JonnyPops - Cold Press Coffee, Chocolate and Cream Pops - May 18, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

JonnyPops LLC
Coffee Chocolate and Cream pops
Good ++
Weight: 1.55 fl. oz. (45.8 g.) / 9.3 fl. oz. (275 g.) in total box of 6 junior pops
Calories: 90 calories in 1 junior pop
Cost: $3.39 (estimate) for 1 box of 6 junior pops
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate, Coffee and Vanilla Theme Week.

Today's Coffee Chocolate and Cream Pops were from JonnyPops LLC (St. Louis Park/Minneapolis, MN).

The company, founded by four Minnesota college students, offers a variety of fruit and cream, and chocolate and cream, flavors in their frozen treat line. The founders are committed to a simple ingredient list and avoiding artificial ingredients in their pops.

Made with cold press coffee made at their manufacturing facility (cold press coffee is the first ingredient listed) and real (heavy) cream, today's cream pops were in fact creamy smooth and rich with authentic mocha latte flavor in every bite. A hint of vanilla helped give these a light and sweet flavor without being too sugary.

JonnyPop's frozen treats are gluten-free, kosher certified and peanut-free. (Products are made in a peanut-free facility and, other than coconut in some flavors, these cream pops are nut-free as well.)

These cream bars were "junior"* pop size, which were great if you just want a smidge of tasty, creamy fun without spoiling your appetite for dinner.

After the pop is eaten, you'll find a good deed oriented message printed on each stick. Co-founder and CEO Eric Brust is quoted as saying: "We believe that every act of kindness—no matter how big or small—goes a long way." (We appreciate that sentiment.)

*It's not clear if this smaller, junior pop, size is still available in stores. All other (standard-sized) flavors we saw came packaged 3 to a box.

Trader Joe's - Buttercream Truffles - Mar. 12, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Trader Joe's
Buttercream Truffles
Good
Weight: 1.2 oz. (33.75 g.) / 1.6 oz. (45 g.) in box of 4 truffles
Calories: 405 calories for 3 truffles
Cost: $1.49 for 1 box of 4 truffles
Purchased from: Trader Joe's

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and STUVWXYZ Theme Week. Today we've moved on to the letter "t"—as in truffles.

This attractively designed box of 4 Buttercream Truffles was made for Trader Joe's (Monrovia, CA) for the holidays.* The truffles were a product of Belgium.


The white buttercream filling inside these velvety, dome-shaped truffles presented a visual contrast to the cocoa-dusted milk chocolate exterior, and was flavored with Madagascar vanilla bean.


Note: These 4-piece truffle gift boxes were available for the holiday season, and may no longer be available.

Goldkenn - Original Praline bar - March 21, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Goldkenn
Original Praline bar
Good ++
Weight: .7 oz. (20 g.) in package/bar of 2 pieces
Calories: 105 calories (estimate) in 2 pieces
Cost: $N/A - gift from friend
Purchased from: N/A - gift from friend

Today was Day #7 of Chocolate Surprise Theme Week.

Sometimes the best surprises come from friends, like today's Swiss chocolate bar. Thank you Joy. The Swiss have a reputation for making chocolates with a silky smooth, buttery melt.

Goldkenn (Le Locle, Switzerland) offers a variety of milk, dark and praline chocolate bars packaged as replicas of gold bars. Today's Goldkenn Original Praline bar contained two pieces that were individually-wrapped in gold foil. The chocolate had a decadent flavor and melt-in-your-mouth texture -- sugar, cocoa butter, butterfat, creamy milk chocolate with flecks of almond and hazelnut.

Odwalla Bars, Cream Sandwich - April 1, 2014

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

Odwalla
Chocolate Chip Peanut protein bar
Good
Weight: 2 oz. (56 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 230 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $1.49 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Today we say goodbye to chocolate and cranberries and welcome Day #1 of Chocolate and Orange Theme Week -- with two different items and combinations.

Odwalla Protein Bars

Odwalla offers a line of reasonably priced protein bars, including today's Chocolate Chip Peanut bar. The peanut butter flavor and smooth, nut butter texture drew me in and provided satisfying taste.

I paired this Chocolate Chip Peanut bar with an Odwalla Orange Cranberry "nourishing" bar. The two went reasonably well together. I also took part of the Orange Cranberry bar and incorporated pieces of it into an ice cream sandwich.

Cream Ice Cream Sandwich

Berkeley, CA - based "Cream" has become a popular local cookie and ice cream sandwich shop chain in the San Francisco Bay Area in the last few years.

I visited the Cream San Jose location and bought two gluten-free chocolate chip walnut cookies to take home to make my own ice cream sandwich.

For the filling I mixed vanilla ice cream with bits of Odwalla Orange Cranberry Bar, and a splash of orange and tea flavored Qi liqueur from St. George Spirits (Alameda, CA). The resulting cookie and ice cream sandwich was sweet and delicious, and very filling.