6 creative uses for chocolate buttons

From ganache to pinecone centrepieces, chocolate buttons are your secret ingredient for adding fun, flavour, and flair to cakes, bakes, and thoughtful gifts.

Small, round, and sumptuously smooth, chocolate buttons offer a bitesize moment of satisfaction. While they’re ideal for nibbling, these versatile morsels can also bring a touch of fun and cacao richness to cakes, bakes, and gifts. If you’re looking for a little bit of inspiration, read on for our creative ways to use chocolate buttons.

What makes chocolate buttons so popular?

Since the 1960s, chocolate buttons have been a favourite nibble for children and adults alike. Their irresistible shape — so perfectly poppable — makes them a joy to eat, one after another. At the same time, they offer an opportunity to savour.

At Hotel Chocolat, our chocolate buttons are crafted with the same care and high-quality cacao as the rest of our chocolate collection. Each mouthful provides a moment of indulgence that feels luxurious yet playful. From the dinky white chocolate buttons of our Tiddly Pot — a mellow delight for little ones (and big ones) — to the warming depths of our Dark Chocolate Puddles with Ginger, our buttons are packed with nuanced cacao and creamy cocoa butter. Together, they provide an opulent melt-in-the-mouth sensation.

Beyond taste and texture, perhaps it’s the versatility of these buttons that wins people over. Whole, chopped, or melted, these petite yet perfectly formed chocolate drops can bring a fresh twist and uplifting burst of cacao to an array of dishes and occasions. Here are a few of our favourite ways to incorporate them into your baking, decoration, and gifting.

1. Cake decorating

Quick, simple, and endlessly pleasing — what better way to decorate a cake than with chocolate buttons? Keep it straightforward and elegant with iced cupcakes topped with a single button, or try something more elaborate, like:

• Chocolate button flowers: Ideal for a variety of different occasions, these flowers look sophisticated and add a delightful snappable texture to your cakes. You’ll need one chocolate button for the flower centre, pressed flat onto your icing. Then, arrang buttons of a contrasting colour around the edge, positioning them upright so the edges stick up like raised petals. This gives the design both height and a beautiful 3D effect.
  
  For a romantic pink flower effect, start with a Salted Caramel Chocolate Puddle for your flower centre, then add some of our Strawberries & Cream Chocolate Puddles as your petals.
  
• Personalised messages: Make a statement by spelling out names, greetings, or special dates using chocolate buttons. Simply press them gently into the cake’s icing to form each letter. Alternatively, set out a row of milk or dark chocolate buttons and use melted white chocolate to pipe a letter on each one.

• Chocolate button borders: Line the edge of your cake with chocolate buttons, either vertically or horizontally, to create a beautiful border. For a tiered cake, this adds a clean, professional finish and some extra cacao goodness in every slice.

2. Baking into cookies

Another easy yet impressive way to use chocolate buttons in your baking is to add them to cookies. Find your favourite chocolate chip cookie recipe and replace the chips with buttons. Their larger surface area ensures a lavish melt, for chocolate that permeates through the crumbly biscuit.

3. Melting for ganache

There’s something delightfully simple about turning chocolate buttons into a luxurious ganache. Why are they the ideal ingredient? Chocolate buttons are conveniently portioned, allowing for an even melt — no chopping required. This means a smoother, creamier consistency when combined with warm cream, making them the perfect choice for achieving that glossy ganache.

Follow our steps for making irresistibly decadent ganache, switching the chopped chocolate for your favourite milk, dark, or white chocolate buttons.

4. Chocolate pinecone centrepieces

Those looking to get creative with their chocolate button decor might enjoy whipping up some nature-based treats. Chocolate button pine cones are deceptively simple to assemble and make impressive table centrepieces for weddings, dinner parties, and other celebrations — particularly in autumn and winter.

What you’ll need

• Chocolate buttons — milk and dark chocolate drops are ideal for a more ‘natural’ aesthetic, but white chocolate can make a lovely festive addition, too.
  
• Chocolate for melting (our 70% Dark Chocolate Batons are a top choice)
  
• Baking parchment or greaseproof paper
  
• A microwave or bain-marie 
  
• Icing sugar, edible glitter, or finely chopped nuts for garnish (optional)

The method

1. To create a base for your pinecones, melt some milk or dark chocolate, taking care not to burn it. 

2. Spoon a small puddle of the melted chocolate onto some baking parchment. Don’t worry about making it too perfect — nature doesn’t do perfect circles, after all. Let the disc set slightly until it’s soft but no longer liquid.

3. If your melted chocolate in the bowl has cooled, re-melt it briefly. Dip one end of a chocolate button into the melted chocolate and press it into your chocolate disc at a slight angle.
   
4. Continue adding buttons around the edge of the disc, dipping each one into the chocolate and angling it slightly upward to form the base of your pinecone.

5. For the second layer, place the buttons slightly inside the first layer, overlapping them just enough to mimic the scales of a real pinecone. Keep building layers in this way, creating a natural, textured look.

6. To complete the pinecone, cut a few buttons in half and dip their flat sides into the melted chocolate. Stand these halves vertically in the centre of the cone to create the pointed tip.

7. Let your chocolate button pinecone set, then add the finishing touch with a dusting of icing sugar, a sprinkle of edible glitter, or a dash of finely milled hazelnuts for a sophisticated finish.
   

5. Trail mix boost

What better pick-me-up than a handful of mixed nuts and dried fruit? ‘Trail mix’ is the ideal snack for on-the-go. However, if you want to add a luxurious edge to your fruit and nut mixture, we suggest adding some chocolate buttons. 

With their melt-in-the-mouth smoothness, chocolate buttons complement the chewy dried fruit and crunchy nuts for a harmonious blend of textures. Our Dark Chocolate Puddles with Ginger offer an excellent contrast to the saltiness of roasted nuts and sweetness of dried fruit.

6. Chocolate button gifts

While we love exploring how to incorporate our cacao-rich chocolate buttons into cakes, desserts, and more. These small yet mighty nibbles, however, also make excellent gifts — just as they are. From festive stocking fillers at Christmas and party bag fillers for your child’s birthday to ‘just because’ tokens of affection for your partner, chocolate buttons are a surefire way to evoke a smile.

Our chocolate button ribbon bags are ready to gift, already wrapped in elegant packaging. Meanwhile, our Tiddly Pots are just the right size for small hands — and the replaceable lid will prevent those small hands from getting covered in melted chocolate.

Explore the potential of our milk, white, and dark chocolate buttons

Chocolate buttons may be bite-sized, but their potential is anything but small. Take a look at our collection of chocolate button varieties, and see how we infuse each and every bite with the finest ingredients and our signature chocolatier flair. What will you create next?