Russell Stover - Blueberry Bites - Aug. 17, 2016

Chocolate of the Day:

Russell Stover
Blueberry Bites
Good
Weight: .74 oz. (21 g.) / 6.5 oz. (184 g.) in total package
Calories: 95 calories for 5 pieces
Cost: $4.79 for 1 package
Purchased from: Walgreens, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #10 of Chocolate, Fruit and Botanicals Month.

These Dark Chocolate Blueberry Bites were from Russell Stover Candies, Inc. (Kansas City, MO). Marble-shaped, jewel-toned, blueberry colored and flavored centers were coated with glossy dark chocolate coverings.

This flavor was part of a family of new "Everyday Chocolates" that the company announced this past year that included Bites, Sugar Free Bites, Bark, Pretzels and other confections.

Russell and Clara Stover began their chocolate company in the early 1920s in Denver, Colorado. The company later evolved and moved to Missouri. In 2014, Lindt and Sprungli bought Russell Stover Candies.

Mars - Dove Whole Blueberries Dipped in Dark Chocolate - Aug. 16, 2016

Chocolate of the Day:

Mars
Dove Whole Blueberries Dipped in Dark Chocolate
Good - Good +
Weight: 3 oz. (85 g.) / 6 oz. (170.1 g.) total package
Calories: 400 calories in 1/2 package
Cost: $4.99 for 1 package
Purchased from: Walgreens, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Chocolate, Fruit and Botanicals Month. This week I'm featuring another item in a series of blueberry chocolates.

Blueberries and chocolate have become known as good sources of antioxidants; so it's no surprise that companies are creating confections with both of these sweet, flavorful ingredients.

Today's Dove Whole Blueberries Dipped in Dark Chocolate offering from Mars Chocolate North America, LLC (Hackettstown, NJ) was similar to yesterday's Emily's dark chocolate covered, glossy, pearl-shaped blueberries. These were also covered in smooth dark chocolate, but were slightly sweeter. Both tasted relatively authentic and were made with real fruit (thank you).

Although today's Dove blueberries contained lactose, corn syrup and artificial flavors, which I could have done without. And yet, I still managed to enjoy 1/2 package with no trouble whatsoever.

Emily's - Dark Chocolate Covered Blueberries - Aug. 15, 2016

Chocolate of the Day:

Emily's
Dark Chocolate Covered Blueberries
Good+
Weight: 1.41 oz. (40 g.)/5 oz. (142 g.) in total package
Calories: 190 calories in 1/4 cup serving
Cost: $5.99 for 1 package
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #13 of Chocolate, Fruit and Botanicals Month.

Emily's Dark Chocolate Covered Blueberries were not bad for chocolate-covered fruit pieces. Made with Non GMO dark chocolate, these whole, dried blueberries tasted like real berries and contained no artificial flavors or colors.

The blueberries were sweetened, but didn't taste loaded with sugar—a good thing if you like tasting the fruit and the chocolate.

These berries were convenient to take along on a hike. (And, yes, chocolate and hiking are just as wonderful with a broken hand.)

The Emily's brand is "looked after by" AMES International, Inc. (Fife, WA).

Lindt - Pineapple bar, Ambrosia - Aug. 14, 2016

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

Lindt
Pineapple bar
Good
Weight: .7 oz. (20 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 105 calories in 1/5 bar
Cost: $3.49 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Chocolate, Fruit and Botanicals Month.

I was intrigued by my first taste of ambrosia fruit salad, by the combination of pineapple pieces, mandarin oranges, coconut flakes, diced marshmallows, sour cream and occasionally pecans or cherries.

Today's dark (47%) chocolate Pineapple bar from Lindt and Sprungli AG (Kilchberg, Switzerland), had a fruity aroma and contained small pieces of pineapple and flecks of hazelnut. (Pairing suggestion on the label for this bar: a Chardonnay white wine.)

I felt inspired to combine some different chocolates to approximate an ambrosia fruit salad. A small sampler plate soon also held: a Blood Orange Olive Oil Meltaway cube of silken chocolate goodness from Ethereal Confections (Woodstock, IL); a piece of Roasted White Chocolate (bar) from SOMA Chocolatemaker (Toronto, Canada); and a bite of Coconut Crisp bar from TCHO (Berkeley, CA).

I enjoyed alternating bites of complementary fruit flavors. Bon appetit to all.

Nestle - Milk Chocolate Raisinets - Aug. 13, 2016

Chocolate of the Day:

Nestle
Raisinets - Milk Chocolate
Good
Weight: 1/4 cup (45 g.) / 8 oz. (226.7 g.) in total package
Calories: 190 calories in 1/4 cup (45 g.) serving
Cost: $3.00 (sale) for 1 package
Purchased from: Walgreens, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate, Fruit and Botanicals Month.

Today I attended an event that was honoring women who joined the workforce during wartime (in World War II). These so-called Rosie the Riveters helped weld and assemble ships that were being launched in the San Francisco Bay Area (and elsewhere) in rapid succession, to help fight the war overseas during the 1940s.


In keeping with that era, I chose to feature Milk Chocolate Raisinets, a confection that may have been familiar to the "Rosies." Chocolate covered raisins have a long history, and were likely available in the U.S. at least a decade before World War II started, from the Blumenthal Chocolate Company and some European companies.

These chocolate and raisin pieces had an almost malty sweetness to them.

Milk Chocolate Raisinets now come from Nestle (Vevey, Switzerland). Nestle acquired the Raisinets brand in 1984.