Thursday, December 18, 2014

The Oakland Chocolate Co. - Hazelnut Bar - Dec. 18, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

The Oakland Chocolate Co.
Milk Chocolate Hazelnut Bar
Good++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $2.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Oakland Chocolate Co., Oakland, CA

Welcome to Day #1 of Chocolate and Hazelnut Theme Week.

We kicked off this week with a Milk Chocolate Hazelnut Bar from The Oakland Chocolate Co. (Oakland, CA), with rows of whole hazelnuts pressed into the back of this single origin bar.

Chocolate maker Nancy Nadel offers a line of bonbons and bars that she crafts using cacao beans from the Parish of St. Mary in Jamaica. Most of her chocolates are made with 70% cacao; but she also makes extra dark (85%) and milk chocolate (45%) bars -- today's Hazelnut bar being in the latter category. The 45% milk chocolate has a slight caramel flavor that pairs nicely with the hazelnuts.








Riegelein Confiserie - Rocking Horse - Dec. 17, 2014

Chocolate of the Day:

Riegelein Confiserie
Rocking Horse
Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 5.12 oz. (145 g.) in one package/horse
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1 oz. (28.3 g.) piece
Cost: $3.79 for 1 horse
Purchased from: Crossroads Specialty Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #7 of Chocolates in Toyland Theme Week.

The chocolate of the day was this red and gold foil wrapped Rocking Horse from Riegelein Chocolate (Cadolzburg, Germany)

Chocolates with natural ingredients (i.e. made without artificial flavors or colors) just taste better. And this milk chocolate (30% cocoa, 14% milk solids) rocking horse was no exception. The inclusion of cocoa butter rather than hydrogenated vegetable oils, e.g. was an improvement over some novelty milk chocolates.

Granted higher quality chocolates tend to be a bit more expensive; but I will happily pay a bit more for better chocolate, especially if these chocolate toys are for children.

Ingredients for today's sweet, smooth rocking equine: Sugar, cocoa butter, whole milk powder, cocoa mass, sweet whey powder, emulsifier: soy lecithin, natural vanilla.
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