Brookside - Dark Chocolate Goji and Raspberry - Aug. 25, 2016

Chocolate of the Day:

The Hershey Company
Brookside - Dark Chocolate Goji and Raspberry Flavors
Good
Weight: .7 oz. (20 g.) / 7 oz. (198 g.) in total package
Calories: 85 calories in 1/2 serving (8 pieces)
Cost: missing information
Purchased from: missing information



Welcome to Day #18 of Chocolate, Fruit and Botanicals Month, and a transition day from raspberry to goji berry flavors.

These Brookside Dark Chocolate Goji and Raspberry "Flavors" were from The Hershey Company (Hershey, PA) and were made in Canada. The round pieces consisted of "soft fruit flavored centers, covered in smooth dark chocolate."

I would call these chocolate candies. The dark chocolate was very sweet, as were the fruit centers. I have a bias: I like to taste the chocolate and the fruit(s); and I prefer sugar as a light accent flavor.  So (news flash to myself) I probably shouldn't be reviewing most candies.

Brookside - Summer Berry Crisp Dark Chocolate bar - Aug. 20, 2016

Chocolate of the Day:

The Hershey Company
Brookside Summer Berry Crisp dark chocolate bar
OK
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 3.17 oz. (90 g.) in total bar
Calories: 132 calories (per label) for 1 oz. (28.3 g.) of bar
Cost: $1.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #13 of Chocolate, Fruit and Botanicals Month.

For a dark chocolate bar, this was very sweet—a good example of how dark chocolate can technically be made just as sweet (or moreso) than a milk chocolate bar.

This bar was made with "natural" berry flavors, that tasted a little off, but still conveyed the essence of highly sweetened berries. The attractively packaged dark bar also had a slightly crunchy texture due to the addition of "grain crisps." This bar was not labeled as gluten free, but the grains seemed include brown rice flour, brown sugar and perhaps some corn, and did not seem to include wheat or barley.

Hershey - Brookside Blueberry chocolates - Aug. 18, 2016

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

The Hershey Company

1.) Brookside - Blueberry Almond with Acai Flavor bar
OK + - Good
Weight: .79 oz. (22.5 g.) / 3.17 oz. (90 g.) in total bar
Calories: 110 calories in 1/4 bar
Cost: $3.59 for 1 bar
Purchased from: CVS Pharmacy, Palo Alto, CA

2.) Brookside - Whole Blueberries in Smooth Dark Chocolate
OK + - Good
Weight: .6 oz. (17 g.) / 1.8 oz. (51 g.)
Calories: 80 calories in 1/3 package
Cost: $2.19 for 1 package
Purchased from: Walgreens, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #11 of Chocolate, Fruit and Botanicals Month.

These two dark chocolate and blueberry offerings were from The Hershey Company (Hershey, PA). The Brookside brand seemed designed to appeal to higher end buyers who might be more partial to dark chocolate.

Both the Brookside Blueberry Almond with Acai flavor bar and the Whole Blueberries in Dark Chocolate were too sweet for me; but they might appeal to those with a sweet tooth. The dark chocolate was even, and it was made with cocoa that had been alkalinized (a process that cuts acidity and smooths flavor).

The bar was attractively packaged, and I found myself looking around for a food pairing that might cut the sugar level a bit. This sounds terrible, but we dipped a small piece of the bar into some great salsa at lunch, and the salt and chilis (and perhaps the touch of acidity) seemed to improve the flavor and tone down the sweetness.