Sunday, September 29, 2019

Farm Supply Company - Cowboy Chocolate Bar - Sept. 29, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Farm Supply Company
Cowboy Chocolate Bar
Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 4.5 oz. (127 g.) in total bar
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1 oz. (28.3 g.) of bar
Cost: $3.95 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Farm Supply Company, San Luis Obispo, CA

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate and Cowboy Country Theme Week.

Today's Cowboy Chocolate bar was made for Farm Supply Company (San Luis Obispo, CA), a farmer-owned cooperative that has catered to Central Coast farm, home and ranch needs for more than six decades.

The Farm Supply Company store in San Luis Obispo (one of several locations on the central coast) was filled with cowboy hats and all kinds of outdoor farm and ranch gear. In the parking lot, we paused to look at some large wagons and windmills. This farm supply store (established in 1950) was the real deal.

I walked out with a sturdy green feed bucket, a sample packet of mealworms (marketed for chickens)* and an orange bandana...and three chocolate items.


Make no mistake about it, today's milk chocolate bar with toffee and slivered almonds had a pleasant milk chocolate and toffee aroma, and was also very sweet.

*Yes, there are chocolate covered mealworms, but these were not for personal consumption. For those who are curious, these mealworms were used as a visual aid, in a children's science class on micro creatures and bugs. Thank you to Farm Supply for letting me have a small sample packet of these, as a 5-pound bag would have been overkill for this city dweller.




Morro Bay House of Jerky - Dark Chocolate Chipotle Bacon Bar - Sept. 28, 2019

Chocolate of the Day:

Morro Bay House of Jerky
Dark Chocolate Chipotle Bacon Bar
Good ++
Weight: 1.6 oz. (45 g.) in one bar
Calories: 240 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $3.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Morro Bay House of Jerky, Morro Bay, CA

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Cowboy Country Theme Week.

Today's Dark Chocolate Chipotle Bacon Bar was made for the Morro Bay House of Jerky (Morro Bay, CA).

The Bar was made by Mama Ganache (San Luis Obispo, CA), using high-quality, smooth dark chocolate with a velvety melt and texture, similar to yesterday's Dark Chocolate Bacon Bar (without chipotle).

As with yesterday's bar, pieces of real bacon added a pleasing savory flavor and bits of soft chewy texture. Together, the trio of dark chocolate, bacon and chipotle (pepper) spice were well balanced and complemented each other very nicely.

Trip notes: A quick search of local businesses near San Luis Obispo also revealed: "Cowboy Cookie and Ice Cream." Unfortunately, we did not have time for another stop to look for chocolate items there. Maybe next year. We did visit Grandma's Frozen Yogurt and Waffle Shop in Morro Bay though. Hats off to the owner(s) for creating a welcoming community space and some healthy sweet choices. 



Morro Bay House of Jerky - Dark Chocolate Bacon Bar - Sept. 27, 2019

Chocolate of the Day:

Morro Bay House of Jerky
Dark Chocolate Bacon Bar
Good ++
Weight: 1.6 oz. (45 g.) in one piece
Calories: 240 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $3.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Morro Bay House of Jerky, Morro Bay, CA

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and Cowboy Country Theme Week.

Today's Dark Chocolate Chipotle Bacon Bar was made for the Morro Bay House of Jerky—located in the scenic coastal town of Morro Bay, CA—in an area where ocean and beach lovers, college students, wine country visitors and Cowboy country folks mix, work and enjoy life by the sea.

The "Chocolate Covered Bacon" sign caught my attention as we were walking by, admiring the view of the ocean and of Morro Rock. Inside was an impressive array of domestic and exotic jerky, including a mushroom (vegetarian) option, including two dark bars with bacon. Sold.

The dark chocolate in this bar (made by by Mama Ganache *(San Luis Obispo, CA) was velvety and tasted quite a bit better than your average dark chocolate bar. Pieces of real bacon added a pleasing savory twist and some soft chewy texture. A well-done implementation of this blend.




Thursday, September 26, 2019

Morro Bay House of Jerky - Chocolate Covered Bacon - Sept. 26, 2019

Chocolate of the Day:

Morro Bay House of Jerky
Chocolate Covered Bacon
Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) in one piece
Calories: 155 calories (estimate) in 1 piece
Cost: $3.99 for 1 piece
Purchased from: Morro Bay House of Jerky, Morro Bay, CA

Welcome to Day #1 of Chocolate and Cowboy Country Theme Week.

The bulk of this week's chocolates were acquired on the Central Coast of California, where there are ranches, farms and frequent glimpses of wide open spaces between cities. A landscape where one might even find a cowboy.

Chocolate Banquet is based in the San Francisco Bay Area (peninsula)—an area with a rich agricultural and ranch history that was still visible even one generation ago. Empty lots now are few and far between, and parks (some former ranches and farms) form most of the open spaces now.

Today's chocolate was a strip of Chocolate Covered Bacon made for Morro Bay House of Jerky (Morro Bay, CA) by Mama Ganache (San Luis Obispo, CA), known for their confections and bars made with ethically-sourced cacao.

The dark chocolate was silky smooth and not ultra-sweet (thank you); and it provided a great pairing with the chewy-crunchy savory bacon. (The bacon was hardwood smoked and honey cured.)

The House of Jerky offers an impressive variety of beef and other domestic and exotic (and vegetarian) packaged jerky flavors. See if you can find the hidden cowboy while you're there.*

A special thank you to Mike J. (pictured behind the counter) who provided valuable and friendly assistance in chocolate item selection when we visited there recently.

*The company's logo incorporates a cowboy (or perhaps a ranch cook) ringing a triangle.**

** A triangle is a rod or bar of metal bent into an open triangular-shape that is "played" by striking another metal rod against/inside the triangle, often in a a circular motion. This instrument (in various forms) dates back to 14th century Europe, and perhaps further. And while you may find this percussive instrument in an orchestra playing Mozart or Beethoven pieces, a metal/iron triangle was also used on farms/ranches in the Western U.S. to summon ranch/farm hands to a meal.



Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Mayana Chocolate - Monkey Bar Mini - Banana Rum Caramel, Vanilla Bean 66% Dark Chocolate (bar) - Sept. 25, 2019

Chocolate of the Day:

Mayana Chocolate
Monkey Bar Mini - Banana Rum Caramel, Vanilla Bean 66% Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good +
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.45 g.) in total bar
Calories: 250 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $3.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Spanish Table, Mill Valley, CA

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate and Banana Theme Week.

Today's Monkey Bar Mini was handcrafted by those at Mayana Chocolate in Spooner, Wisconsin.

The bar-shaped confection was a total sugar bomb (with at least three types of sugar), but it was a very nicely flavored one.

At the heart of this sweet thing was a foundation layer of authentic banana caramel with a faint hint of butter rum flavor.* This layer was topped by a layer of light as a feather vanilla marshmallow. And this sweet stack was covered in 66% dark chocolate, and festively sprinkled with what might have been...more sugar.

*This flavor was conjured with banana-rum liqueur according to the ingredients list.

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Ben and Jerry's - Chunky Monkey Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert - Sept. 24, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Ben and Jerry's
Chunky Monkey Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert
Good +
Weight: 1/2 cup (102 g.) / 1 Pint (473 mL) in total container
Calories: 270 calories in 1 (1/2 cup) serving
Cost: $ missing information
Purchased from: missing information

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Banana Theme Week.

Happy first day of autumn chocolate-loving friends! The shorter days are not enough to keep us away from chilly, frozen chocolate desserts. Today temperatures were in the mid-90s (F) in Northern California.

Today's Chunky Monkey Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert was from Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream (South Burlington, Vermont).*

This non-dairy (almond milk) version of the company's original Chunky Monkey, a long-time Ben and Jerry's ice cream flavor, was better than expected. Mid-afternoon heat sizzled, and we found ourselves enjoying a second helping to cool down. This smooth, cold, rich and relatively creamy frozen dessert had authentic banana, fudge chunk and fresh banana flavors.

*Ben and Jerry's, now known as Ben and Jerry's Homemade Holdings Inc., began selling ice creams in 1978 in Burlington, VT. In 2000, the company was sold to British-Dutch conglomerate Unilever, and presently operates as a fully owned subsidiary of Unilever.




Monday, September 23, 2019

NuGo Nutrition - Chocolate Banana bar - Sept. 23, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

NuGo Nutrition
(Lifestyle Evolution Inc.)
Chocolate Banana (bar)
OK+
Weight: .44 oz. (12.5 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 47.5 calories in 1/4 bar
Cost: $1.89 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and Banana Theme Week.

Today's Chocolate Banana bar was manufactured for NuGo Nutrition (Oakmont, PA). "NuGo" is short for "Nutrition To Go."

This chocolate-drizzled banana nutrition bar had a crispy, chewy texture (think crisped rice bar meets protein bar), and contained 15 grams of protein (from soy protein isolate). The bar also had added vitamins and minerals, and a faint somewhat artificial flavor. (It was hard to tell if this was a product of the soy protein, the vitamins and/or the banana flavor.)

The NuGo Chocolate Banana bar was labeled as Gluten Free and Non-GMO (they don't source ingredients with GM ingredients).



Sunday, September 22, 2019

Argencove - Banana 70% Cacao Dark Chocolate Nicaragua bar - Sept. 22, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Argencove Fine Artisan Chocolate
Banana - 70% Cacao Dark Chocolate - Nicaragua (bar)
Good+++
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.11 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 162 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $16.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate and Banana Theme Week.

Today's Banana 70% Cacao Dark Chocolate Nicaragua (bar) was made in-country* by Argencove Fine Artisan Chocolate (Granada, Nicaragua).

This fine dark chocolate bar was infused with banana pieces and spices (cinnamon and cloves) and had balanced aroma and flavor with rich chocolate (and light, natural fruit/banana) and satisfying warm spice notes.

The sweetness of these ingredients was conveyed without the bar being overly sweet—a nice hat trick for makers, if they have the patience and determination to pull this off. And much appreciated by us.

This might be one of the best banana chocolate bars you'll ever taste.

*This phrase is often used to refer to chocolate that was made from bean-to-bar in the same location where the cacao was grown. Most of the time cacao beans are shipped, out of country, for production into chocolate elsewhere.






Trader Joe's - Chocolate Chip Banana Bread; Snow Monkeys, Bananas and Chocolate - Sept. 21, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Trader Joe's
Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
Good++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 12 oz. (340 g.) in total package/bag
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1/2 large muffin
Cost: $2.99 (estimate) for 1 package/bag
Purchased from: Trader Joe's, Mountain View/Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate and Banana Theme Week.

Today's tasty Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips from Trader Joe's (Monrovia, CA) were embedded in a gluten free version  of homemade banana bread—made with mashed bananas, banana flour, spices, nuts and no added sugar.

Other items sampled today included:
  • A Cacao Fruit Smoothie from Dandelion Chocolate (San Francisco, CA)
  • Chocolate Horchata from Dandelion Chocolate (San Francisco, CA)
  • A gluten-free oatmeal chocolate chip and cranberry cookie
  • Snow Monkey Cinnamon Superfood Ice Treat. This dairy-free frozen dessert contained 21 grams of protein; and the first ingredient listed was banana puree. (It did not contain any chocolate.)
And, if you're thinking, that's a lot of sugar. You're right. It was.





Friday, September 20, 2019

Legendary Foods - Chocolate Banana Flavored Peanut Spread - Sept. 20, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Legendary Foods LLC
Chocolate Banana Flavored Peanut Spread
Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) in total packet/sachet
Calories: 140 calories in 1 packet/sachet
Cost: $1.69 for 1 packet/sachet
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Banana Theme Week.

Today's sachet (packet) of Chocolate Banana Flavored Peanut Spread was from Legendary Foods LLC (Pasadena, CA). The convenient single-serving packaging made it convenient to carry it and eat it with a meal on the go or as an outdoor adventure snack.

The keto-friendly and gluten free spread had a slightly artificially sweet banana aroma and flavor (perhaps due to the "natural flavors"* or alternative sweeteners added?). Banana can be a tricky flavor to infuse into foods and sweets.

The spread's consistency, like every other nut butter-like spreads in small packets we've tasted, was a combination of nut butter solids and oil. So do massage the small packet gently between your fingers first before opening it, to avoid having to sponge oil drips out of your clothing.

Otherwise, the peanut spread had authentic peanut flavor, a faint cocoa note, and nut butter melt and consistency. Extra points to the company for no sugar, and using relatively natural sugar substitutes (erythritol and stevia)* to add some sweetness. (A single serving had 3 net carbs.)

*Ingredients: Peanuts, Erythritol. Contains less than 2% of the following: cocoa, dried bananas, cocoa butter, natural flavors, sea salt, sunflower lecithin, palm oil, steviol glycosides (stevia). (The company sources ingredients without GMOs.)




Thursday, September 19, 2019

Clif Bar - Banana Chocolate Peanut Butter - Nut Butter Filled bar - Sept. 18, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Clif Bar
Nut Butter Filled - Banana Chocolate Peanut Butter bar
Good
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 220 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $2.49 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and Banana Theme Week.

Today's Nut Butter Filled Banana Chocolate Peanut Butter bar was from Clif Bar (Emeryville, CA)*, a family and employee-owned company based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

This organic bar had a fresh baked banana bread aroma, which showed up in the flavor (and finish). And it had a soft, chewy texture and a smooth chocolate nut (peanut) butter filling.

Clif Bar (co-)founder Gary Erickson's idea(s) for a better energy bar, and the first Clif Bar, were conceived in the early 1990s.

Clif Bar now offers a variety of bars (including a family of nut butter filled bars), in the ever-evolving, individually-packaged energy/trail/protein/snack bar category—designed for busy, on-the-go lives, and for those who want a sturdy, non-perishable snack to take on outdoor adventures.

I've had a life-long love for hiking, skiing and long-distance adventures, and appreciate all the progress that's been made in this category.

While home built snacks (like gorp) and trail "bars" last century were great. (You knew exactly what was in them and you could customize your own blend.) However, they required extra shopping and planning and the produce or plastic bags they were stuffed in, or taped up with, often leaked—or (worse) oozed—staining one's backpack and attracting unwanted wildlife out on the trail.

Thankfully, individually-wrapped commercially available bars have continued to improve. Early pressed bars made were often overly sweet, over-processed, and contained many artificial ingredients. Clif Bar has kept up with, and sometimes led, the field with their priorities and choices around health and wellness.

*This bar was made in Canada, and contained peanuts, fair trade chocolate, oats and "natural flavors."  It may contain traces of tree nuts, milk, wheat and soy.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Barnana - Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup - Banana Bites - Sept. 18, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Barnana
Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup - Organic Chewy Banana Bites
Good
Weight: 1.4 oz. (40 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total package
Calories: 185 calories in 1 serving
Cost: $ missing information - $6.99 (estimate) for 1 package
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Organic Chewy Banana Bites were from Barnana (Santa Monica, CA).

The oval-shaped Barnana bites had a smooth, chocolate peanut butter cup coating surrounding a banana and peanut flour core.* They had a roasted nut and caramelized banana aroma and flavor, a slightly chewy texture and balanced natural-tasting banana, peanut and chocolate flavors.

These grain-free bites were labeled as being "Upcycled." Barnana, a Certified B Corporation,** is helping to reduce food waste by using "imperfect", but still good, bananas grown on organic banana plantations, that might otherwise be discarded.

*Ingredients: Organic Peanut Butter Cup Coating (organic dried cane syrup, organic cacao beans, certified organic sustainable palm kernel oil, organic peanut flour, organic cacao butter, sea salt, organic sunflower lecithin), organic bananas, organic peanut flour

**A Certified B Corporation is a for-profit corporation that's been certified by B Lab, which is a non-profit organization that measures a company's social, environmental and transparency performance against certain standards. By mid-2019, there were approximately 1,800 Certified B Corps in more than 50 countries across 130 different industries.





Chocolate Maya - Almond Butter chocolate - Sept. 17, 2019

Chocolate(s) of the Day

Chocolate Maya
1.) Almond Butter chocolate - Good +++
2.) Caramelized Almond Cup - Dark Chocolate - Good ++
Weight: .78 oz. (22 g.) (estimate) for 2 pieces
Calories: 117 calories (estimate) in 2 pieces
Cost: $5.00 for 2 pieces
Purchased from: Chocolate Maya, Santa Barbara, CA

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate and Nut Butter Theme Week.

Today's Almond Butter filled chocolate and Caramelized Almond Cup were handcrafted at Chocolate Maya (Santa Barbara, CA).

The Almond Butter piece was described as having "toasty spices blended in (a) creamy almond butter." And the Caramelized Almond Cup's description read: "solid dark chocolate and caramelized California almonds."

Both were quite good and as promised. The former, a vegan, gluten free Almond Butter filled dome had well balanced, nutty, almond butter aroma and flavor with a trace of light upbeat spice and was covered with a high-quality, lightly decorated (spotted) chocolate shell.

The Caramelized Almond Cup was wall-to-wall, high-quality dark chocolate studded with caramelized (but not too sweet, thank you!) crunchy almond pieces that had received just the right amount of heat.


Monday, September 16, 2019

Wild Friends Foods - Chocolate Protein Peanut Butter - Sept. 16, 2019

Source: Wild Friends website
Chocolate of the Day:

Wild Friends Foods
Chocolate Protein Peanut Butter
Good
Weight: 1.13 oz. (32 g.) in 1 serving (2 TB)
Calories: 170 calories in 1 serving (2 TB)
Cost: $2.99 for 1 jar
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Nut Butter Theme Week.

Today's jar of Chocolate Protein Peanut Butter was from Wild Friends Foods (Portland, OR).

This Chocolate Protein Nut Butter contained 12 grams of protein, provided primarily by peanuts and whey protein .*

Yes, I realize that peanuts aren't technically nuts, but rather legumes, but they have been included this week nonetheless.

This nutty spread had a fairly natural peanut aroma and taste. Chocolate was a background flavor. The melt and mouthfeel were even and uniform. The texture was a mix of slightly fluffy, creamy and smooth, with a fine graininess as well.

Wild Friends now offers a wide selection of nut butter spreads, and at least a half dozen with chocolate. Unfortunately, today's flavor may no longer be available. (It was not listed on the company's website this week. Although a similar chocolate peanut butter with collagen protein was featured.)

*Ingredients: Roasted peanuts, whey protein isolate, organic dark chocolate (cane sugar, cocoa liquor, cocoa butter), peanut oil, organic vanilla, sea salt


Sunday, September 15, 2019

BochaSweet - BochaBar Chocolate Peanut Butter - Sept. 15, 2019

Chocolate of the Day:

BochaSweet LLC
BochaBar Chocolate Peanut Butter bar
Good ++
Weight: 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 260 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $N/A - part of a larger order
Purchased from: BochaSweet (online order)

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and Nut Butter Theme Week.

Today's Chocolate Peanut Butter bar was from BochaSweet LLC (Las Vegas, NV). The company has focused on producing a healthier bar with superior versions of sugars and fats.

This bar tasted like a pressed, chewy chocolate peanut butter protein bar, with no off flavors, and with a sweetness that was natural without being too sweet (thank you!). It was substantial and filling in a satisfying way.

The company's sugar alternative (BochaSweet), used to sweeten today's bar is made from kabocha and is being incorporated into two BochaBars. Today's bar) contains chocolate, and the other is a vanilla almond flavor, with no chocolate.

Kabocha is a dark green, pumpkin-like squash rich in Vitamins A, B and C, manganese and other nutrients. Kabocha has also been a food staple in Japan for many centuries, and is consumed in some regions of Japan where populations have longer than average lifespans.

Whether BochaSweet's (pentose) extract, in its processed form, still contains all of the kabocha nutrients mentioned above, I do not know. But the resulting sugar substitute (which looks like sugar) is supposed to have a minimal effect on insulin--one of the holy grails, for sugar alternatives, along with a naturally clean, sweet taste, which BochaSweet also seems to have.

A sweetener like this that doesn't result in glucose spikes and lacks any bitter aftertaste should peak interest in the chocolate and confection industry. One possible barrier to the adoption of this sweetener may be its relatively high cost, at least initially.*

And now, on to fats...Consumers have grown wary of vegetable oils in processed foods and bars.

This BochaBar contained MCT oil, that contains medium-chain triglycerides. It is often extracted from coconut oil or palm oil. MCTs are made of of shorter chains of fatty acids than some other fats in our diet, are naturally found in coconut and palm oils as well as goat's milk and (human) breast milk. They are thought to be a bit easier to digest than longer chains found in other food sources.

*Higher adoption rates and volume can sometimes bring down costs over time.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Trader Joe's - Almond Butter Cups - Sept. 14, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Trader Joe's
Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cups
Good ++
Weight: 1.27 oz. (36 g.) / 8 oz. (227 g.) in total container
Calories: 190 calories in 1 serving (3 small cups)
Cost: $3.99 for 1 container
Purchased from: Trader Joe's, Mountain View, CA

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate and Nut Butter Theme Week.

Today's Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cups from Trader Joe's (Monrovia, CA) were thick, creamy, sweet and satisfying.

Individually wrapped in gold foil, these filled chocolate cups were thick, creamy, sweet and satisfying. Great for hikes, personal (or work) field trips, bag lunches, etc. as long as they aren't left in direct sun.

Even then, these cups proved to be more resilience than, say, a thin, single origin dark chocolate bar, which converts to a lovely solar-induced chocolate fondue fairly quickly on a hot day. And, since we're experiencing a last blast of hot weather (edging toward triple digits) and trying to spend time outdoors, chocolate meltdowns can be avoided only with careful planning.

Chocolove - Hazelnut Butter Cup Dark Chocolate - Sept. 13, 2019

Chocolate of the Day:

Chocolove
Hazelnut Butter Cup
Good ++
Weight: .6 oz. (17 g.) in 1 package/cup
Calories: 100 calories in 1 cup
Cost: $1.99 (estimate) for 1 cup
Purchased from: New Leaf Markets, Half Moon Bay, CA

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate and Nut Butter Theme Week.

Sometimes you just want one nut butter cup in its own individually packaged serving size, to prevent you from overeating a second one.

Today's Hazelnut Butter Cup was from Chocolove (Boulder, CO). The dark chocolate cup was very creamy in texture and the filling was a slightly more textured (but also quite smooth), praline-like hazelnut butter filling.

Chocolove also makes dark and milk almond butter and peanut butter cups.


Thursday, September 12, 2019

Nana Joes - Granola, Chef's Blend Series - Strawberry, Coconut and Chocolate Chip - Sept. 12, 2019

Chocolate of the Day:

Nana Joes
Chef's Blend Series Granola - Strawberry, Coconut, Chocolate Chip
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 8 oz. (227 g.) in total package
Calories: 170 calories in 1 serving
Cost: $12.00 (estimate) for 1 package
Purchased from: Nana Joe's table, CUESA's Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Nut Butter Theme Week.

Sometimes nut butters can take the place of other/more processed oils and fats, and we're all for that if it's done right. One example: Today's Chef's Blend Series Granola - Strawberry, Coconut and Chocolate Chip, from Nana Joes (San Francisco, CA), created using Hu Kitchen (New York, NY) chocolate chips*

This vegan and gluten free granola was flavorful, sweet and crunchy, and had a nutty texture and taste (almonds and almond butter + seeds).* The nuts and seeds were accented with micro flavor bursts of authentic, concentrated strawberry, raspberry and chocolate.

This was a great blend of high-quality ingredients, resulting in a great granola. And, unlike some granolas, it still felt relatively "light." Instead of added/processed vegetable oils, the fat content was provided by nuts, seeds, and almond butter.

This granola was sweetened with both organic maple syrup and organic coconut sugar, but contained no refined white or brown sugar.

*Ingredients: "Organic sliced almonds, organic shredded coconut, organic maple syrup, organic pecans, organic pumpkin seeds, organic almond butter, Hu Chocolate Gems (organic cacao, unrefined organic coconut sugar, organic fair-trade cocoa butter), seeds, hemp seed, hulled, dried strawberries, raspberry fruit powder, organic chia seeds, sea salt"


Nana Joes - Paleo Sunrise Series Granola, Hu Kitchen Blend - Sept. 11, 2019

Chocolate of the Day:

Nana Joes
Paleo Sunrise Series Granola - Hu Chocolate Blend
Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 8 oz. (227 g.) in total package
Calories: 160 calories in 1 serving
Cost: $10.00 (estimate) for 1 package
Purchased from: Nana Joes table, Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, San Francisco, CA


Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and Nut Butter Theme Week.

And, today, marks Chocolate Banquet's 13th anniversary. We're firing off some confetti in the background here, celebrating more than 4,740 chocolates sampled to date.

Today's Paleo Sunrise Granola with Hu Kitchen dark chocolate was made by Nana Joes (San Francisco, CA). Their Hu Kitchen blend included almond butter, pecans, coconut and dark chocolate from Hu Kitchen (New York, NY). For a full list of ingredients, see below.*

The granola had a satisfying texture and crunch and was full of nutty and chocolate flavor. The almonds and almond butter helped tie everything all together.

Ingredients: Organic almonds, organic shredded coconut, organic maple syrup, organic pecans, organic pumpkin seeds, organic almond butter, Hu Chocolate Gems (organic cacao, unrefined organic coconut sugar, organic fair trade cocoa butter), organic hemp seeds, organic cocoa powder, organic chia seeds, Jacobsen sea salt, organic maca powder 






Marshall's Munchies - Rocky Road Chunks - Sept. 10, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Marshall's Munchies
Rocky Road Chunks
Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) /6 oz. (171 g.) in total container of 6 pieces
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1 serving
Cost: $5.99 for 1 container
Purchased from: The Willows Market, Menlo Park, CA

Welcome to Day #1 of Chocolate and Nut Butter Theme Week.

Today's container of Marshall's Munchies Rocky Road Chunks were obtained from a local small market. The Willows Market (Menlo Park, CA) carries an impressive array of foods, spirits, deli items and a few chocolate items of their own.

The basic pairing of nuts and nut butters with chocolate is tried and true. Rocky road confections embrace this marriage while adding marshmallows. And today's chocolatey and nutty treats were also sweetened with butterscotch and toffee.*

We reached for a few extra nuts and some nut butter to balance the sweetness.

*Ingredients: Dark chocolate, peanuts, marshmallows, butterscotch morsels, toffee, nuts


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