Nuttyness - Hazelnut Marzipan bar - July 7, 2016

Chocolate of the Day:

Nuttyness LLC
Hazelnut Marzipan bar
Good ++
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 270 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $5.95 for 1 bar
Purchased from: SweetE Organic, Mill Valley, CA

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

Marzipan. Kristian and Anis Salvesen, the founders of Nuttyness LLC (Oakland, CA), have been working on creative implementations and presentations of this traditionally European sweet, nutty confection for about 4+ years now.

Most notably they've incorporated "California flavors:" California almonds, pistachios, (citrus in the beginning) and other ingredients. It made sense to Kristian (an engineer), who grew up in Norway with marzipan as a holiday tradition, to use California almonds; as the Golden State is one of the largest nut producers in the World.

Today's substantial Hazelnut Marzipan bar was covered in smooth, flavorful dark chocolate and filled with ground almond and hazelnut marzipan, just like you might hope for—only nuttier.

Nuttyness - Dark Chocolate Pure Almond Marzipan bar - Feb. 28, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Nuttyness
Dark Chocolate Pure Almond Marzipan bar
Good
Weight: 2.12 oz. (60 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 318 calories in 3/5 bar
Cost: $6.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Almond Theme Week.

The best marzipan has concentrated, natural almond flavor; and it contains enough sugar to elevate the flavor, without being cloyingly sweet.

Today's Dark Chocolate Pure Almond Marzipan bar from Nuttyness (Oakland, CA) does a good job of hitting this balance. The dark chocolate was dark enough to balance the sweet almond paste filling, but it was smooth enough to allow the pockets of marzipan to convey their own flavor.

The team at Nuttyness has been producing marzipan bars for several years in the classic European style, with a twist. In addition to Pure Marzipan bars made from California almonds and infused with "California flavors" (e.g. Lemon Ginger and Orange Cayenne* in the past), there are Nuttyness Pistachio Marzipan and Hazelnut Marzipan bars as well.

The first Nuttyness bars I tasted were more compact (smaller, chubbier) flavored marzipan bars. The marzipan was thicker than the chocolate coating. These bars are still available and can be sliced, much like a small stick of butter).

What's New?
In the future, I'm looking forward to trying the new Nuttyness "Marzibon" line of confections that was unveiled at the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco in January 2016. These include "fruity" flavors and some of the flavors mentioned above* that first appeared in bar form.

That's the wonderful thing about chocolate, there's always something new.

The content and images in this post belong to ChocolateBanquet.com.

Nuttyness - Coffee Vanilla bar - March 18, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

Nuttyness, LLC
Coffee Vanilla - chocolate covered marzipan bar
Good - Good +
Weight: .83 oz. (23.6 g.) in 1/3 bar / 2.5 oz. (71 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 107 calories in 1/3 bar
Cost: $ N/A - sample (retail price is approximately $5.99)
Purchased from: N/A - sample

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate and Vanilla Theme Week, and Day #2 of Chocolate and Espresso Theme Week.

Marzipan is a paste or dough made with finely ground almonds and sugar. The best marzipan confections are neither too syrupy sweet nor too dry and coarse. This marzipan bar was just right for my taste.

But, what elevated this dark chocolate covered bar to a new level wasn't just the marzipan; it was the lovely, layered dark complex tasting experience. Nutty, almost floral, notes shifted to the bold taste of roasted coffee beans and sweet flavor of Madagascar vanilla -- all the while mixing with rich dark chocolate.

The vanilla aroma of this bar reminded me of the best vanilla frosting, or the best vanilla ice cream. In short, using high quality ingredients really does matter.

Origin Stories
The cacao, coffee and vanilla flavors in this bar got their start with fermented seeds and pods, from tropical plants with beautiful fruits and flowers. The almonds to make the marzipan in this bar came from California. The idea for flavored "marzipan with a twist" came from Kristian Salvesen at Nuttyness (Oakland, CA). A childhood Norwegian Christmas (marzipan) tradition melded with life in California and proximity to fresh almonds and ingredients.

Espresso
Where was the espresso you ask? I enjoyed this Coffee Vanilla marzipan bar with an iced "dirty chai" -- spicy sweet vanilla chai tea with coconut milk and a shot of espresso.

What is espresso? The definition of espresso involves a high pressure brewing style with very hot water and finely ground, compacted coffee. The "expressed" coffee does seem to have a thicker, darker, richer roasted flavor. Coffee that has been roasted longer, and made with a shorter brewing time also has slightly less (not more) caffeine than brewed or drip filtered coffee.

The term espresso roast, however, is apparently a misnomer. Southern Italians may start with a darker roast, but people in other parts of the globe may prefer slightly lighter roasts. In the end, apparently, if coffee is finely ground and made in the espresso brewing style, typically with a machine, anyone can enjoy a cup of beautiful, dark, almost creamy, espresso.

Nuttyness Lemon Ginger bar - March 11, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 
Nuttyness, LLC
Lemon Ginger bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 2.5 oz. (71 g.) total bar
Calories: 322 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $N/A - sample
Purchased from: N/A - Nuttyness

Today was the 6th Day of Chocolate and Lemon Theme Week.

This Lemon Ginger, chocolate covered, marzipan bar from Nuttyness, LLC (Oakland, CA) was a great bar to pack up for lunch today.

Founder and "Chief Nuttyness Officer," Kristian Salvesen, grew up in Norway, and had fond memories of marzipan from childhood. After living in California for some time, he realized that he could create his own high-quality version of the almond fragranced candy with flavors (such as lemon and ginger).

The marzipan in this bar was made from blanched almonds (from California) ground into a paste with a bit of bitter almond oil. (I liked that this marzipan was not overly sweet.) Lemon zest and organic ginger were added to this doughy almond mixture that had a texture that was just right: not too dry, and not too syrupy. And the bar was wrapped in a smooth coat of dark chocolate.

Chocolate, lemon and ginger sounded like a nice triad of flavors -- dark chocolate and ginger pair well together, as do chocolate and lemon. The dark chocolate and nutty almond flavors in this bar were made more interesting by a sparkle of tart/sweet lemon and a warm zing of ginger. For those who are sensitive to foods like ginger and cilantro, you may experience a very slight soapy flavor note.

This chunky bar could be sliced, and served on a small plate for a lunch, after school, holiday or picnic dessert; or it could be eaten right out of the wrapper, anytime.