Saturday, August 20, 2022

Bubbies - Cookie Dough Ice Cream Bites - Aug. 20, 2022

Chocolate of the Day 

Bubbies
Cookie Dough Ice Cream Bites 
Good ++
Weight: 2.68 oz. (76 g.) / 8 oz. (228 g.) in total package/box of 6
Calories: 260 calories in 2 pieces
Cost: $3.99 for 1 box of 6 pieces
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Rice Theme Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate and Hawaii Theme Week.

Today's Cookie Dough Ice Cream Bites (frozen dessert bites consisting of vanilla chocolate chip ice cream inside a rice-based cookie dough) were manufactured by Bubbies Hawaii (Bubbies Homemade Ice Cream and Desserts Inc.). The company is based in Phoenix, AZ, but got its start making ice cream in Hawaii in 1985.

These bites had a satisfyingly complex melt and texture. The outer rice dough was firm yet pliable--a well-executed rich cookie dough with some of the pillowy, springy-chewy mochi texture one finds in frozen mochi desserts.

The cold, creamy vanilla chocolate chip ice cream interior blended well with the cookie dough exterior. The taste resembled a frozen ice cream cookie sandwich, but with a more cohesive and conveniently pliable cookie component--a design that prevented sudden rupture and dribble ice cream confection accidents.

Ingredients: Cookie dough (rice flour, butter, brown sugar, tapioca syrup, chocolate flakes [sugar, unsweetened chocolate, cocoa butter, whole milk powder, milkfat, natural vanilla flavor], sweetened condensed milk [milk, cane sugar], cane sugar, xanthan gum, vanilla extract, sunflower oil, natural flavor). Vanilla ice cream (ice cream mix [nonfat milk, cream, cane sugar, locust bean gum, guar gum], chocolate chips [sugar, unsweetened chocolate, cocoa butter, dextrose], egg yolk, vanilla extract).
 
Allergen-related information: Contains milk, eggs. Produced in a facility that processes peanuts, tree nuts, and soy. 

 

Mikawaya Mochi Ice Cream - Double Chocolate Mochi - Aug. 19, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Mikawaya Mochi Ice Cream
Chocolate Chocolate (Double Chocolate) Mochi
Good + 
Weight: 3 oz. (86 g.) / 9.1 oz. (258 g.) in total package of 6 pieces
Calories: 200 calories in 2 pieces
Cost: $3.99 for 1 serving
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's "Chocolate Chocolate" Mochi was the second frozen mochi treat (with chocolate) made by Mikawaya Mochi Ice Cream (Vernon, CA) featured this week. (The first was filled with mint chip ice cream.)

As with many frozen mochi (aka daifuku) desserts, the aroma was barely detectable. Texturally, this was a blend of refreshing, creamy, cold chocolate chocolate chip ice cream covered with a pillowy soft, lightly springy and chewy sweet rice dough. Both complemented each other well.

The chocolate ice cream, flecked with chocolate (that added some microbursts of authentic dark chocolate flavor), was flavorful and creamy with rich, smooth chocolate-y and cocoa tones. 

A light pixie dusting of rice flour adorned these pieces, enabling an effortless release of the mochi spheres from their half-dome plastic compartments. 

Ingredients: Ice Cream Ingredients: Milk, cream, cane sugar, chocolaty bits (cane sugar, coconut oil, cocoa processed with alkali, cocoa, corn starch, salt), cocoa processed with alkali, whey, nonfat dry milk, stabilizer (guar gum, locust bean gum). Mochi Dough Ingredients: Cane sugar, water, sweet rice flour, egg whites, rice flour, purple carrot juice (color), caramel color, enzyme, beet juice concentrate (color), citric acid.

Allergen-related information: Contains milk, egg. "May contain peanuts and tree nuts." (Gluten free, no soy ingredients, Kosher dairy)


Arete Chocolate - Expeller Pressed Cocoa Powder - Aug. 18, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Arete Chocolate
Expeller Pressed Cocoa Powder
Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 8.8 oz. (250 g.) in total package
Calories: 65 calories (estimate) in 1 oz. serving
Cost: $ Missing information  
Purchased from: Arete or The Chocolate Garage*

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

Today's homemade chocolate and rice (cake) dessert employed Expeller Pressed Cocoa Powder from Arete Chocolate as a topping and ingredient.

An ultra-dark (82% cacao) chocolate covered rice cake** that I made. It was topped with a large scoop of green tea ice cream and garnished with a healthy dose of Arete Chocolate Cocoa Powder and chopped almonds.

The Arete Chocolate cocoa powder classed up this dessert considerably. I'm hoping they might resume making and selling chocolate one day. (They closed shop in 2020.)

Ingredients: Expeller pressed cocoa solids
 
Allergen-related information: (None listed/found on package.) 

*The Chocolate Garage Retail space in Palo Alto, CA, is no longer open.

**Notes: I used a commercially available (Lundberg Family Farms) rice cake as a form to be chocolate covered. Melting a bar of chocolate on a round rice cake for a single-serving dessert can be done in the microwave; but it is very easy to burn the rice cake if you start with room temperature/cooler chocolate. 

It's best to warm the chocolate up on a microwave-safe plate first (so that it's soft, but not completely melted) and then transfer it (with the help of a spatula if needed) and place on top of the rice cake--and finish the melting over the rice cake for a bit longer--spreading the melted chocolate over an uncovered edge if needed). You can then transfer this to a clean dessert plate if you want a nice clean edge.

The end product is an easy-to-make, attractive perch for ice cream or a fruit dessert.

 

Mikawaya - Mochi Ice Cream, Chocolate Mint - Aug. 17, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Mikawaya Mochi Ice Cream
Chocolate Mint
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 3 oz. (86 g.) / 9.1 oz. (258 g.) in total package of 6 pieces
Calories: 220 calories in 2 pieces
Cost: $3.99 (estimate) for 1 package/box of 6 pieces
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's (frozen) Chocolate Mint Chip Mochi was from Mikawaya Mochi Ice Cream (Vernon, CA), and was part of a plate of three different mochi-inspired sweets. 

Chocolate Mint Mochi Ice Cream
The best of the three ball-shaped confections on today's plate was this Mikawaya ice cream wrapped in a sweet rice dough. A beautifully springy rice dough enveloped a refreshing mint chocolate chip ice cream center.

Mango Mochi
The second mochi plate confections were miniature-sized Mango mochi from Royal Food Co. that nicely captured an authentic tart, sweet mango fruit flavor. They were relatively sweet, and had a slightly firmer springy/chewy texture. They were sealed in packets (sets of 4) and were not refrigerated. 

Homemade Chocolate Horchata flavored mochi
Last, was my homemade rice ball (soaked and stovetop cooked Jasmine rice dough), that I used to make a mochi-inspired chocolate horchata ball. The cinnamon and cocoa flavors were nice but the texture was not as light and springy. (Pureed, soaked and cooked jasmine long grain rice + finely ground almond flour and a generous dose of cinnamon and cocoa that were slow-cooked and stirred together; but could not be magically transformed into the loftier, sweet, sticky mochi rice dough of today's featured chocolate.

Mikawaya Mochi Ice Cream Ingredients: 

Ice Cream Ingredients: Milk, cream, cane sugar, chocolate flavored chips (cane sugar, coconut oil, cocoa processed with alkali, cocoa, corn starch, salt), whey, nonfat dry milk, natural flavors, stabilizer (guar gum, locust bean gum). Mochi dough ingredients: Cane sugar, water, sweet rice flour, egg whites, rice flour, enzyme. 

Allergen-related information: Contains: milk, egg. "May contain peanuts and tree nuts." (No gluten or soy ingredients.)





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