You can now get chocolate gnocchi with a molten “lava” core

Gnocchi has always been a bit weird. Sandwiched somewhere in the edible nether zone between pasta and dumplings, its deliciousness is matched only by its mystery. To a layperson, producing cheesy, chewy potatoes is basically carby alchemy. It’s best not to think too hard about it and just eat.

Now, however, just as many of us were getting to grips with the complicated flour, egg and spud formula that leads to one of Italy’s tastiest exports, a new spanner has been thrown into the works. For diners who really want to put the “sweet” into “sweet potato”, there is now the option to upgrade normal gnocchi into a gooey, sugary marvel, with one surprising addition. 

As eagle-eyed shoppers have been reporting, Trader Joe’s customers can now get their hands on chocolate gnocchi, complete with a molten “chocolate lava” core. Made with a mixture of potato puree, pasteurised cream, cocoa powder and hazelnut paste, this might be the closest we come to discovering what happens if you mix mash with Nutella.

Check out our awesome four-way gnocchi recipes:

Although the new flavour was first brought to the public’s attention back in September on the Trader Joe’s podcast, it has taken until now for it to really capture everyone’s imagination. On November 13th, Instagram account @traderjoeslist shared a picture of the product, accompanied with the caption, “Pretty sure the internet is about to break”. Predictably, the photo has received over 44k likes on Instagram alone. 

Unsurprisingly for a product that combines potatoes and chocolate, the new gnocchi packs quite a punch on the calorie count. Each 129g serving weighs in at around 300 calories, although stopping at 129g seems unlikely. However, given that this might be the answer everyone who wishes they could eat pasta for pudding has been looking for, this seems like small price to pay.