Gianni's Peanut Ice Cream Sticks

What is it?

Peanut is the saltier alternative to almond in a chocstick, and the difference is more than the nut. Roasting brings out a savoury, faintly bitter edge in a peanut that an almond doesn't have, so it registers against sweet chocolate rather than complementing it. That contrast is why peanut works in confectionery generally and why it turns up in almost every chocolate bar that wants texture without adding another sweet element. Technically it's a legume rather than a nut, which matters for allergen labelling more than for taste. On a frozen stick the peanut pieces stay in the coating for the same reason almonds do: anything inside a frozen centre softens, where anything set into chocolate stays crisp until it's bitten.