Guittard
72% Cacao Coconut Sugar Sante - Mini Dark Chocolate Chips
Good ++ - Good+++
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 9 oz. (255 g.) in total package
Calories: 140 calories in 2 servings
Cost: $8.99 (sale) for 1 package
Purchased from: Safeway, Menlo Park, CA
72% Cacao Coconut Sugar Sante - Mini Dark Chocolate Chips
Good ++ - Good+++
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 9 oz. (255 g.) in total package
Calories: 140 calories in 2 servings
Cost: $8.99 (sale) for 1 package
Purchased from: Safeway, Menlo Park, CA
Welcome to Day #10 of Chocolate Banquet 20th Year Anniversary Celebration Week, featuring several local San Francisco Bay Area chocolate makers who've made this adventure possible over the long haul.
The latest wave of bean-to-bar makers in the Bay Area is discussed a lot. But two of the oldest chocolate makers in the Bay Area date back to the 1800s: Guittard* and Ghirardelli--both makers and suppliers of premium chocolate.
Today's 72% Cacao Coconut Sugar Santee Mini Dark Chocolate Chips were from Guittard Chocolate Co. (Burlingame, CA).
Guittard formulates high-end chocolate for professionals as well as home bakers, with many uses, including: couverture chocolate(s) used by chocolatiers and chefs; as well as chocolate bars and chocolate chips.
The first Guittard chocolate listed on Chocolate Banquet was an Ambanja Bittersweet 65% Madagascar bar in June 2007. However, chocolates made by others (using Guittard chocolate) appeared within weeks of when this blog started in 2006. (Some chocolatiers kept this secret; others were very proud to tell you they used Guittard.)
All Guittard chocolates (for me) over the past 20 years have been tasty a la carte, right out of the package. For dark chocolate fans, there's no need to wait to bake a chocolate cake to try these.
I found today's three-ingredient, sante ("health") mini dark chocolate chips sweetened with coconut sugar in the baking section of a local supermarket. There was only one pretty, shiny, silver blue bag left. (I think that's because they were quite good.) I ate some plain, used some in a trail mix; and plan to use leftovers to make a high-end, chocolate dessert in a solar cooker.
Aroma and flavor notes for today's mini chocolate chips included: rich, chocolate-y flavor (that extended into the finish) with subtle coconut sugar/nectar (brown sugar) and faint, pleasant vanilla.
Texture: smooth, firm texture with a satisfying melt (when eaten out of hand, fresh out of the bag).
These mini dark chocolate chips would add little pops of rich chocolate and warm, toasty brown sugar/toffee flavor to cookies, brownies, and a whole host of chocolate desserts. And, as mentioned, no need to muss up that kitchen with all that baking; they were great by themselves and added to a trail mix.
I also appreciated these were safe for people with allergies and health-related issues. They were "free from 14 allergies and sensitivities," including: soy, peanuts, tree nuts, and gluten. And they were Fair Trade Certified as well as dairy-free and Certified Vegan.
Ingredients: Cacao Beans+, Organic Coconut Sugar* (from the nectar of coconut trees), and Vanilla (+Fair Trade Certified; *Organic)
Allergen-related information: "Free from 14 common allergens" including soy, peanuts, tree nuts and gluten. (Contained coconut sugar; no refined cane sugar.)
*Etienne Guittard arrived in San Francisco during the Gold Rush in the mid-1800s and saw the potential demand for fine chocolate. He set up a chocolate shop on Sansome Street in 1868, and was one of the first chocolate makers in San Francisco.
And the company is still family-owned (and operated), more than 150 years later. No small feat.
