegan claim needs the FSSAI vegan logo, not just a dairy-free ingredient list.
Nut pastes are common in dairy-free chocolate, so read the allergen line even on a short ingredient list.