My first time in Berlin, my sister and I discovered the Ritter Sport store only after the Make Your Own Chocolate Bar Area had closed.  We still had time to buy a bunch of chocolate from the regular store, but as this was our last day in the city we could not go back.  It was sehr traurig.

Now that we were going back to Berlin we had another chance – another opportunity to show up on time and make delicious chocolate bars of our own invention!

The three of us walked from our hotel up to Fassbender & Rausch (more about that later – so much more about that later), and from there went to the Ritter Sport Store (also known as Bunte Schokowelt).

I was thinking of making 2 bars, but when I saw that we’d arrived too early in the season to get white chocolate I decided on only 1.  I wanted milk chocolate & chili, but I assumed that chocolate/chili would be available to buy in the store (which it wasn’t), and since you can get a maximum of 3 mix-ins I decided to go big.  I chose milk chocolate with strawberry pieces, raspberry pieces, and pink peppercorns.  A bit weird, but I figured that I might as well make something I couldn’t get in stores.

Someone else does the mixing and moulding, but they’re pros so it’s fun to watch them.  Also, they have a faucet which pours out a river of chocolate which is so entrancing to watch (and very reminiscent of Willy Wonka, except on a much smaller level – and there’s barely any risk of falling in).  Once your chocolate is finished being mixed & moulded, it gets frozen.

It’s really quick to make, but I think it was maybe 30 minutes before we could claim our bars.  I really don’t remember, except that it was long enough for us to wander around the store, buy more chocolate, and go across to a small park and sit for a while.  We figured out the best way to get to our next destination (the DDR Museum) and enjoyed the trees and sunshine before going back to claim our chocolates!

The bar remained untouched until after I was back in Canada.  There was so much other chocolate to eat (mostly in cake form, which doesn’t travel as well), so I figured I could save the chocolate for later.  The taste was strange – peppery and sweet – but I really enjoyed it.  I was pretty darn happy with my choice.  The only problem was that once I had eaten the entire bar there would be no more…

When it comes to desserts I can be pretty resourceful, so I went to Bulk Barn and bought the ingredients to try and replicate it.  I had to settle a bit when it came to the fruit, but the pink peppercorns and the chocolate were easy enough to get.  A microwave, a mould, and a freezer later and I had them made!  Once you Include that touch of nostalgia, they were perfect.