Cocoa-loco! Lately, a chocolatey breeze has been blowing through the rolling hills of Bellême, luring locals with a sweet tooth to trek uphill to the biscuit shop of Valentin Bataille, son of the retired chocolatier, Charles Bataille, who was much-loved in these parts. After lovingly renovating an old clothing store (rough raw walls, a marble-topped display counter) and naming it after his doting grandmother, the young chocolate maestro is busy making, pouring and molding an irresistible assortment of treats to devour on the spot or stuff into your shopping basket. Sitting pretty on display: chic honey madeleines; decadent caramel and pecan cookies; crispy praline-filled chocolate bars or pure 75% Tanzanian dark chocolate; cute little cannelés; crazily good cat’s tongue chocolate biscuits; and almond, hazelnut and caramel brownies. Pair them all with some liquid refreshment: homemade hot chocolate brewed right before your very eyes, Palais des Thés infusions and Si Bio fruit juices. In need of a sugar rush? Grab a bag of old-fashioned hard candies, in violet or frosted poppy flavors. You have been warned! // Henriette Ma
THE HIDDEN GEM: The Choco BLM sandwich cookie, featuring two shortbread biscuits hugging a layer of the house chocolate spread. Possibly the most stylish goûter on the playground!
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