Van's - Chocolate Chip Snack Bars, Waffles - July 27, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Van's 

Chocolate Chip chewy baked whole grain snack bars

Good

Weight: 1.2 oz. (35 g.) in one bar

Calories: 150 calories in 1 bar

Cost: $ part of a larger box

Purchased from: missing information 

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate Chip Week.

Today's Chocolate Chip chewy baked whole grain snack bar from Van's International Foods (Vernon, CA) helped power a nature walk in the baylands and a busy day at work.

Van's has offered both conventional and gluten free items (including waffles, pancakes and snack bars—some with chocolate) for many years.
  
Today's sweet, cookie-like bar was a blend of warm oat, fig and chocolate flavors with a hint of vanilla. The fig paste and concentrate added flavor and helped bind the ingredients together.

Van's - Double Chocolate granola clusters - Mar. 3, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Van's International Foods
Double Chocolate soft baked whole grain granola clusters
Good
Weight: 2.12 oz. (60 g.) / 11 oz. (311 g.) total package
Calories: 240 calories in 2 servings
Cost: $3.99 for 1 package
Purchased from: Safeway, Palo Alto, CA

Good morning and welcome to Day #1 of Chocolate and Breakfast Cereal Week.

For a gluten-free person, breakfast cereals present a challenge. Happily, there are many more gluten free cereals on the market now, including several with chocolate.

I don't eat cereal often. We'll see if I can do so for a whole week without feeling over-sugared.

Today's Double Chocolate soft baked whole grain granola clusters from Van's International Foods (Phoenix, AZ) delivered on their promise.

Their chocolately granola was formed into pliable clumps vs. crispy chunks, with a texture more similar to a whole grain cookie bar. This recipe did not scrimp on the chocolate content. The granola clusters contained both chocolate chips with cocoa butter and cocoa powder.

My human and squirrel testers also approved of this ebony-hued, double chocolate granola, thanks in part to the bits of almonds, pecans and walnuts they contained.

The dense clusters of nuts, oats and a light touch of salt helped prevent runaway sweetness. The bowl of two servings (2/3 cup) I had with milk was a bit sweet, but also quite filling and satisfying.

Van's* has been making gluten-free waffles, blueberry waffles, and pancakes for many years. They were some of the earliest gluten-free offerings I found in local grocery stores in the early 1990s.

*Van's International Foods operates as a subsidiary of Tyson Foods, Inc. This particular granola was manufactured for Van's in a facility in Vernon, CA.