Blessings for Pesek Zman Chocolate

What blessing do I recite on the Pesek Zman chocolate? Is it Mezonot because of the wafer part, or Shehakol because of the chocolate? Or maybe both? Can you please help me by providing clear guidelines?

Thank you for your question.

The answer:

Bracha Rishonah: Mezonot.

Bracha Achronah: Borei Nefashot. (However, if you ate a kezayit—the size of a small matchbox—of the wafer within kedei achilat pras ; lechatchilah is 4 minutes, b'dieved 7 minutes, then the bracha is Al Hamichya.)

The answer explained.

Bracha Rishonah:

The reason why we say Mezonot is that the chocolate is added in order to enhance the taste of the wafer. Therefore, since we taste the wafer and the chocolate is there to enhance its flavor, we recite Mezonot .

Bracha Achronah:

There are three conditions to say Al Hamichya :

1. The flour is at least one-eighth of the ingredients.
2. One eats a kezayit (the size of a small matchbox) of flour.
3. The kezayit is eaten within kedei achilat pras (Le’chatchillah 4 minutes, Be’dieved 7 minutes).

So let me give you some examples to clarify this Halacha:

A Tart Cake:
The tart cake looks like a Mezonot cake; however, it is not only made of flour. Instead, it contains a number of other ingredients, such as eggs, sugar, etc., whose bracha is not Mezonot but rather Shehakol .

In this case, since the other ingredients are added to enhance the taste of the flour, they can be considered part of the kezayit. Therefore, if one eats a kezayit of such a cake, one can say Al Hamichya . However, the Mishnah Berurah (Siman 208, Se'if Katan 48) writes that, le’chatchillah one should have a kezayit of the flour alone within the kedei achilat pras timeframe and not rely on this leniency of including the other ingredients.

משנה ברורה על שולחן ערוך אורח חיים הלכות ברכת הפירות סימן רח סעיף ט

ומ"מ לענין פת כיסנין שמעורב בתבלין הרבה [כגון צוקע"ר לעק"ך] נוהגין העולם לברך עליו לבסוף על המחיה כשיש בו כזית אף שבמין דגן לבדו שנמצא בו אין בו שיעור כזית ואולי שטעמם מפני שהתבלין בא להכשיר את האוכל מצטרף עם האוכל גופא לשיעור וכדאיתא כעין זה במ"א סימן ר"י. ולכתחלה טוב ליזהר לשער שיהיה בהקמח שיעור כזית:

Mishnah Berurah OC, Siman 208, Se'if 9:

Nevertheless, regarding pat kisnin (filled or spiced bread) that contains a lot of spices, the common practice is to recite Al Hamichya after eating it if it contains the volume of a kezayit, even though the actual grain content alone does not amount to a kezayit. The reasoning is that the spices, which enhance the food, combine with the actual food itself to make up the required volume, as we find a similar concept in the Magen Avraham, Siman 210. Ideally, however, it is better to ensure that the flour itself constitutes the volume of a kezayit.

Rugelach and Bourekas:
The chocolate in the rugelach or the inside filling of the bourekas cannot be included in the kezayit together with the flour, as they are a separate entity which is added on. This is unlike the tart cake mentioned earlier, where there is a leniency to include the other ingredients since they were mixed into the actual batter.

Wafers and Pesek Zman:

The chocolate cannot be included in the calculation of the kezayit since, as we explained earlier, it is a separate entity and cannot be included.

However, the question arises: if I did have a kezayit that is made up of some of the chocolate and part of it is wafer, may we recite Borei Nefashot ? The depth of this question lies in whether a Mezonot food, on which we normally recite Al Hamichya , can, when lacking the amount to qualify for Al Hamichya , be included with the chocolate to say Borei Nefashot Rabbot .

The Mishnah Berurah later in Siman 210, Se'if Katan 1, writes that one can include the wafer part in the kezayit and say Borei Nefashot Rabbot .

משנה ברורה על שולחן ערוך אורח חיים הלכות ברכת הפירות סימן רי

אכל חצי זית משבעת המינין וחצי זית אחר מברך אחריהן בורא נ"ר

Mishnah Berurah OC Siman 210:

If one ate half a kezayit of the seven species and half a kezayit of another type, then one should recite recite the blessing Borei Nefashot Blessing.

Wishing you much success.

Mishnah Berurah, Siman 208, Se'if Katan 48

Mishnah Berurah, Siman 210, Se'if Katan 1