Otherly - Plain Oatmilk Chocolate 43% (bar) - Dec. 16, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Otherly
Plain Oatmilk Chocolate (bar)
Good+ - Good ++
Weight: 2.1 oz. (60 g.) / 4.2 oz. (120 g.) in total bar
Calories: 325 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Village Market, SF Ferry Building, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate & Rice Theme Week.

Today's Plain Oakmilk Chocolate 43% (cacao solids) bar from Otherly was a product of Scotland. (Queensferry, UK). 

Aroma and flavor notes for this generously-sized chocolate bar included: relatively sweet and smooth (but also convincingly dark) chocolate; faint oat/rice porridge; and warm, sweet vanilla.

Texture: The texture was also relatively smooth. This chocolate broke with a snap but had a slightly different melt and texture than pure chocolate -- from the oat and rice powders (that were fully incorporated into the chocolate).

This interesting and appealing oat and rice "milk" bar was sweet without being overly so. That said, I felt like I wanted to add salted butter to this chocolate. (Tasting this must have triggered a childhood oatmeal memory.) Salt can also help balance out sweetness. A handful of nuts roasted in olive oil and sea salt paired nicely with this bar. 

Using 100% oat powder for the "milk" component might have tasted too oat-y. It seemed like the blend of oat and rice powder worked fairly well together.

Ingredients: "Sugar, cocoa butter, dried gluten-free oat powder, chocolate, dried rice powder, sunflower lecithin, natural vanilla flavour." (Cocoa solids: 43% minimum)

Allergen-related information: "May contain traces of milk, soya, gluten, peanuts and tree nuts." "Suitable for a vegan diet."

 

Sted Foods - Cardamom Krumkake Cookie 50% Dark Milk Chocolate (bar) - Dec. 15, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Sted Foods
Cardamom Krumkake Cookie 50% Dark Milk Chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.45 g.) / 2 oz. (56.6 g.) in total bar
Calories: 210 calories in 3/4 bar
Cost: $6.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Sted Foods, online order 

Welcome to Day #22 of Chocolate, Movies & Entertainment Theme Week; and Day #2 of Chocolate & Rice Theme Week.

Today's Sted Foods Cardamom Krumkake Cookie 50% Dark Milk Chocolate (bar) was manufactured by TC Foods, LLC (Fergus Falls, MN).

Krumkake (pronounced KROOM-kah-kah)* are thin, crispy, wafer cookies from Norway often made for  winter (Christmas) holidays. The dough is rolled (into cone or cylindrical shapes), and is decorated with a pattern on a hot embossed, metal cookie maker (think small, round waffle iron). The warm cookies are then quickly rolled around a wooden dowel into the desired shape and are either left to cool/harden, or eaten soon after.

Aroma and flavor notes included: rich, sweet and flavorful dark milk chocolate, cardamom, and faint, spiced butter cookie.

Texture: relatively thin, creamy milk chocolate with a judicious amount of very tiny cookie crumbs. (The crumbs were almost completely incorporated into the chocolate.) 

Happily (for gluten-free folks) the cookie crumbs in today's chocolate were made from a gluten-free flour (that included white and brown rice flours). Krumkake recipes often use flour + potato flour, and are more amenable to rice flour blends than thicker breads or cakes.

Unfortunately, like many well-made 50% dark milk bars, this chocolate was relatively addicting and was gone in a trice. And this seasonal release may also be out of stock. (Hoping Sted Foods will bring this one back next year.)

I "paired" this bar with some entertaining and educational Norwegian videos about making krumkake cookies and traditional Christmas food, drinks and baked goods.

Ingredients: organic cocoa, cane sugar, milk powder mixed with crumbled organic krumkake cookies (made with butter, sugar, rice flour, tapioca starch, potato flour, molasses, baking soda, cinnamon, salt) and organic cardamom essential oil.

Allergen-related information: gluten-free, soy-free, palm-oil-free 

*I learned about krumkake from Darlene, a Minnesota mom (now passed on) who used to make krumkake cookies. She learned to make them from her mother, who learned from her mother...and so on, all the way back to Norway. (Thank you Darlene and Gigi.)

Element - Dipped Minis Dark Chocolate - Dec. 14, 2025

Chocolate of the Day 

Element
Dipped Minis Dark Chocolate
Good ++
Weight: .74 oz. (21 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 100 calories in 3 pieces
Cost: $ Missing information

Purchased from: The Market at Edgewood, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #21 of Chocolate, Movies & Entertainment Theme Week; and Day #1 of Chocolate & Rice Theme Week.

Today's Dipped Minis Dark Chocolate (chocolate coated mini rice cakes) were from Element Snacks, Inc. (Needham, MA). 

Aroma notes for these small round rice cakes included: faint chocolate and sweet rice (mochi) cake.

Texture: These treats started with a soft chocolate-y bite, followed by a satisfying crunch, and ending with a soft chew again. 

I really enjoyed the texture, and the basic flavors. This simple round also worked well as a "platform"-- topped with other seasonings and fruits (like candied fennel seeds, citrus peel with cardamom or ginger; spiced nuts; rosewater/floral essences; or a slice of fresh mango).

Today's virtual "visit" to Bollywood was made possible via food and movie snacks from India, and two Indian dance sequence (videos): 1.) "Ghar More Pardesiya" (from "Kalank") (2019) and 2.) "Pinga" ("Bajirao Mastani") (2015).

The Indian-inspired snack banquet included the following items:

• Butter Chicken and Rice 
• Chai-spiced Apple Cider 
• Popcorn with cocoa butter, caramelized coconut, turmeric and black pepper*
• Masala popcorn
• Rose and Pistachio Bombay Halwah
• Element Dark Chocolate Minis (rice cakes) with different toppings

Ingredients: Dark Chocolate (Sugar, Palm Kernel Oil, Cocoa Powder, Whole Milk Powder, Soy Lecithin, Salt), Rice.

Allergen-related information: "Contains Milk and Soy. May contain traces of peanuts and tree nuts."

* For this Rich, sweet and flavorful popcorn I melted an Organic Golden Mylk bar from Endorfin Foods (made by Coracao Confections, Richmond, CA). I was surprised to find out that this golden-brown gravy-hued bar didn't contain any cocoa solids. But what it lacked in terms of cacao solids it made up for with its unique, rich cocoa butter, caramelized coconut and authentic spice blend with just the right amount of salt.

Compartes - White Lotus Pineapple Coconut 73% Cacao (bar) - Dec. 13, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Compartes Chocolatier
The White Lotus Pineapple Coconut Chocolate 73% Cacao (bar)

Good ++
Weight: 2.7 oz. (77 g.) in total bar
Calories: 460 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $11.95 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Compartes, online order 

Welcome to Day #20 of Chocolate, Movies & Entertainment Theme Week(s).

Today's The White Lotus Pineapple Coconut Chocolate 73% Cacao (bar) was from Compartes Chocolatier (Los Angeles, CA). 

This bar was inspired by the award-winning (HBO) TV show The White Lotus -- Season 1 (Hawaii), a dark comedy centered around the staff and guests at a tropical resort.* 

Aroma notes for this attractively packaged bar included: smooth, sweet dark chocolate and subtle, dried fruit (pineapple) and toasted coconut.

Texture: smooth, relatively creamy dark chocolate with tiny bits of softly chewy pineapple and chewy (slightly tougher chew) lightly toasted, golden-hued coconut shreds.

The small pieces of candied pineapple weren't overly sweet (thank you). The tiny coconut shreds were more detectable in the flavor than the aroma, and also tasted authentic (not too overwhelming).

I liked the balanced blend of flavors in this 73% cacao dark chocolate with tropical flavor inclusions. 

Maker's description: "Unwrap a delectable infusion of flavors with rich, decadent chocolate, coconut and pineapple for chic Hawaiian vibes, and be transported to "The Pineapple Room" (where drama unfolds). 

Ingredients: Dark Chocolate (Cocoa Mass, Cocoa Butter, Sugar, Soy Lecithin as An Emulsifier, Vanilla), Pineapple, Coconut"

Allergen-related information: "Made in a facility that handles dairy, peanuts, wheat, egg, soy, tree nuts."

*The Pineapple Room featured on "The White Lotus" TV show was modeled after (and filmed in) the 3-bedroom, Lokelani Presidential Suite at the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea (Kihei, Hawaii).

Cru - Purple Corn Pinole 60% Drinking Chocolate - Dec. 12. 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Cru Chocolate
Purple Corn Pinole 60% Drinking Chocolate
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (56.6 g.) in total box of 2 "wheels"
Calories: 155 calories (estimate) in 1 wheel
Cost: $8.99 for 1 box of 2 pieces
Purchased from: FarmFresh, online order

Buenos dias and welcome to Day #19 of Chocolate, Movies & Entertainment -- a week that includes food, chocolate, storytelling and lore from various cultures. The chocolate stories coming from Central America where cacao origins run deep are particularly meaningful.*

Today's Purple Corn Pinole 60% Drinking Chocolate was made in Cru Chocolate's kitchen in Roseville, CA. 

Cru Chocolate founder, Karla, grew up in Honduras, a country full of interesting cacao stories--some of which is printed on product packaging and for more, check out the company's website.

Aroma and flavor notes for these drinking chocolate wheels included: cacao and corn (mild cornbread) suffused with warm, appealing spices (cinnamon, allspice).

The ground purple corn mellowed out the cacao -- and both the chocolate and corn harmonized beautifully with the spices.

Prepared with almond milk or dairy milk, this was a lovely winter warmer. And as an eating chocolate I was able to access the undiluted, flavorful and relatively sweet dark chocolate.

Maker's tasting notes: "Intensity: Light. 60% cacao; Style: Mesoamerican; Body: Thick & Hearty; Nose: Warm Spices; Mood: Satisfied and Happy; Suggested liquid: Almond milk.

Ingredients: "Fermented cacao beans, organic cane sugar, organic heirloom purple corn, organic cinnamon, organic aniseed, organic allspice"

Allergen-related information: "Manufactured on equipment that processes peanuts and milk."

Cacao & Corn pairing

This week I'm "pairing" (enjoying) chocolates with selected movies, music videos, animated shorts, and other forms of entertainment. 

I listened to a video of the "Chocolate" song (aka "Bate, Bate (El) Chocolate") on YouTube; and then watched a video about purple corn (maiz morado). Both cacao and corn were considered gifts from the Gods by the Maya and other ancient cultures.

*The Eastern/Caribbean side of Honduras is likely where Christopher Colombus and crew first spotted cacao beans (being transported in canoes by locals), around 1500 A.D. (on one of their later voyages).

French Broad - Dark Chocolate Montmorency Cherries + Sted Foods Salty Licorice 38% (bar) - Dec. 11, 2025

Chocolate(s) of the Day

French Broad Chocolate
Dark Chocolate Montmorency Cherries
Good ++ 
Weight: 2 oz. (56.6 g.) / 6 oz. (170 g.) in total package
Calories: 240 calories in 2 servings
Cost: $17.00 for 1 package
Purchased from: Bar & Cocoa, online order

Sted Foods
Salty Licorice 38% White Chocolate (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (56.6 g.) in total bar
Calories: 170 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $8.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Sted Foods, online order 

Welcome to Day #18 of Chocolate, Movies & Entertainment Theme Week(s)--where salutes to movie snack bars and concession stand memories are piling up. Here are a few more.

Today's two chocolates are collectively honoring memories of cherry slushie/ICEE drinks, chocolate covered snacks, and licorice candy (including cherry licorice candy) enjoyed in childhood. 

I'm upgrading these flavor memories significantly with chocolates from two U.S.-based bean-to-bar makers.

Dark Chocolate Montmorency Cherries

Today's cherry-filled chocolates were handcrafted by French Broad Chocolate (Asheville, NC). 

Make sure to savor these confections slowly, to fully appreciate the bean-to-bar dark chocolate and the high-quality Montmorency* cherries. Dark chocolate and cherries are a natural match, but these two ingredients had a special sense of resonance with each other.

Aroma and flavor notes included: flavorful dark chocolate; and authentic, concentrated sweet-tart (whole, dried) cherries with a concentrated, rich flavor that lingered into the finish. 

Ingredients: Dark chocolate (cacao, sugar*, cacao butter), dried cherries (red tart montmorency cherries (red tart montmorency cherries, sugar, sunflower oil). (*organic)

Allergen-related information: "Made in a facility that handles tree nuts, wheat, gluten, milk, eggs, sesame & peanuts. May not be suitable for people with allergies to these foods."

*The Montmorency cherry (Prunus cerasus) is named for an area in France, and is a popular cherry in the U.S. and Canada.

Salty Licorice White Chocolate 

This Sted Foods Salty Licorice 38% White Chocolate (bar) (a "Scandi treat") was manufactured by TC Foods, LLC (Fergus Falls, MN)

Aroma and flavor notes for this golden-hued bar included: caramel (brown sugar, faint maple candy) with   upticks in salt. (The tiny salt crystals on the back looked like fresh-fallen flakes of snow.) 

There was licorice flavor (powder) incorporated into the white chocolate; but, I did not taste it. So I paired this bar with a black salted licorice caramel from Holland. That added the licorice oomph my adult-self was looking for and it helped balance the milky sweetness in this bar.

Ingredients: "organic cocoa butter, organic cane sugar, organic whole milk powder, organic licorice powder, sea salt"

Allergen-related information: "Contains Milk. Made in a facility that uses sesame seeds, pecans, almonds, coconut, cashews, hazelnuts, and milk."

Cherry & Licorice Movie & Music Video Pairings...

I "paired" these two chocolates with a short animated video fairy tale: "Princess Chang and (the) Cherry Tree"; and a music video of KT Tunstall's "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" (2005).

I also watched the movie "Licorice Pizza" (Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson) (2021). Many people missed this one (I did), as it coincided with Covid-19, when people felt uncomfortable in movie theaters. (Note to parents: this movie is Rated R.)

Sted Foods - Caramel Crack - 50% Dark Milk Chocolate (bar) - Dec. 10, 2025

Chocolate(s) of the Day

Sted Foods 
Caramel Crack - 50% Dark Milk Chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 2 oz. (56.6 g.) in total bar
Calories: 340 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $8.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Sted Foods, online order  

Welcome to Day #17 of Chocolate, Movies & Entertainment Theme Week. 

What might an elevated version of Hershey's Milk Duds look like? 

Many Milk Duds melted in my mouth in dark movie theaters as a child. These lumpy chocolate rounds filled with chewy caramel were a popular item at concession stands.

The chocolate below was an up-leveled version of this (chocolate + milk + caramel) favorite--in bar form.

Today's Sted Foods Caramel Crack - 50% Dark Milk Chocolate was manufactured by TC Foods, LLC (Fergus Falls, MN).

Aroma and flavor notes for this more-ish milk chocolate included: dark milk chocolate and caramel/toffee.

Smooth, almost velvety, sweet dark milk chocolate suffused with light and appealing caramel notes. The chocolate was punctuated with a tiny riot of crunchy toffee bits. 

Texture: The rich, creamy texture was attenuated a bit as this bar was also quite thin. Thinner means more surface to mass -- and more surface area means more area to access flavors when the chocolate is in your mouth, which is especially important when you have dark chocolates with nuanced flavors. 

This bar might have been even more hearty and delicious (maybe even more addicting) if it was a wee bit thicker. But, it warmed me up and made me happy on this cold December day. (Part of that warming feeling came from the addition of maple sugar and real butter in the toffee.)

I "paired" this bar with two Minnesota-related shows: a "Fargo" episode, and a few episodes of Rocky (Rocket J. Squirrel) and Bullwinkle (the Moose) cartoons who lived in the fictional Frostbite Falls, a take-off on International Falls, MN--that is indeed very cold in the winter.

I enjoyed this chocolate and these shows...and with a homemade, frosty Cherry & Elderberry beverage (an upgraded version of an icy, cherry/elderberry drug store fountain drink from many decades ago).

Sted chocolate makers's tasting notes: "Burnt + Sumptuous + Minnesota Sugar Shack"

Ingredients: organic cacao beans, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter, organic whole milk powder, organic MN Maple Toffee (organic cane sugar, organic butter, organic maple syrup, sea salt)

Allergen-related information: "Contains milk. Made in a facility that uses coconut, almonds, pecans, and milk."

YumEarth - Choco Yums Chocolate Candies; Chocolove Almond Butter Dark 55% Cacao (bites) - Dec. 9, 2025

Chocolate(s) of the Day

YumEarth
Choco Yums Chocolate Candies
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 2.1 oz. (60 g.) / 3.5 oz. (99.2 g.) in 1 package of 5 snack packs
Calories: 300 calories in 3 snack packs
Cost: $6.49 for 1 package of 5 snack packs 
Purchased from: Vitacost, online order

Chocolove
Dark Chocolate 55% Cacao Almond Butter Bites
Good ++
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total package
Calories: 170 calories in 3 pieces
Cost: $4.49 for 1 package of 10 (estimate) bites
Purchased from: Vitacost, online order 

Welcome to Day #16 of Chocolate, Movies & Entertainment Theme Week(s), and to movie snacks and music videos that share a "Choco" reference/name in common.

Choco Yums Chocolate Candies

Choco Yums(TM) is a trademark of YummyEarth Inc. (Stamford, CT). I appreciated that the company provides snacks that are free from common allergens, and uses plant-based colors (like spirulina, carrot and turmeric), and uses Fair Trade certified and organic ingredients.

The minute I opened the package I could smell authentic dark chocolate. These round chocolate candies were inside individually-wrapped snack packs. 

These disc-shaped, candy-coated dark chocolate pieces were covered in thin, crispy-crunchy shells, and were similar to (plain) Mars M&Ms*, but they had beautiful, naturally colored shells, and more authentic (less processed) dark chocolate centers.

I "paired" these two "Choco" items with two other "Choco" related foods/experiences. (I ate the rest of the "Choco Cherry" ice cream that went into ice cream sandwiches earlier this week; and sampled Choco Musk perfume--a wearable, but not edible treat with cocoa, vanilla and cinnamon notes. 

Ingredients: Semi-Sweet Chocolate (Cane Sugar, Chocolate Liquor*, Cocoa Butter*, Sunflower Lecithin, and Vanilla Extract), Cane Sugar, Organic Cocoa Butter*, Organic Powdered Sugar, Organic Spirulina (Color), Organic Turmeric Extract (Color), Acacia Gum, Colored with Concentrate (Carrot, Radish, Blackcurrant, Sweet Potato), Corn Protein, Organic Carnuba Wax. (*Fair Trade Certified(tm) by Fair Trade USA, 46% Fair Trade Certified Ingredients"

Allergen-related information: "Manufactured in a facility free from peanuts and tree nuts." Allergen Friendly: free of egg, gluten, shellfish, fish, peanut, tree nut, soy, dairy, sesame. 

*Mars, Incorporated has owned the M&Ms trademark since 1940.

Chocolove Salted Almond Butter Bites

These Almond Butter bites were made in Boulder, CO, with Belgian chocolate. 

I enjoyed these Chocolove bites. The chocolate-y outer covering was filled with a satisfying, almond butter filling that wasn't ultra-sweet.

Ingredients: "Dark Chocolate (Cocoa Liquor**, Sugar, Cocoa Butter**, Soy Lecithin and/or Sunflower Lecithin, Vanilla), Almond Butter (Dry Roasted Unblanched Almonds), Milk Chocolate (Sugar, Cocoa Butter**, Milk, Cocoa Liquor**, Soy Lecithin and/or Sunflower Lecithin, Vanilla), Organic Palm Fruit Oil, Organic Butter Oil, Sea Salt, Sunflower Lecithin. (** Rainforest Alliance Certified. Find out more at RA.ORG.)"

Allergen-related information: "Contains Almonds, Milk, Soy. Made in a Facility That Also Processes Eggs, Peanuts, and Other Tree Nuts."

Sadly the "Choco Taco" (discontinued in 2022 by Klondike, but there are variations on this product out there)--and the Ritter Sport "Choco Cubes" I bought--were a no go, as they contained wheat.

Choco-related entertainment today included 2 music videos:

• Chocolate (Choco Choco) song - Does anyone else remember this ear worm from 2004, from German duo Soul Control? (It was a Eurodance pop hit in Europe and the Philippines.)
• Choco Choco Choco song - Gummibar (The Gummy Bear/Gummy Bear International Inc.) This song is an adaptation of the Chocolate song from 2004 (and it too became a hit). See their YouTube channel.

Woodstock - Organic Dark Chocolate Raisins + Deux Cranes - Matcha Strawberry (bar) - Dec. 8, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Woodstock
Organic Dark Chocolate Raisins
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 3.25 oz. (92 g.) / 8.5 oz. (241 g.) in total package
Calories: 450 calories in 1/2 package (3 servings)
Cost: $9.49 for 1 package
Purchased from: Vitacost, online order 

Welcome to Day #15 of Chocolate, Movies & Entertainment Theme Week, with a Japanese twist.

Today's Organic Dark Chocolate Raisins were from Woodstock (Edison, NJ), and distributed by UNFI (Providence, RI)* -- a day that also featured Japanese movies and snacks that included an elegant white chocolate Strawberry Matcha bar from Deux Cranes (Los Gatos, CA); Matcha, Sardine Cracker and Curry Popcorn(s);...and mentions of two treats that got away.

These raisins were paired with a virtual trip to an imaginary Tokyo theater (my living room). I had fun making Japanese popcorn flavors (Matcha, Sardine Cracker and Curry). These were joined by sweet rice crackers and sesame crackers. This snack buffet on a lacquered tray was a good match with classic Japanese films. 

There were two small disappointments: 1.) I couldn't find the Japanese gummy eels (candy) in time for this entry. 2.) Nor was I able to find the Japanese Raisin Tree (Hovenia dulcis), with fruits that taste like raisins. Both seemed perfect for the occasion. (These two might appear in a future Japan-themed chocolate week.)

Some of you are asking, where are the Raisinets? A doff of the hat to our U.S. classic chocolate covered raisin brand: Raisinets.

I featured Nestle Raisinets** here on Chocolate Banquet (10/14/2009). I don't feature the same chocolate twice unless there's a new version/ingredients change. Raisinets are now owned by a different company, but they're still going strong at movie concession stands, nearly 99 years after they were invented in 1927.

I was happy to find Woodstock's organic version of the popular American movie treat, that I had not tried yet.

Woodstock Organic Dark Chocolate Raisins

Aroma and flavor notes for these glazed chocolate raisins included: smooth chocolate-y, dark chocolate  and faint dried fruit (raisin). The dark chocolate coating surrounded whole dried raisins.

I appreciated the company's long-time commitment to the use of organic and Non-GMO ingredients.

Ingredients: Organic Dark Chocolate (Organic Cane Sugar, Organic Unsweetened Chocolate, Organic Cocoa Butter, Organic Soy Lecithin [An Emulsifier]), Organic Natural Flavor, Organic Sunflower Lecithin [An Emulsifier], Organic Raisins (Raisins, Sunflower Oil), Confectioner's Glaze, Organic Maltodextrin, Organic Sugar. 

Allergen-related information: "Contains Soy. Manufactured in a plant that processes peanuts, tree nuts, soy, wheat, sesame, eggs and milk products." 

Japanese Films

I "paired" today's dark chocolate raisins with a classic Japanese film: "Rashomon" (1950); a more modern classic film "Spirited Away" (2001); and 7 episodes from the vintage animated series "Speed Racer". Popular in the 1960s-1970s in the U.S., this series featured a talented young racer driving a "Mach 5" car in a racing world full by intrigue. It was part of the local Saturday cartoon line-up where I grew up. Go, Speed Racer, Go!

*Woodstock is owned by United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI) based in Providence, Rhode Island. The company sources organic and Non-GMO ingredients from farms in 25 countries. Today's organic dark chocolate raisins were produced in the U.S. with domestic and imported ingredients.

**Ferrero acquired Nestle's U.S. confectionery business in 2018, which had previously bought the brand from the Bluementhal Brothers in 1984. The Blumenthal Brothers Chocolate Company "invented" Raisinets in 1927.

Schar - Double Chocolate Cookies + Rick's Choco Cherry Ice Cream - Dec. 7, 2025

Chocolate(s) of the Day

Schar 
Double Chocolate Soft Baked Cookies 
Good ++
Weight: 2.4 oz. (70 g.) / 7.4 oz. (210 g.) in total box of 6 cookies
Calories: 320 calories in 2 cookies
Cost: N/A - gift from family member
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Rick's Ice Cream
Choco Cherry Ice Cream
Good ++
Weight: 1/2 cup serving / 1 Quart total container
Calories: unknown
Cost: $19.50 for 1 quart of ice cream
Purchased from: Rick's Ice Cream, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #14 of Chocolate, Movies & Entertainment Theme Week, featuring an excellent two-product pairing--that resulted in a delicious ice cream sandwich.

I loved ice cream sandwiches as a child--outdoors in warm weather, indoors in the winter. It was dark and cold today, so I tucked into this tasty chocolate and cherry sandwich while watching the Job Switching (1952) episode from the "I Love Lucy" (TV) show--where Lucy and Ethel (in their newly found jobs at a candy factory) were bested by a rapidly moving chocolate conveyor belt. One of the top classic chocolate comedic moments on film.

Also enjoyed: a variety of cartoon shorts from the Ice Cream Sandwich (YouTube) channel. 

Double Chocolate Soft Baked Cookies

These gluten-free, chocolate cookies with chocolate chips came individually wrapped in a box of six. They were good by themselves. And the cookies' texture and relatively mild, smooth chocolate flavor made them perfect for ice cream sandwiches. 

Texture: soft and perfectly cohesive (not too crumbly, dry or starchy) with a pleasing chew.

I don't know how they would fare over time in frozen form; but they were just right when used fresh.

Ingredients: "Corn starch, Chocolate chips (sugar, cocoa mass**, cocoa butter**, soy lecithin, natural flavor), Brown sugar, Rice flour, Blend of vegetable fats and oils (coconut fat, sunflower oil), Butter (milk), Chocolate (Cocoa mass**, sugar, cocoa butter**, soy lecithin), Corn syrup, Sorbitol syrup, Eggs, Fructose, Cocoa powder**, Dextrose, Xanthan gum, Baking soda, Ammonium bicarbonate, Salt, Soy lecithin, Natural flavor."

Allergen-related information: "Contains: Soy, Egg, Milk, Tree nuts (coconut). May contain: Tree nuts."

Choco Cherry Ice Cream (and sandwich filling)

Aroma and flavor notes for this Chocolate Cherry ice cream included: Light colored, Burgandy cherry-style ice cream aroma and flavor with flecks of dark chocolate.

Texture: Light and creamy in texture, easy to scoop, and enjoyable to eat. Also perfect for ice cream sandwich making. A denser ice cream would have been more challenging to scoop/shape.

Ingredients: (Not listed on container)

Allergen-related information: (Not listed on container.) Contained Milk.

Hu - Vanilla Crunch Organic 70% Dark Chocolate (Bar) + Built - Puff Coconut with Dark Chocolaty Coating (protein bar) - Dec. 6, 2025

Chocolate(s) of the Day

Hu
Vanilla Crunch - Organic 70% Cacao Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.05 oz. (30 g.) / 2.1 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 190 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $2.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Built Brands, LLC 
Puff Coconut with Dark Chocolaty Coating (protein bar) 
Good +
Weight: 3.25 oz. (92 g.) / 1.23 lbs. (560 g.) in total package/box
Calories: 140 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $19.99 for a box of 14 bars (2 different flavors)
Purchased from: Costco, Mountain View, CA

Welcome to Day #13 of Chocolate, Movies and Entertainment Theme Week, featuring two bars--used to re-create a "Charlie Chaplin" chocolate (chocolate, marshmallow, coconut and cashews) made popular in Buffalo, New York, over a century ago. 

Buffalo was a candy hot spot in the late 1800s to early 1900s. Confectioners created promotions around their products, including an event when they invited Charlie Chaplin to open his film "The Adventurer" (1917) there. 

Chaplin was said to like marshmallow, chocolate, coconut and cashews. Buffalo responded with chocolates containing these ingredients for the occasion.

I was born in upstate New York and watched Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton films as a child. I felt moved to create a version of this confection with these four flavors. I did. And I enjoyed the results very much while watching Chaplin's "The Adventurer" (1917) and "The Circus" (1928).

Today's two bars were:

• Vanilla Crunch - Organic 70% Dark Chocolate (bar) with coconut sugar from Hu Products LLC (Austin, TX).
• Built Puff Coconut with Dark Chocolaty Coating (protein bar) from Built Brands, LLC (American Fork, UT). 

Hu Vanilla Crunch 70% Dark Chocolate (bar)

This bar provided satisfying dark chocolate flavor (flavorful but smooth). Organic vanilla beans (fully ground into the cacao) provided sunny baked goods warmth--perfect for long, snowy winters in Buffalo--and anywhere else.

This Vanilla Crunch bar was sweetened with just the right amount of organic, unrefined coconut sugar. Tiny crunchy bits of quinoa added a little texture. And the small dose of sea salt was very satisfying. 

I appreciate the makers' thoughtful sourcing and the short list of quality, organic ingredients.

Ingredients: "organic cacao*, organic unrefined coconut sugar*, organic cocoa butter*, organic quinoa*, organic vanilla bean*, sea salt" (* = Certified Fairtrade ingredients)

Allergen-related ingredients: "Contains coconut. May contain almond, cashew, hazelnut, pistachio, & dairy. Allergen cleans made prior to production, but beware that product is produced using equipment that also processes tree nuts, soy, dairy & wheat."

Built Puff Coconut Bar

This protein bar provided the marshmallow-like (and coconut flavored) filling (with a thin dark coating) that paired well with the Hu Vanilla Crunch bar and the roasted cashews in olive oil and sea salt.

The pillowy, chewy "puff" (marshmallow-like) center was infused with a gentle coconut aroma and flavor.  

Texture: fairly light and fluffy, slightly whipped, gelatin with a thin coating of smooth dark chocolate ("chocolatey coating"). 

I appreciated the 17 grams of protein. But, I prefer a bit more dark chocolate and less sweetness. But, as one of three ingredients in the Charlie Chaplin chocolate, this flavored protein bar complemented the Hu dark chocolate bar and the cashews very nicely 

I also appreciated that this bar was gluten free, and despite the fairly long list of ingredients, there were no potentially gut-disrupting vegetable gums, or artificial sweeteners. (Not wild about Natural Flavors or cultured dextrose; but there are trade-offs in life.)

Ingredients: Premium Collagen Protein Blend (Partially Hydrolyzed Whey Protein Isolate, Collagen), Glycerin, Sugar, Water, Palm and Palm Kernel Oil, Cocoa Processed with Alkali, Gelatin, Natural Flavors, Cultured Dextrose, Nonfat Milk Powder, Soy Lecithin.

Allergen-related information: Contains Milk, Soy. May Contain: Peanuts and Tree Nuts

Filoli - World's Best Hot Chocolate with Rumple Minze - Dec. 5, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Filoli 
"World's Best Hot Chocolate" with Rumple Minze
Good ++
Weight: 10 fl. oz. (296 mL) (estimate) in 1 cup
Calories: calories in 1 cup (unknown)
Cost: $10.00 + spike $10
Purchased from: Filoli beverage trailer

Welcome to Day #12 of Chocolate, Movies & Entertainment Theme Week. Movies have been hogging the spotlight so far this week, so today the focus was on chocolate enjoyed at a holiday-related event at the Filoli Estate (Woodside, CA).

The featured "World's Best Hot Chocolate" with Rumple Minze (think Peppermint Schnapps) was obtained after a short walk into the redwoods and while admiring a several model trains chugging around an excellent set-up of tracks among towering redwood trees. Trimmings included: several tiny little forest houses and strings of lights, and one giant wooden troll figure--who recently took up residency in the woods at Filoli. 

And more new chocolates were found at the "Train Depot" (gift shop in a cabin) on the way out. What could be better?

The toasty warm, creamy and rich hot chocolate was topped with a very generous dollop of whipped cream and a shot of Rumple Minze. It was a delicious hot chocolate in a magical forest setting. 

This outdoor winter holiday event was entertaining in the best possible way.

Ingredients: Unknown

Allergen-related information: Unknown. Contained Milk, Whipped Cream

Compartes Chocolatier - The Drive In 44% Cacao (bar) - Dec. 4, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Compartes Chocolatier
The Drive In 44% Cacao (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 360 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.95 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Compartes Chocolatier, online order

Welcome to Day #11 of Chocolate, Movies & Entertainment Theme Week.

Today's "The Drive In" 44% Cacao (bar) was from Compartes Chocolatier (Los Angeles, CA).

Compartes offers a wide selection of chocolates with different flavor inclusions, including several bars with references to Hollywood, movies and/or entertainment. 

Aroma and flavor notes for today's Hollywood-themed bar included: sweet milk chocolate interspersed with embedded pieces of lightly salted, buttered popcorn.

Texture: Thick, creamy and rich milk chocolate bar with very soft, lightly crunchy popcorn pieces.

I enjoyed the popcorn and chocolate blend, and the bar's packaging--with an image of a drive-in with rows of parked cars facing a very large, elevated screen. 

This bar brought up a blend of childhood memories of being at drive-in theaters and eating snacks in the car--some homemade and some bought at concession stands). At one time in the U.S. there were more than 4,000 drive-in movie theaters (including three within a few miles of  where I grew up). Now there may be fewer than 200. 

The multi-screen Century theater that I frequent now was a former drive-in theater until the 1980s. Popcorn snacks, chocolates and other candies and soft drinks along with new additions like nachos are still available for sale.

Today's popcorn bar inspired me to re-watch an animated short film from the 1950s, with dancing refreshments reminding movie-goers (in theaters and drive-ins) to visit the snack bar. ("Let's All Go to The Lobby...").* The film is still shown at some independent theaters, and has spawned take-offs by other animators and filmmakers. I can still hear this song in my head.

Ingredients: Dark Chocolate (Cocoa Mass, Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Soy Lecithin as an emulsifier, Vanilla), Smoked Sea Salt

Allergen-related information: "Made in a facility that handles Dairy, Peanuts, Wheat, Egg, Soy, Tress Nuts"

*Over time this theater became surrounded by a succession of technology companies (many of which have come and gone). Those companies have included: Adobe, Silicon Graphics, Google, Microsoft and other tech companies involved in commercial media and entertainment. YouTube movies anyone? Wait, I'll "Google" what's playing at the theater.

**The ad/trailer/short film features four singing and dancing refreshment items getting snacks in the lobby -- including popcorn and chocolate characters. It was Directed by Dave Fleisher for the Filmack Studios. The film has inspired a few different versions (one with Covid masks) and at least one short live action horror film with the same title in 2020.

 

Woodstock - Organic Dark Chocolate Almonds - Dec. 3, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Woodstock
Organic Dark Chocolate Almonds
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 3.25 oz. (92 g.) / 6.5 oz. (184 g.) in total package
Calories: 450 calories in 1/2 package (3 servings)
Cost: $9.49 for 1 package
Purchased from: Vitacost, online order 

Welcome to Day #10 of Chocolate, Movies & Entertainment Theme Week.

Today's Organic Dark Chocolate Almonds were from Woodstock (Edison, NJ), and distributed by UNFI (Providence, RI).* The Edison location caught my eye. (See below for an explanation.)

Aroma and flavor notes for these glossy, jumbo-sized dark almonds included: a generous coating of glazed, smooth, chocolate-y, dark chocolate with faint, slightly roasted cacao and dark berry and earth notes. And at the center of each piece was an authentic, crunchy, whole roasted almond.

I appreciated the more flavorful dark chocolate and the company's long-time commitment to the use of organic and Non-GMO ingredients.

Thank you Thomas Edison...

I "paired" today's almonds with 3 historic short films from the 1890s that had roots near Woodstock Foods in Edison Township, NJ--an area where famous inventor Thomas Edison's Menlo Park "idea factory" was located--where light bulbs, phonographs and a motion picture camera took shape.

Thomas Edison later open a laboratory complex (and the Black Maria film production studio) further north in West Orange, NJ--where very short moving pictures were developed that included: "Blacksmith(ing) Scene" (1893), "Washing the Baby" (1893), and "Fred Ott's Sneeze" (1894). The last one was over in a matter of seconds. Hardly enough time to tuck into a bucket of popcorn or take even a sip of an iced cherry cola.

Chocolate pre-dated even the earliest of films,** but modern chocolate/snacks were still toddlers in the 1890s.

The very first film venues likely lacked dedicated concession stands. As films became longer, viewers might have brought dried fruits or nuts or their own candies. Hershey's chocolate bars were in their infancy in the 1890s. (They were being developed for sale in Pennsylvania.)

Chocolate almonds were being made in Virginia** as early as in the 1700s (often following European recipes), but modern concession stand chocolates like Goobers (1925) and Raisinets (1927) didn't appear until more than thirty years after the three early Black Maria short films debuted.

Happily movies and snacks of all kinds are firmly intertwined in the 21st Century...to the horror of movie viewers who cringe at the sounds of chewing and slurping next to them inside a theater.

I wonder what Thomas Edison would have thought about nachos and gummy worms? I guess we'll never know.

Ingredients: Organic Dark Chocolate (Organic Cane Sugar, Organic Unsweetened Chocolate, Organic Cocoa Butter, Organic Soy Lecithin [An Emulsifier]), Organic Roasted Almonds, Confectioner's Glaze, Organic Maltodextrin, Organic Sugar. 

Allergen-related information: "Contains Tree Nut (Almond), Soy. Manufactured in a plant that processes peanuts, tree nuts, soy, wheat, sesame, eggs and milk products." 

*Woodstock is owned by United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI) based in Providence, Rhode Island. The company sources organic and Non-GMO ingredients from farms in 25 countries. Today's organic dark chocolate almonds were produced in the U.S. with domestic and imported ingredients.

** There are records of Virginians making chocolate in Colonial Williamsburg in the U.S. in the 1700s, primarily grinding cacao beans to make a hot chocolate beverage, often spiced. George Washington and his wife Martha, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson are all said to have enjoyed drinking hot chocolate. 

Compartes Chocolatier - Beverly Hills Hotel and Bungalows (pink and white striped bar) - Dec. 2, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Compartes Chocolatier
The Beverly Hills Hotel Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel 73% Cacao (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 420 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $11.95 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Compartes Chocolatier, online order

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate, Movies & Entertainment Theme Week on Chocolate Banquet. 

Today's "The Beverly Hills Hotel and Bungalows Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel 73% Cacao" (bar) was from Compartes Chocolatier (Los Angeles, CA). 

Compartes offers a creative line of chocolate bars with different flavor inclusions, including several with references to Hollywood, movies and/or entertainment -- and at least two bars that pay homage specifically to the Beverly Hills Hotel.

Aroma and flavor notes for today's Beverly Hills Hotel-themed dark chocolate, caramel and salt bar included: pleasingly smooth chocolate-y dark chocolate and light, almost buttery caramel. 

Texture: well-tempered, smooth and relatively creamy dark chocolate with slightly crunchy sparkles of sea salt.

I enjoyed the satisfying dose of sea salt and the subtle almost smokey, warm caramel notes.

Warning: This chocolate is addictive ("more-ish") if you're hungry. Indeed, this bar quickly faded to black--as have many Hollywood stars who've enjoyed Beverly Hills Hotel since it opened in 1912.

The illustrated pattern for this bar's packaging--a pink and white pin striped pattern--is part of the Hotel's overall pink* and green color palette.

The hotel may carry Compartes Chocolatier bars like this one in their gift shop. (And if you're still interested in chocolate, head to the Polo Lounge for a chocolate souffle.)

I "paired" this chocolate with the 1978 film: "California Suite" that featured a star-studded cast with drama unfolding at/inside the famed hotel involving five separate couples. I also enjoyed watching "The History of Beverly Hills," (Hilton & Hyland President) Jeff Hyland's insider account of the city's history, ties with Hollywood films, film stars...and their estates. 

Ingredients: Milk Chocolate (Cocoa Mass, Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Soy Lecithin as an emulsifier, Vanilla), Cane Sugar, Butter, Cream, Vanilla, Sea Salt

Allergen-related information: Contains Milk, Soy. "Gluten Free"

*The choice of pink was inspired by the colors in southern California sunsets.

Fujiya Co., LTD. - PekoPopo Chocolate (pops) - Dec. 1, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Fujiya Co., LTD. 
PekoPopo Chocolate (pops)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: .84 oz. (24 g.) in 1 package of 2 pops
Calories: 140 calories (estimate) in 2 pops
Cost: $3.25 for 1 package of 2 pops
Purchased from: de Young Museum, San Francisco, CA

Irasshaimase (welcome) to Day #8 of Chocolate, Movies & Entertainment Theme Week. 

How about edible cartoon characters from Japan, courtesy of a Manga exhibit in San Francisco?

Today's PekoPopo Chocolate (pops) were from Fujiya Co., LTD. (a large confectionery business based in Bunkyo-ku, Japan*). The company was founded in 1910. 

In 1950, a cute cartoon of a six-year old girl named "Peko" became the mascot for Fujiya's Milky milk candy brand. Peko-chan was later joined by a young boy named Popo-chan when the sweets (and Peko-chan) proved popular. Seventy-five years later, the smiling faces of these two famous, forever-young characters can still be seen across Japan (and beyond).

Aroma notes included: biscuit/cookie; freshly toasted bread with jelly; and milky, sweet hot chocolate. 

Texture: light, creamy, milky

Flavor notes included: sweet, mild and creamy milk chocolate--with no bitterness or acidity one might encounter with darker chocolates.

It's probably not polite to say I enjoyed eating adorable children, but these two milky chocolate cartoon kiddos were sweet and tasty (despite containing a lot of additives).

I did enjoy the Manga exhibit at the de Young Museum; and I appreciated the museum's decision to offer these Japanese chocolate pops for sale in their cafe. (And, yes, there are numerous examples of "fan-created manga" featuring Peko-chan.)

Ingredients: Sugar, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (Palm, Shea, Sunflower), Unsweetened Chocolate, Whole Milk Powder, Lactose, Powdered Skim Milk, Cocoa Butter, Hydrogenated Modified Oil and Fat (Sunflower, Rapeseed), Polyglycerol, Polyricinoleate, Soy Lecithin, Artificial Flavor, Red Beet Juice.

Allergen-related information: Contains: Milk and Soybeans. May Contain Wheat, Egg and Peanuts. Contains bioengineered ingredients

*This chocolate was imported by JFC International Inc. (Los Angeles, CA).