Shock and awe!

If they inevitably remind us of the dark chocolate squares slipped into a piece of bread in the snacks of yesteryear, chocolate bars are also those of the industrialists who developed them with a great deal of advertising from the 1970s onwards. It wasn't until a few decades later that chocolatiers drew inspiration from them, swapping their traditional bite-sized products for increasingly elaborate bars. All kinds of additions and seasonings were added, as well as assemblies designed to resemble small pastries. These handcrafted creations are made with the utmost care and the finest ingredients. Here's a taste tour of the best chewy bars around!

• La Baleine à Cabosse, Marseille

A very first creation for Aurélien and Claire, who make their chocolates from bean to bar. "Theidea came to us after successive confinements. We were all in need of comfort, so we decided to combine our salted butter caramel with an almond-hazelnut praline, all coated in our pure Mexican chocolate with notes of gingerbread and honey."We can't resist this Marseille creation.

213, rue Paradis, 13006 Marseille

www.laba leineacabosse.com

• Julien Dechenaud, in Vincennes

When Julien Dechenaud sets out to create a bar for snacking, he chooses a French peanut that he accompanies with a lightly salted vanilla caramel.a lightly salted vanilla caramel, a peanut praline and a few caramelized dried fruits. "This bar is a chocolatier's wink at the combination we all love. I've added several textures: crunchy, melting and crunchy."75 g of pure happiness!

32, rue Robert-Giraudineau, 94300 Vincennes

www.juli endechenaud.com

• Fabrice Gillotte, Dijon

In the family of 8 bars from MOF chocolatier Fabrice Gillotte, we ask for "Sidamo", a coffee bar from Sidamo (a region of Egypt) combining chocolate with an exceptional coffee with fruity flavours and a slight acidity. "Theprecursors of snacking, I created these bars some twenty years ago, when my customers were looking for a delicacy that could be easily transported, eaten with the hands, smaller than a pastry, but just as delicious. So I came up with these 40g bars that can be crunched up as much as you like."We also love the "Pêché Mignon" with vine peach, a house staple, as well as the gourmand "Fleur de Caramel" with milk and the "Rocher Noir". A pure delight!

21, rue du Bourg, 21000 Dijon

www.fabr icegillotte.com

• Maison Pralus, Roanne

Absolutely diabolical, these are the "Barres Infernales" from Maison Pralus. No less than 160 g of pure pleasure and a collection of 7 bars that will seduce the most demanding palates. Created in 2005 by François Pralus, the bars are shaped in 1 kg couverture molds: the chocolate shell is first poured, then filled with hazelnut or pistachio praline, nougat... You'll be carried away by the milk praline bar with Piedmont hazelnuts and the orange bar, in the heart of which hides an orange confit with a subtle hint of Grand Marnier. Bite into it, or slice it up for the more sensible!

8, rue Charles-de-Gaulle, 42300 Roanne

www.choc olats-pralus.com

• Jean-Paul Hévin, in Paris

Tabletinos" are the ultimate snack bar, to munch on plain or slip into a piece of bread. There's something for every taste: pure dark chocolate from the Dominican Republic 64% cocoa, milk chocolate-caramel fleur de sel, as well as dark praline "NHK", milk gianduja "Soupçon" and milk hazelnut "Saphir". "I don't like waste, so I came up with the idea of recovering the trimmings from our chocolate bonbons to make bars. We recover the praline fillings and coat them with chocolate to make these bars, the namesake of the bonbons, as easy to transport as they are to eat."Irresistible!

23 bis, avenue de la Motte-Picquet, 75007 Paris

www.jean paulhevin.com

• Edwart, in Paris

Edwin Yansané, founder of the Edwart chocolate factory, loves sequenced tastings, and has created "Barrées" in his own image, with tastes that are sometimes disconcerting, but above all very gourmet. Apart from the pistachio praline and buckwheat pralines, the mustard seed bar is a particular highlight. "On tasting, there are several successive waves. We start with the roundness of hazelnut, then come a first kick mustarded by the mix of yellow and black mustard seeds; then we go up a notch with the mustard seeds that I infuse in wasabi oil."A great way to get the mustard up your nose! We love it.

17, rue Vieille-du-Temple, 75004 Paris

www.edwa rt.fr

• Hervé Robin, Périgueux

Father and son Hervé and Mathieu Robin have come up with the "Nina" bar, an interpretation of the traditional praline rocher. "We chose organic dried fruits, Marcona almonds for their light bitterness, Piedmont hazelnuts for their fragrance and Mexican cocoa for its cocoa power. For the coating, we turned to a chocolate from Ghana whose aromas of dried pear, pineapple and black tea seduced us. This combination allows both the praline and the coating to express their full aromatic potential, without one taking precedence over the other."We can't resist the temptation of the black rocher and succumb to the indulgence of the milk rocher.

11, rue Salinière, 24000 Périgueux

www.herv erobin.fr

• Chocolaterie Rosso, Hyères

Established in January 2021 in the Var region of France, Jérémie Rosso and his partner came up with the idea of creating a chocolate shop that would reflect their own personal taste. This autumn, they're offering a new bar that's totally regressive. "I wanted to combine two ingredients I'm particularly fond of: Sicilian pistachios and Piedmont hazelnuts. I made an old-fashioned pistachio praline and a smooth hazelnut praline. Between the two, I add some very finely ground cocoa nibs to boost the cocoa flavors. The bars are then coated with Nicolas Berger's 60% cocoa milk chocolate from Peru."We love the bold flavors and contrasting textures of this seemingly simple, yet divinely indulgent bar.

1, avenue du Général-de-Gaulle, 83400 Hyères

www.choc olaterie-rosso.fr

• Alain Ducasse, Paris

In addition to the dark and milk chocolate snack bars, it's hard to resist the call of the chewy bars, particularly the dark chocolate, dark sesame and puffed rice bar. We love the crunchiness of the 75% cocoa dark chocolate coating, contrasting with the softness of the particularly aromatic dark sesame-almond praline and the crunchiness of the large grains of puffed rice. 60 g of absolute indulgence in a bar beautifully designed by Pierre Tachon.

Manufacture, 40, rue de Roquette, 75011 Paris

www.lech ocolat-alainducasse.com

• Le Cacaotier, Paris

A discreet chocolate shop in the heart of the 17th arrondissement, founded by Hubert Masse, where you can indulge in a praline bar with Piedmont hazelnuts and speculoos, coated in a fine layer of blond chocolate. The bar's unconventional wave-like shape is a real eye-catcher, and the magic happens from the very first bite, when the spicy cookie flavors bounce off the hazelnut notes. Succulent!

46, rue de Lévis, 75017 Paris

www.leca caotier.com