Chocolate product

2:

• A chocolate product according to claim 1, wherein the dairy ingredient is selected from the group consisting of low fat milk powder, skimmed milk powder, whole milk powder and whey powder.

3:

• A chocolate product according to claim 1, wherein the softening ingredient is a paste, oil or butter.

4:

• A chocolate product according to claim 1, wherein the softening ingredient is derived from nuts and/or seeds.

5:

• A chocolate product according to claim 4, wherein the ingredient derived from nuts and/or seeds is selected from the group consisting of almonds, peanuts, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, coconut, pecans, palm, walnuts, pistachios, cashews, Brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, poppy seeds, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, canola seeds coffee beans and cocoa beans, or any combination thereof.

6:

• A chocolate product according to claim 1, wherein the softening ingredient is a butter derived from nuts and/or seeds selected from the group consisting of cocoa beans, peanuts, hazelnuts, walnuts, palm nuts, canola seeds and sunflower seeds.

7:

• A chocolate product according to claim 1 wherein the product further comprises one or more ingredients selected from the group consisting of a sugar, fat, oil, emulsifier, thickener, preservative, water, colors, flavors, sweetener, salt and sugar replacer.

8:

• A chocolate product according to claim 7, wherein the emulsifier is selected from the group comprising:
• lecithin derived from soya bean, safflower, corn etc., fractionated lecithins enriched with either phosphatidyl choline, phosphatidyl ethanolamine, phosphatidyl inositol;
• emulsifiers derived from oats, mono- and diglycerides and their tartaric esters, monosodium phosphate derivatives of mono- and diglycerides of edible fats and oils, sorbitan monostearate, polyoxymethylene sorbitan monostearate, hydroxylated lecithin, synthetic phospholipids such as ammonium phosphatides, poly glycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR), lactylated fatty acid esters of glycerol and propylene glycol, poly glycerol esters of fatty acids, citric acid esters of fatty acids, propylene glycol mono- and diesters of fats and fatty acids, and combinations thereof.

9:

• A chocolate product according to claim 7, wherein the sweetener is selected from the group comprising:
• acesulfame K, advantame, alitame, aspartame, aspartame-acesulfame salt, cyclomates, glucin, neohespiridin dihydrochalcone, neotame, saccharin, sucralose, rebaudioside A, rebaudioside D, rebaudioside M, glycyrrhizin, monatin, osladine, stevia, steviol glycosides, monk fruit, mogrosides, and combinations thereof.

11:

• A chocolate product according to claim 7, wherein the flavor is selected from the group consisting of vanilla, fruit flavorings, mint flavorings, fruit concentrates, spices, hazelnut paste, orange flavor, and combinations thereof.

12:

• A chocolate product according to claim 1, wherein the chocolate product is a coating of an edible product.

13:

• A chocolate product according to claim 12, wherein the edible product is selected from the group comprising a fruit, dried fruit, dried fruit piece, fruit paste, a nut, a nut piece, vegetable, or dried vegetable.

14:

• A packaged chocolate product according to claim 1.

15:

• A method of preparing a chocolate product according to claim 1, the method comprising the step of combining at least one cocoa ingredient, dairy ingredient, and at least one softening agent.

16:

• A method of providing a filled or coated edible product, in which an edible product is filled or coated with a chocolate product according to claim 1.