Devnaa Dark bar; Cashew Butter, "Chaat" Cups - Feb. 19, 2015

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

Devnaa
Dark Chocolate with almonds and honey bar
Good
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) total bar
Calories:
Cost:
Purchased from: NotOnTheHighStreet, online order (UK)

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate and India Theme Week.

This Devnaa dark chocolate bar with honey
had a subtle spice flavor and small bits of almond.

I also decided to make some dark chocolate filled cups with Guittard chocolate.

Guittard
Extra Dark Chocolate Chips
Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 11.5 oz. (326 g.) total bag/package
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) for 1 oz. (28.3) serving
Cost: $2.49 (estimate)
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Guittard (Burlingame, CA) sells their chocolate (in bars, blocks and chips) to chocolatiers, dessert chefs and home bakers of all sorts.

It's consistently good chocolate for making confections. I started by microwaving (melting) Guittard's Extra Dark (63% cacao) Chocolate Chips to make dark chocolate cups. I coated small, colorful, cupcake style silicon molds with melted chocolate and, once the chocolate hardened, filled these with Indian-inspired flavors.

Cashew butter chaat* cups
The first batch of dark cups were a variation on peanut butter cups. I filled these with cashew butter and crunchy Fiery Stick snacks from Zouq Foods International (Gardena, CA). These "chaat" cups were flavorful and creamy-crunchy with a touch of savory, spicy flavor, and not too much sugar.

Dark chocolate, coconut India cups
The next batch of dark chocolate cups were filled with a coconut milk, cream cheese, coriander and honey layer, and topped with chopped pieces of a savory, not sweet "India" bar from Slow Nation (Slow Food for Fast Lives) (San Francisco, CA), and flakes of freeze-dried mango.

*Chaat is an Indian term for types of snack food, often characterized by dishes with pieces of fried dough.