The Art of Seasonal Chocolate: From Peppermint to Pistachio

Winter has a way of awakening the kitchen.
On cold mornings, the air inside Makenu fills with the scent of crushed peppermint, roasted pistachios, and dark chocolate warming slowly over a double boiler. The aromas of peppermint, roasted nuts, and warm chocolate are the way our kitchen announces that winter craft has begun.

Seasonal chocolate is different from everyday chocolate.
It asks for patience, rhythm, and a certain kind of playfulness. Peppermint bark may seem simple at first glance, but the magic lies in the balance: the sharp coolness of real peppermint folded against the warmth of single-origin cacao. Pistachios require hand-roasting so their oils bloom just enough to meet the tart pop of dried cranberries. Every ingredient has its own personality, its own pace.

We work in small batches for a reason.
It lets us watch the chocolate closely — how it moves, how it cools, how it sets. It gives us time to taste each layer and adjust, not to meet a recipe, but to meet a feeling. For us, holiday chocolate should taste like memory: gatherings around the table, cold hands wrapped around a warm mug, the first snap of a seasonal bar shared with someone you love.

Our seasonal creations honor the origins of the cacao we use.
Peppermint bark may be nostalgic, but the heart of it is still the bean — often from the Dominican Republic or Ecuador — with flavor notes shaped by sun, soil, and fermentation. Every winter flavor we create begins with that same respect for origin. Tradition meets terroir. Memory meets craft.

And that is the quiet beauty of seasonal chocolate.
It only appears once a year, shaped by the kinds of flavors we crave when the air turns cold and gatherings become more intimate. It’s not meant to last forever. It’s meant to be savored now — in small bites, shared moments, and the slow pace of winter days.

However you celebrate the season, we hope our holiday chocolates become part of your own rituals — a way to pause, to savor, and to feel the warmth of something made by hand.

Discover this year’s seasonal creations — available in-store while they last.