Chocolate of the Day: Lily's Sweets, LLC
Candy Cane Dark 70% Dark Chocolate bar
Good +
Weight: 1.4 oz. (40 g.); 2.8 oz. (80 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 170 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $4.19 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Whole Foods Market, Los Altos, CA
Welcome to the last day (Day #9) of Chocolate and Peppermint Theme Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate and Alternative Sweeteners Week.Cane sugar is the expected sweetener for most bean-to-bar chocolates. However, one sees brown sugar, coconut sugar, honey and a variety of other sweeteners in chocolate bars and confections.
Today's Candy Cane 70% Dark Chocolate bar from Lily's Sweets, LLC* (King of Prussia, PA) was made with unsweetened chocolate (no sugar added). Instead of sugar, it was sweetened with Non-GMO Erythritol (a sugar alcohol) and Stevia Extract (from a plant).**
This gluten free and vegan dark bar broke with a hard snap (a sign of a good temper), and had a fairly creamy texture and melt—although it was slightly gritty in one or two bites. "Natural peppermint flavor" provided the authentic candy cane zing.
Thank you to Toni and Margaret for tasting help!
*The company is named after Lily, a cancer survivor. And a portion of proceeds from Lily's bars go to cancer research each year.
**"Ingredients: Unsweetened chocolate, Erythritol, Inulin, Cocoa Butter, Natural Peppermint Flavor, Stevia Extract, Organic Soy Lecithin, Vanilla."
Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) is a naturally sweet plant from South America that has been used for centuries to sweeten teas, medicines and other items, particularly in Brazil and Paraguay, and has been processed and marketed as an alternative sweetener around the globe in more recent times.
