Pamela's - Ambition Bar, Cold Brew Chocolate - June 12, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Pamela's Products, Inc.
Ambition Bar - Cold Brew Chocolate bar
Good - Good +
Weight: .47 oz. (13.3 g.) / 1.41 oz. (40 g.) in total package
Calories: 63.3 calories in 1/3 bar
Cost: $1.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Ava's Downtown Market, Mountain View, CA

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and Coffee Theme Week.

The Ambition Bar - Cold Brew Chocolate bar from Pamela's Products, Inc. (Ukiah, CA) was made with cold brew coffee (and green coffee); and was one of 5 different, new caffeinated Ambition Bar flavors from Pamela's.

The company has been producing and working on their expanding gluten-free product line for many years now. Their ginger, chocolate chunk/chip and other cookies were a welcome addition to grocery shelves many years ago when there were few good-tasting gluten-free options available in the U.S.

Today's Ambition Cold Brew Coffee Bar had a warm, pleasing cookie aroma reminiscent of fig bar, graham cracker, dates, blended with chocolate chips and a faint hint of coffee and malt.

The ebony-colored bar had the look and texture of a soft brownie cookie bar. It was satisfying and flavorful without being too sweet. The chocolate chips yielded bursts of rich chocolate flavor and it had a mild coffee and chocolate cookie finish.

The amount of caffeine (70 mg) in this organic and gluten- and grain-free energy bar was clearly listed on the packaging. Very useful for those watching their caffeine intake. (The bar was also vegan.)

Pumpkin Bread + Hershey's Chocolate Chips - Oct. 25, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Hershey's
Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
Good
Weight: 1/2 cup total for entire mix
Calories: 395.6 calories (estimate) in 1/2 cup chocolate chips
Cost: $1.99 (estimate) for 1 package
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Pamela's Products
Pumpkin Bread Mix
Good++
Weight: 2 oz. (56 g.) / 16 oz. (454 g.) in total package of dry mix
Calories: 320 calories in 2 servings (1/8 package, baked) -- 369 calories with added chocolate chips
Cost: $3.99 (estimate) for 1 package
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate, Sugar and Spice Theme Week.

Pamela's Pumpkin Mix was redolent with the smell of real, dried pumpkin; and the finished mix was quite good. I made this mix earlier this month with a mixture of butter and coconut oil that was delicious (without nuts or chocolate). Today, I added chocolate chips from Hershey's (Hershey, PA).

The sweet smelling and tasting semi-sweet chocolate chips also had a very faint wax crayon aroma. Although these chips did have an fairly creamy melt and mouthfeel.

Pamela's Products - Chocolate Grahams; s'mores - Oct. 17, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Pamela's Products, Inc.
Chocolate Grahams - Gluten-Free Graham Style Crackers
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.27 oz. (36 g.) / 7.5 oz. (212.6 g.) total box
Calories: 180 calories in 2 pieces
Cost: $N/A - gift (Thank you John)
Purchased from: N/A - gift

Today was Day #2 of Chocolate and the Great Outdoors Theme Week.

S'mores are arguably our favorite outdoor chocolate treat in the U.S.A. A s'more is a graham cracker sandwich filled with a warm, gooey (and occasionally charred) campfire-roasted marshmallow and a square of warm, melting chocolate.

I find s'mores almost too sweet now, but we fantasized about them as young, campfire smoke-scented campers.

For this reason, I was happy to receive a gift of a box of gluten-free Chocolate Grahams graham style crackers from Pamela's Products, Inc. (Ukiah, CA), that allowed me to re-create a sweet campfire memory. These chocolate grahams, glistened with sugar crystals, and smelled and tasted like "real" graham crackers.

First I made an "grown-up"* version of a s'more—an open-faced version with single origin dark chocolate square, a toasted marshmallow, and toasted chopped almonds (that helped balance the high sugar level). My original overly ambitious plan was to make the marshmallows from scratch (using a mallow plant/flowers). Maybe next time.

The open-faced s'more was good, but required a plate and fork. It resulted in fingers covered with melted chocolate. I was reminded why s'mores are eaten sandwich-style. Adding another graham on top reduced the chocolatey fingers "problem."

*Grown-up (or indoor) versions of something can be boring or pretentious. I could have poured brandy on this s'more and lit it on fire, but a flambeed s'more seemed over the top—even for a chocolate mad scientist, and a bit dangerous if you're near dry grass. 

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

ChocolateBet: June 24, 2012

Chocolate of the Day: 

Pamela's Products, Inc.
Oat Chocolate Chip Coconut bars
Good +
Weight: 1.41 oz. (40 g.) / 7.05 oz. (200 g.) total box of 5
Calories: 180 calories in 1 bar cookie
Cost: $4.99 total box of 5 bars
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

These gluten-free, non-dairy, chocolate chip coconut bar cookies from Pamela's Products (Ukiah, CA) came in a box of five bars.

These individually-wrapped "Whenever Bars" were slightly soft and chewy. Chia seeds provided some additional texture. I took two bars and made an ice cream sandwich, with coconut ice cream in the middle. For those eating wheat-free, I'd recommend these as a variation on traditional ice cream sandwich theme.

ChocolateBet: June 26, 2011

 Chocolate of the Day:

2 cookies
Pamela's Products
Chocolate Chunk Cookie Mix (+ add-ins)
Good +
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42 g.) (estimate)/ 13.6 oz. (386 g.) total package
Calories: 213 calories (estimate)
Cost: $7.19 total package
Purchased from: Safeway, in Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate and Gluten Free Cookie Theme Week, and today I tried whipping up a batch of Pamela's Gluten Free Chocolate Chunk Cookie Mix. I say "tried," because I almost always feel compelled to mess with, or add other ingredients to, almost any recipe, or set of instructions, that I try to follow.

Nuts, dried fruits, liqueurs: there are so many interesting possible additions. In this case, my add-ins to this cookie mix included Frangelico (hazelnut) liqueur and some fig and orange jam from Dalmatia.

These cookies turned out to be dark colored (partly due to cocoa powder included in this mix), chewy and somewhat crispy (once cooled). These cookies were good with roasted nuts, and fresh orange.

ChocolateBet: February 3, 2011

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

1 cupcake
Pamela's Products Inc.
Chocolate Cake Mix (gluten-free)
(plus cream cheese, eggs, other ingredients for Chocolate Surprise Cupcakes)
Good +
Weight: 4 oz. (113 g.) (estimate) for 1 cupcake
Calories: 300 calories (estimate)
Cost: $N/A - used mostly pre-existing ingredients
Purchased from: N/A

I found a recipe for Chocolate Surprise Cupcakes -- also known as Black Bottom Cupcakes. I say I found this recipe...I tried to follow this recipe to the best of my ability. However, I am unable to follow recipes without veering off-course, or making adds or changes.

Since baking is a science that requires rigor and precision, I started with Pamela's (wheat-free, gluten-free and dairy-free) Chocolate Cake Mix as a base for these Chocolate Surprise cupcakes. This was a wise move. I then proceeded to un-non-dairy this mix, by swirling a cream cheese-based ribbon of ingredients through it.

And, guilding the lilly, I carefully pressed a Sweet Earth Chocolates Classic Truffle into the top of the still warm cupcake before eating it. Double surprise.

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate (and) Surprise Theme Week. 

ChocolateBet: August 30, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:

1 cookie
Pamela's Products
Espresso Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Good +
Weight .7 oz. (17 g. )/5.29 oz. (150 g.) total package/box
Calories 75 calories for 1 cookie
Cost $4.39 for total package/box
Purchased from Five Seasons Whole Foods Market, in Ocean Springs, MS

To imagine today's chocolate, think of a wheat-free chocolate chip cookie embedded with bits of ground espresso, making it a good choice for a breakfast entree this morning, on the way to the airport.

Note Due to travel this week, chocolate eating will continue, but pictures and posts may be delayed.

ChocolateBet: September 1, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

2 servings (~ 8 small cookies)
Pamela's Products
Extreme Chocolate Mini Cookies (gluten-free)
Very Good - nice small size
Weight: ~ 2 oz. (56 grams) for 2 srvgs; 7 oz. (198 g.) for total package
Calories: 260 calories for 2 srvgs.
Cost: $ 2.99 for total package
Purchased from: Piazzas Fine Foods, in Palo Alto, CA

It's amazing how easy it is to justify having several little tiny cookies, due to their small size. Two servings? No problem.

Also, of all the different gluten-free chocolate cookies I've tried, these seem to be the best for making a chocolate cookie crust, and/or for crumbling/mixing into ice cream.

ChocolateBet: April 28, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

1 serving/biscotti
Pamela's Products
Chocolate Walnut Biscotti
Very Good (especially for a gluten-free version of biscotti)
Weight: 28 grams
Calories: 120
Cost: $3.29/pkg.
Purchased from: Whole Foods Market, in Cupertino, CA

This is, technically, the last day (Day #7) of Chocolate and Nut Week. However, I may have to extend the current theme week at least one more day, to include a chocolate and nut-related item that involves ice cream. Then I think I will have hit all the major chocolate and nut food groups: chocolate candy, trail mix, bars, cookies, brownies, and ice cream.

ChocolateBet: April 18, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

2 cookies
Pamela's Products
Chocolate Chunk Pecan Shortbread Cookies
(Gluten-free, 95% organic ingredients)
Very Good - these are great for gluten-free cookies
Wt: 33 grams
Calories: 180
Cost: $0.99
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, in Palo Alto, CA

ChocolateBet: May 18, 2007

Chocolate of the Day:

Pamela's
1 serving - Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chunk Cookies
33 g. for 2 cookies; 150 g. total for whole box
Yum-chocolatey! (and wheat/gluten-free too)
170 calories for 2 cookies
Purchased from: Piazza's (grocery market); Palo Alto, CA