King Arthur - Chocolate Macadamia Cookies with Hawaiian Nibs and Sea Salt - Nov. 20, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

King Arthur Baking Company, Inc.
Gluten Free Ultimate Fudge Chocolate Brownie Mix
(Chocolate Macadamia Cookies with Hawaiian Nibs and Sea Salt)
Good + - Good ++ (See below)
Weight: 1. oz. (45 g.) mix used / 17 oz. (1 Lb., 1 Oz.) total box of mix
Calories: 165 calories for dry mix only)/ 400 calories (estimate) for 2 cookies
Cost: N/A - multiple ingredients
Purchased from: N/A - multiple ingredients, locations

Welcome to Day #14 of Chocolate and Hawaii. 

Today's tiny (two cookie) batch of Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies with Guava Smoked Hawaiian Sea Salt were made using (a) Gluten Free Ultimate Fudge Chocolate Brownie Mix from King Arthur Baking Company, Inc. (Norwich, VT).

I added the following ingredients to this mix:

1.) Olive Oil + (Coconut) MCT Oil
2.) Hawaiian Macadamia Nuts (chopped)
3.) Cacao Nibs from Manoa Chocolate (Kailua, Oahu, HI)
4.) 1 tiny banana (mashed)
5.) Cold Brew Coffee and Cream Liqueur
6.) Hawaiian guava smoked sea salt

I liked the combination of flavors. But the texture (when microwaved -- not recommended) was a little off. Following a standard cookie recipe and using a conventional oven (later) yielded better results.

The cocoa used in this mix was made more alkaline (less acidic and bitter) so it was sweet and agreeable. (Think Swiss Miss Cocoa in the U.S.) Happily, the Hawaiian cacao nibs helped restore some fine cacao flavor.

Notes: I used a gluten free brownie mix to make cookies. This King Arthur mix was optimized for brownies; and, if you're vegan (or not), the package specifically discouraged trying to make these brownies without using egg. (I'm not good at following recipes.) The end result: the last half of this micro-batch was folded into a great vanilla ice cream. That worked!

Brownie Mix Ingredients: Cane Sugar, Cocoa (Processed with Alkali), Tapioca Starch, Rice Flour, Baking Powder (Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Baking Soda, Corn Starch, Monocalcium Phosphate), Salt, Natural Vanilla Flavor. 

Allergen-related information: This mix was certified gluten-free by GFCO (GFCO.org) and was "Non-Dairy." "For information on allergens and cross-contact program, visit: KingArthurBaking.com/Allergen-Program"

SunRidge Farms - Wild Ginger Harvest mix - Jan. 16, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

SunRidge Farms
Wild Ginger Harvest mix
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 8 oz. (227 g.) in total package
Calories: 120 calories in 1 serving (per packaging)
Cost: $5.99 for 1 package
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Trail mixes are great for hikes, trips or snacks on the go. I often load mine up with nuts (some toasted, some raw), seeds, chocolate, fruits, a pinch of savory salt and/or a hint of cinnamon.

Today's Wild Ginger Harvest Mix from SunRidge Farms (Santa Cruz, CA) seemed like a good choice, as I contemplated a drive down the rugged Pacific coast dotted with small farms and wild birds.

The mix was full of flavorful, natural-tasting (no preservatives, sulphur dioxide, artificial colors or preservatives) ingredients: chocolate chips, candied ginger, tamari* almonds, cranberries, papaya, roasted cashews, and an occasional sparkle of pineapple and apricot.

This blend delivered lots of satisfying chewy, sweet dried fruit texture and flavor, and some crunchy, nut taste. Generous chunks of ginger provided zingy bursts of sweet heat. The ingredients all meshed well together. While chocolate chips were listed as the first ingredients, the concentrated flavor of the dried fruit and ginger dominated the mix.

In my homemade version of this mix, I generally opt for a little less dried fruit and a few more nuts (walnuts in this case), to give the nuts and chocolate more of a chance to shine, and to cut the sweetness a little. But, that's the beauty of any good trail mix -- it's easier to customize or tweak to one's liking than a finished chocolate bar or confection. And a trail mix doesn't melt as fast as pure chocolate if left in the sun.

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate and Ginger Theme Week.

*Note: there may be very small amount of wheat in the tamari sauce.

SunRidge - Milk Chocolate Cranberries - March 27, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

SunRidge Farms
Milk Chocolate Cranberries
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.4 oz. (40 g.) / 6.5 oz. (184 g.) in 1 package/bag
Calories: 180 calories (estimate) in one 20-piece serving
Cost: $4.99 for 1 package
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate and Cranberry Theme Week.

Not too sweet, but enough fruit tartness at the center to be interesting, these milk chocolate covered cranberries from SunRidge Farms (Santa Cruz, CA) were well balanced and flavorful.